Peter Clewes
Encyclopedia
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and the principal of the Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
-based firm architectsAlliance
ArchitectsAlliance
architectsAlliance is an award-winning Toronto-based architectural firm headed by architect Peter Clewes. It was formed in 1999 with the merger of Wallman Clewes Bergman and Van Nostrand DiCastri Architects....
. He has been one of the leading architects in the condo boom that has reshaped Toronto in the first decade of the 21st century. His projects include SP!RE
SP!RE
SP!RE is a high-rise condominium building located at 70 Adelaide Street East at Church Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada by Context Developments...
, Casa Condominio Residenza, Murano
Murano, Toronto
Murano Condominiums, is a two-tower residential high-rise condominium complex located alongside Bay Street, near the intersection of College Street in the Discovery District of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Construction of the North tower was completed in the winter of 2008/9. The South...
, Burano
Burano (building)
Burano Condominiums, is a 48 storey, 149 metre tall residential high-rise condominium complex presently under construction on Bay Street between Grenville St. and Grosvenor St...
, X Condominium
X Condominium
X Condominium is a high-rise condominium building located at 110 Charles Street E. near the intersection of Bloor and Jarvis in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada by Great Gulf Homes.-Architecture:...
, 20 Niagara, and MoZo
Mozo
Mozo is an Australian banking and insurance comparison website. The site compares home loans, credit cards, debit cards, car loans, personal loans, savings accounts, term deposits, car insurance,and life insurance.- Rate & Review :...
. He most often works for Howard Cohen of Context Development
Context Development
Context is a real estate development company focused on high-rise residential developments in downtown Toronto. Founded in 1997 by Stephen Gross and Howard Cohen, Context is known for sensitive urban design and sleek, contemporary architecture...
s.
Clewes designed buildings can be described as neomodern
Neomodern
Neomodern is a term used to describe a "new simplicity" in art and in reaction to the complexity of postmodern architecture and eclecticism. Neomodern is used on occasion to denote the contemporary period.-Neomodern architecture:...
. He is notable for creating unadorned towers with large expanses of glass and well though out interior lay outs. He is a critic of neo-historical and postmodern structures, arguing there is no reason to force tiny windows and aged styles when modern technology can create expansive floor to ceiling windows. He has argued forcefully against contextualism
Contextualism
Contextualism describes a collection of views in philosophy which emphasize the context in which an action, utterance, or expression occurs, and argues that, in some important respect, the action, utterance, or expression can only be understood relative to that context...
, and has not employed it for projects such as his Distillery District designs. He told the Globe and Mail "We need to create buildings of our time. Architecture is a record of where a city and a culture was at a particular time." His designs have been well received by customers and critics. Christopher Hume is one of his strongest advocates. Hume, the architecture critic for the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
, has given rare A ratings to several of Clewes' designs and has called him "the leading condo designer of his generation"
Originally from Montreal, Clewes studied at the University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
. From university he gained a co-op placement with the renowned Arthur Erickson
Arthur Erickson
Arthur Charles Erickson, was a Canadian architect and urban planner. He studied Asian languages at the University of British Columbia, and later earned a degree in architecture from McGill University.-Biography:...
. He then joined Erickson's firm in Toronto. With Erickson he participated in a number of major projects, including the Canadian Embassy in Washington
Canadian Embassy in Washington
The Embassy of Canada in Washington, D.C. is Canada's main diplomatic mission to the United States. The embassy building is located at 501 Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C. between the Capitol and the White House, just north of the National Gallery of Art.- Overview :The embassy had...
. In 1986, he left to help form a separate practice, Wallman Clewes Bergman. Wallman Clewes Bergman merged with Van Nostrand DiCastri Architects in 1999 to form architectsAlliance. Clewes has taught at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
and is a currently a member of the Toronto Waterfront Design Review Panel.