Diamond and Schmitt Architects Incorporated
Diamond and Schmitt Architects have received national and international recognition for programming studies, renovations and new buildings that achieve design excellence, display a deep understanding of libraries and the communities where they are located and are innovative in the way in which user satisfaction is achieved.
The firm was established in 1975 and is comprised of two
partners, fifty-five registered and graduate architects, of whom
five are associates, five technicians, two registered planners
and a support staff of twelve, seventy-six in all.
Mission: The firm seeks to achieve a high standard of excellence.
Popular success has been achieved by unremitting attention to
user needs and aspirations. Critical recognition has been
achieved through commitment to design from first principles. We
take pride in designing buildings which support both the ideals
and the functional requirements of its users.
Design Excellence: The firm has received 86 medals and regional,
national and international awards for design excellence. These
include six Governor General's Medals and Awards. More important
than awards, however, is the ability to design from first
principles and create architectural excellence commensurate with
the stature of the institution.
Project Management: The early planning stages of a project are
particularly critical to the outcome, and we have developed an
approach that ensures we have all the important information at
hand and all the crucial systems in place before design
development gets underway. Once preparations are complete, we
take great care to maintain strict control over the design,
documentation and construction processes, especially with respect
to schedule, costs, and quality.
Schedule: Our firm has had great success in controlling
schedules. For example, at George Brown College we completed the
renovation of 160,000 s.f. at a cost of $16.5 million, from
design to completion of construction and occupancy in 6 months.
In 1997 the Kingston Library was designed and built in 10 months.
In 1999, three months after we were retained as architects
construction began on site for the $95M, 560,000 square foot
Bahen Centre for Information Technology at the University of
Toronto. Also in 1999 we completed design and tender documents
on a $45M wing at St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto which was
tendered $800,000 under budget.
Cost Control Methodology: In our firm cost control is not simply
a question of managing the design and construction process well
but of designing solutions that are intrinsically economic. In
this way economies in operating as well as capital costs can be
achieved. In terms of managing projects well, we have refined an
extremely effective cost control system with our cost consultant,
in which cost budgeting and cost estimating is used. This allows
all concerned to evaluate the systems and materials to be
employed. In effect it uses cost control as a design tool.
Company Details
Year Established:
1975
Total Sales ($CDN):
$5,000,000 - $10,000,000
Number of Employees:
76
Company Information
Robert Graham
Title:
Partner/Associate
Telephone:
(416) 862-8800
Fax:
(416) 862-5508
Email:
Click Here
A.J. Diamond
Title:
Director
Telephone:
(416) 862-8800
Fax:
(416) 862-5508
Donald Schmitt
Title:
Director
Telephone:
(416) 862-8800
Fax:
(416) 862-5508
Services
Architect - Feasibility Study
Architect - Urban Design
Architect - Health Care - Hospitals
Architect - Health Care - Other
Architect - Education - Universities
Architect - Education - Other
Architect - Commercial (low Rise)
Architect - Office Building - Low Rise
Architect - Office Building - High Rise
Architect - Hotels/Tourism
Architect - Sports Facilities
Architect - Residential - Single Family
Architect - Residential - High Rise
Architect - Residential - Low Cost
Architect - Government
Architect - Functional Programming
Architect - Architectural Programming
Architect - Master Planning
Architect - Site Analysis
Architect - Project Construction Management
Architect - Interior Design
Architect - Landscape Architecture
Architect - Energy Analysis
Architect - Other (specify)