Macy DuBois
Encyclopedia
Gazell Macy DuBois M. Arch
, P. Eng
, PP-F
RAIC
, PP-RCA
, FAIA
(hon) (20 December 1929 – 9 November 2007) was an American
-born Canadian
architect
who designed several landmark Toronto
buildings.
in 1951, and served in Europe and Asia with the U.S. Navy
from 1951–54. DuBois retired as Lieutenant, Junior Grade
and commander of the minesweeper
USS Kite
with the Korea Service
Star
and United Nations Battle Star
.
(AIA) conference in Boston, and was inspired to attend the Harvard Graduate School of Design
, graduating in 1958. In his final year, he entered the Toronto City Hall
design competition with three other student collaborators. Selected as one of 8 semi-finalists from a field of 510 entrants, he moved to Toronto to work on the second round and, although his design was not ultimately selected, soon relocated permanently.
DuBois worked briefly for John B. Parkin and Associates (1958–59), then joined Robert Fairfield Associates in 1960, which was renamed Fairfield+DuBois when he became a partner
in 1962. The firm went through several name changes as partners joined and left, finally becoming The DuBois Plumb Partnership after partnering with Helga Plumb in 1979 until their retirement in 2001.
His first major project, begun in 1959, was the combined residence and teaching facility of New College, University of Toronto
, with a curved interior courtyard inside a rectilinear facade. It was well received, winning a local architectural design award after completion of phase II, and is considered one of the finest buildings on the campus.
Having been told soon after arriving in Toronto that exposed concrete
"just won't work because of our climate", DuBois determined to prove otherwise in his second significant project, the Central Technical School
Arts Centre. Occupied in 1963, it was an internationally recognized success, establishing his reputation designing academic buildings.
Probably his most-photographed building was the Ontario pavilion at Expo 67
, an irregular tent-like structure made of computer-designed fabric stretched across a steel framework. A little too imaginative for some, who claimed the model "looks vaguely like a bat strangling under a white sheet" or "a model of a sort of tent city or a mess of paper triangles or mentally disarranged envelopes", it was greatly admired by almost everyone who actually saw it. Dubois wanted a natural landscaping for the pavilion and worked with landscape architect Dick Strong on a design featuring massive granite blocks, of differing size.
DuBois went on to design many institutional buildings, including a large portion of Lakehead University
, and win numerous awards. Generally in the modern style
, he tempered the brutalism
of Le Corbusier
, with inspiration from Alvar Aalto
, Louis Kahn
and Frank Lloyd Wright
. To these influences, he personally added sensitivity to the application and environment, building on a human scale, and the use of interior spaces that are useful year-round.
His only significant residential project, The Oaklands condominium and townhouse development in Toronto, is an excellent example. Earning a Governor General's Award
in 1983, the citation credited "Scale with surroundings well conceived; calm of the complex's interior street; considerable value obtained with limited budget.
As his career matured, DuBois contributed a great deal of time to foster the profession of architecture. His energetic service to the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada
earned him the presidency of the society from 1982–83, and he also served as president of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
from 1988–91.
His last public appearance was at the launch of the book Concrete Toronto on November 1, 2007, only a few days before his unexpected death.
Prominent buildings designed by Macy DuBois include:
Master of Architecture
The Master of Architecture is a professional degree in architecture, qualifying the graduate to move through the various stages of professional accreditation that result in receiving a license.-Overview:...
, P. Eng
Professional Engineer
Regulation of the engineering profession is established by various jurisdictions of the world to protect the safety, well-being and other interests of the general public, and to define the licensure process through which an engineer becomes authorized to provide professional services to the...
, PP-F
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
RAIC
Royal Architectural Institute of Canada
The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada , founded in 1907, is a Canadian association representing over 3,600 architects, and faculty and graduates of Canadian Schools of Architecture.RAIC is the voice for architecture and its practice in Canada...
, PP-RCA
Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts is a Canadian arts-related institution founded in 1880, under the patronage of the Governor General of Canada, Sir John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, the Marquess of Lorne. Canadian landscape painter Homer Watson was a member and president of the Academy...
, FAIA
FAIA
Fellow of the American Institute of Architects is a postnomial, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects...
(hon) (20 December 1929 – 9 November 2007) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-born Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
architect
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...
who designed several landmark 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...
buildings.
Early life
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, DuBois earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (cum laude) at Tufts UniversityTufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
in 1951, and served in Europe and Asia with the U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
from 1951–54. DuBois retired as Lieutenant, Junior Grade
Lieutenant, Junior Grade
Lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, United States Merchant Marine USMM, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade...
and commander of the minesweeper
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
USS Kite
USS Kite (AMS-22)
USS Kite was a built for the United States Navy during World War II.-History:Kite was laid down as YMS-324 on 31 January 1943 by the Weaver Shipyards in Orange, Texas, and launched 17 February 1944. She was completed and commissioned on 31 May 1944 with Lt. Robert A...
with the Korea Service
Korean Service Medal
The Korean Service Medal is an award of the United States military and was created in November 1950 by executive order of President Harry Truman. The Korean Service Medal is the primary United States medal for participation in the Korean War and is awarded to any U.S. service member, who...
Star
Service star
A service star, also referred to as a battle star, campaign star, or engagement star, is an attachment to a United States military decoration which denotes participation in military campaigns or multiple bestowals of the same award. Service stars are typically issued for campaign medals, service...
and United Nations Battle Star
Service star
A service star, also referred to as a battle star, campaign star, or engagement star, is an attachment to a United States military decoration which denotes participation in military campaigns or multiple bestowals of the same award. Service stars are typically issued for campaign medals, service...
.
Career
Uncertain about a career in engineering, DuBois attended an American Institute of ArchitectsAmerican Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
(AIA) conference in Boston, and was inspired to attend the Harvard Graduate School of Design
Harvard Graduate School of Design
The Harvard Graduate School of Design is a graduate school at Harvard University offering degrees in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning and Design.-History:...
, graduating in 1958. In his final year, he entered the Toronto City Hall
Toronto City Hall
The City Hall of Toronto, Ontario, Canada is the home of the city's municipal government and one of its most distinctive landmarks. Designed by Finnish architect Viljo Revell and landscape architect Richard Strong, and engineered by Hannskarl Bandel, the building opened in 1965...
design competition with three other student collaborators. Selected as one of 8 semi-finalists from a field of 510 entrants, he moved to Toronto to work on the second round and, although his design was not ultimately selected, soon relocated permanently.
DuBois worked briefly for John B. Parkin and Associates (1958–59), then joined Robert Fairfield Associates in 1960, which was renamed Fairfield+DuBois when he became a partner
Partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.Since humans are social beings, partnerships between individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments, and varied combinations thereof, have always been and remain commonplace...
in 1962. The firm went through several name changes as partners joined and left, finally becoming The DuBois Plumb Partnership after partnering with Helga Plumb in 1979 until their retirement in 2001.
His first major project, begun in 1959, was the combined residence and teaching facility of New College, University of Toronto
New College, University of Toronto
New College is one of the four constituent Colleges of the University of Toronto in Canada. One of the larger colleges with nearly 5000 students, it stands on Huron Street in the historic campus' west-end, nestled alongside the major Science research buildings...
, with a curved interior courtyard inside a rectilinear facade. It was well received, winning a local architectural design award after completion of phase II, and is considered one of the finest buildings on the campus.
Having been told soon after arriving in Toronto that exposed concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
"just won't work because of our climate", DuBois determined to prove otherwise in his second significant project, the Central Technical School
Central Technical School
Central Technical School is a composite high school located at 725 Bathurst Street at Harbord Street in Toronto, Canada.C.T.S. offers a wide range of programs, including all core academic courses, as well as concentration and specialization in visual arts and technical studies. C.T.S...
Arts Centre. Occupied in 1963, it was an internationally recognized success, establishing his reputation designing academic buildings.
Probably his most-photographed building was the Ontario pavilion at Expo 67
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
, an irregular tent-like structure made of computer-designed fabric stretched across a steel framework. A little too imaginative for some, who claimed the model "looks vaguely like a bat strangling under a white sheet" or "a model of a sort of tent city or a mess of paper triangles or mentally disarranged envelopes", it was greatly admired by almost everyone who actually saw it. Dubois wanted a natural landscaping for the pavilion and worked with landscape architect Dick Strong on a design featuring massive granite blocks, of differing size.
DuBois went on to design many institutional buildings, including a large portion of Lakehead University
Lakehead University
Lakehead University is a public research university in Thunder Bay, and Orillia, Ontario, Canada.Lakehead University, shortened to 'Lakehead U', or 'LU', is non-denominational and provincially supported. It has undergraduate and graduate programs and a medical school.The school has more than 45,000...
, and win numerous awards. Generally in the modern style
Modern architecture
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...
, he tempered the brutalism
Brutalist architecture
Brutalist architecture is a style of architecture which flourished from the 1950s to the mid 1970s, spawned from the modernist architectural movement.-The term "brutalism":...
of Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
, with inspiration from Alvar Aalto
Alvar Aalto
Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware...
, Louis Kahn
Louis Kahn
Louis Isadore Kahn was an American architect, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. After working in various capacities for several firms in Philadelphia, he founded his own atelier in 1935...
and Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
. To these influences, he personally added sensitivity to the application and environment, building on a human scale, and the use of interior spaces that are useful year-round.
His only significant residential project, The Oaklands condominium and townhouse development in Toronto, is an excellent example. Earning a Governor General's Award
Governor General's Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, marking distinction in a number of academic, artistic and social fields. The first was conceived in 1937 by Lord Tweedsmuir, a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction who created the Governor...
in 1983, the citation credited "Scale with surroundings well conceived; calm of the complex's interior street; considerable value obtained with limited budget.
As his career matured, DuBois contributed a great deal of time to foster the profession of architecture. His energetic service to the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada
Royal Architectural Institute of Canada
The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada , founded in 1907, is a Canadian association representing over 3,600 architects, and faculty and graduates of Canadian Schools of Architecture.RAIC is the voice for architecture and its practice in Canada...
earned him the presidency of the society from 1982–83, and he also served as president of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts is a Canadian arts-related institution founded in 1880, under the patronage of the Governor General of Canada, Sir John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, the Marquess of Lorne. Canadian landscape painter Homer Watson was a member and president of the Academy...
from 1988–91.
His last public appearance was at the launch of the book Concrete Toronto on November 1, 2007, only a few days before his unexpected death.
Major awards
DuBois received numerous honours and awards for his work, the most notable being:- Massey Medal (1964) for Central Technical School Arts Centre.
- Massey Medal (1967) for ECE Group Office building, Don MillsDon MillsDon Mills is a mixed-use neighbourhood in the North York district of Toronto, Canada. It was developed to be a self-supporting "new town" and was at the time located outside of Toronto proper. Consisting of residential, commercial and industrial sub-districts, it was planned and developed by...
- Low Energy Building Design Award of Excellence (1980), for the Joseph Shepard Building
- Governor General's Medal in ArchitectureGovernor General's AwardThe Governor General's Awards are a collection of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, marking distinction in a number of academic, artistic and social fields. The first was conceived in 1937 by Lord Tweedsmuir, a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction who created the Governor...
(1983), for The Oaklands Condominium and Housing Project.
Projects
- New College, University of TorontoNew College, University of TorontoNew College is one of the four constituent Colleges of the University of Toronto in Canada. One of the larger colleges with nearly 5000 students, it stands on Huron Street in the historic campus' west-end, nestled alongside the major Science research buildings...
, Toronto (1962, 1967) - Ontario Pavilion at Expo 67Expo 67The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
, MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
(1967) - Lakehead UniversityLakehead UniversityLakehead University is a public research university in Thunder Bay, and Orillia, Ontario, Canada.Lakehead University, shortened to 'Lakehead U', or 'LU', is non-denominational and provincially supported. It has undergraduate and graduate programs and a medical school.The school has more than 45,000...
, Thunder BayThunder Bay-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
(1969, 1973):- 20 year master plan
- Academic building
- Athletic complex
- Sciences building
- Albert Campbell Library, Toronto (1971)
- Trent UniversityTrent UniversityTrent University is a liberal arts and science-oriented institution located along the Otonabee River in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.The enabling legislation is the Trent University Act, 1962-63. The University was founded through the efforts of a citizens' committee interested in creating a...
Otonabee College, Student Union, Academic Building, and Student Residences PeterboroughPeterborough, OntarioPeterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
(1973) - George Brown CollegeGeorge Brown CollegeGeorge Brown College is a public, fully accredited college of applied arts and technology with three full campuses in downtown Toronto, Ontario...
of Applied Arts & Technology, Casa Loma Campus, Toronto (1974) - Ontario Police CollegeOntario Police CollegeThe Ontario Police College is located in Malahide Township, just east of Aylmer, in Elgin County in Southwestern Ontario, Canada.-Programs:...
, Aylmer, OntarioAylmer, OntarioAylmer is a town in Elgin County in southern Ontario, Canada, just north of Lake Erie, on Catfish Creek. It is 20 km south of Highway 401...
: Master Plan and Teaching, Living, Dining, Athletic and Training Facilities (1976)http://www.opconline.ca/ - Joseph Shepard Federal Office Building, Toronto (1977) (Federal Heritage Building)
- The Oaklands Condominium and Housing Project, Toronto (1980)
- Ambulance Services Headquarters, Toronto (1981, 1995)
- Canadian Embassy Complex, BeijingBeijingBeijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(1989, 2000) - Windsor Justice Facility, Windsor, OntarioWindsor, OntarioWindsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
(2000)http://www.cpci.ca/?sc=potm&pn=monthly92001