Michael McClelland is a Canadian architect with a history of experience in

heritage conservation Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK), is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philos ...

. He is a founding principal of the Toronto-based firm ERA Architects Inc., as well as an author of several books.

Early life and education

McClelland graduated from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

in 1981 with a Bachelor of Architecture (BArch).

Career

Architecture and conservation (1981–1990)

Prior to the establishment of ERA Architects Inc. in 1990, McClelland served as a member of the

Toronto Historical Board Heritage Toronto is an agency of the Municipal Government of Toronto that works to builds a better city by bringing people together to explore Toronto’s shared past and peoples’ lived experiences. It is located in St. Lawrence Hall in the city. ...

as an adviser on municipal topics such as permit and development applications, as well as municipal planning and

preservation Preservation may refer to: Heritage and conservation * Preservation (library and archival science), activities aimed at prolonging the life of a record while making as few changes as possible * ''Preservation'' (magazine), published by the Nat ...

. He has been

chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...

of the Toronto Society of Architects, and has been a member of the

Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada The Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada (SSAC) is a learned society devoted to the examination of the role of the built environment in Canadian society. Its membership includes structural and landscape architects, architectural histori ...

. His work with the

Ontario Association of Architects The Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) is the regulatory body responsible for registering and licensing all architects legally entitled to practice the scope of architecture in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1889. Notable ...

has included roles such as member of the Centennial Committee, heritage restoration consultant, and graduate associate. He is currently a registered member of the

. His work during this time period also concerned heritage conservation, in the realms of heritage planning and

urban design Urban design is an approach to the design of buildings and the spaces between them that focuses on specific design processes and outcomes. In addition to designing and shaping the physical features of towns, cities, and regional spaces, urban de ...

; in 1984, McClelland became one of the founding members of the Canadian Association of Professional Heritage Consultants (CAPHC).

ERA Architects Inc.

McClelland established the firm ERA Architects Inc. (ERA) in conjunction with fellow architect Edwin Rowse in 1990, based out of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Ontario. The firm has evolved since its foundation to specialize in heritage conservation, as well as in the conservation of cultural and built environments. Projects the firm has been involved ininclude the Distillery District, the

Don Valley Brick Works The Don Valley Brick Works (often referred to as the Evergreen Brick Works) is a former quarry and industrial site located in the Don River Valley in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Don Valley Brick Works operated for nearly 100 years and provided ...

, and the

King Edward Hotel The Omni King Edward Hotel is a historic luxury hotel in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The hotel is located at 37 King Street (Toronto), King Street East, and it occupies the entire block bounded by King Street on the north, Victoria Street ...

, all located in Toronto. McClelland has been credited as the heritage architect for projects such as the adjustments made to the

Royal Ontario Museum The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America and the largest in Canada. It attracts more than one million visitors every year ...

and the Art Gallery of Ontario, as well as a member of the

adaptive reuse Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an existing building for a purpose other than which it was originally built or designed for. It is also known as recycling and conversion. Adaptive reuse is an effective strategy for optimizing the o ...

design team for the Don Jail and the proposal for the Commissioner's Park in Toronto's

Port Lands The Port Lands (also known as Portlands) of Toronto, Ontario, Canada are an industrial and recreational neighbourhood located about 5 kilometres south-east of downtown, located on the former Don River delta and most of Ashbridge's Bay. Approxi ...

. Ever since his initial partnership with Rowse upon the foundation of their firm, the two have retained a close working relationship throughout their careers.

Publications

McClelland has co-authored several books on the cultural potential and impacts of Canadian architecture and

urban planning Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...

, for which he is also credited as an editor. His first book, ''East/West: A Guide to Where People Live in Downtown Toronto'', was published in 2000 in collaboration with Mark Fram and Nancy Byrtus as a selection of housing and development testimonies provided by a variety of sources, followed by ''Concrete Toronto: A Guide to Concrete Architecture from the Fifties to the Seventies'', an investigation into Toronto's historical use of concrete, with Graeme Stewart in 2007. ''Concrete Toronto: A Guide to Concrete Architecture from the Fifties to the Seventies'' contains contributions from professionals such as original architects,

city planners An urban planner (also known as town planner) is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban planning or city planning. An urban planner may focus on a specific area of practice and have a title such as city planner, town ...

, local practitioners, historians, journalists, and academics, as well as resources such as

archival An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or ...

photos, drawings, and

case studies A case study is an in-depth, detailed examination of a particular case (or cases) within a real-world context. For example, case studies in medicine may focus on an individual patient or ailment; case studies in business might cover a particular fi ...

. Since its publication, the book has received the following awards: * Heritage Toronto Award (Book): Award of Excellence, 2008 * Design Exchange Award (Visual Communications Content & Editorial): Award of Merit, 2008 * Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals (Communications): Award of Merit, 2008 ''The Ward: The Life and Loss of Toronto's First Immigrant Neighbourhood,'' published in 2015 in collaboration with Toronto journalist

John Lorinc John Lorinc is a Canadian journalist, whose book ''Dream States: Smart Cities, Technology, and the Pursuit of Urban Utopias'' won the Balsillie Prize for Public Policy in 2022. The book was also a shortlisted finalist for the Donner Prize in the sam ...

, Toronto historian Ellen Scheinberg, and ERA Heritage Specialist Tatum Taylor, features a series of essays written by a spectrum of contributors on the evolution of late 19th century Toronto and its architectural culture. The book received the Award of Merit for Heritage Education from the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals in 2015, as well as a nomination for the Toronto Book Awards in 2016. Its successor, ''The Ward Uncovered: The Archaeology of Everyday Life'', was published in 2018 in collaboration with John Lorinc, Holly Martelle, and Tatum Taylor. The book received the Award of Merit for Heritage Education, Awareness and Scholarship in 2018 from the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals.

Awards and recognition

McClelland has received the Ontario Association of Architects Award of Excellence, the Canadian Architect Award of Merit, and the City of Toronto Urban Design Award of Excellence. In 1999, he was awarded certificates of recognition from the Ontario Association of Architects and the Toronto Society of Architects. In 2006, McClelland was made a

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McClelland, Michael Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Canadian architects University of Toronto alumni