Emad Ghattas, Carlos Morell, and Sandra Iskandar will be moderating and/or presenting for:
Session 4.4 | Guardians of Our Past: A Fireside Discussion Amongst Retiring Heritage Professionals
Session 7.1 | Crossing Barriers Towards Success in Adaptive Reuse
Session 9.1 | In-Situ – The Relocation Conundrum
Goldsmith Borgal & Company Ltd.
GBCA (Goldsmith Borgal & Company Ltd. Architects) is a full-service architectural firm, with an stellar reputation within the building industry for Adaptive Reuse, Heritage Consulting, Technical Consulting,and Restoration. The uniqueness of each heritage property may require any number of these services throughout a project’s development. All GBCA’s work adheres to the National Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada.
GBCA has been honoured with multiple awards since its inception, including three Lieutenant Governor’s Awards, twelve CAHP Awards, and four Best of the Best Awards from the Toronto Construction Association. In 2001, Christopher Borgal Architect (1977) and Philip Goldsmith Architect (1980) merged to form Goldsmith Borgal & Company Ltd.
In 2022, GBCA’s President, Christopher Borgal received the prestigious Eric Arthur Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is given to those ‘who have made an outstanding contribution to the heritage conservation movement in Ontario over a sustained period of time. The state of the Province’s built heritage today would not be the same without the significant activities of this person.’ The highest honour yet followed in 2024 when Chris was bestowed with the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his contribution and services to Canada.
While often considered a challenge by many, for GBCA the integration of heritage resources within new development is an exciting opportunity for recognizing the heritage value of an historic place and managing change in a creative and useful way. GBCA prepares required heritage documents and collaborates with project teams by providing heritage related construction documents.
Informed by our interdisciplinary team of experts in the fields of architecture, architectural history, and conservation, GBCA prepares a variety of reports and assessments and provides on-site technical assistance. Whether for the purposes of building maintenance and repair, or in conjunction with a proposed development application, our services are comprehensive and accurate.
GBCA is recognized for our creative and sensitive solutions that revitalize and provide relevant and sustained uses for our heritage resources. We are dedicated to helping achieve a society that values the reuse of existing buildings. Many of GBCA’s core values and fundamental practices are akin to those now embraced by green design policies and the circular economy. Heritage architecture is sustainable architecture.
Restoration involves accurately revealing, recovering, or representing the state of an historic place or individual component as it appeared at a particular period in its history, based on substantial physical and documentary evidence. At GBCA, we prioritize rigorous research to inform and enhance our approach to heritage projects. Traditional materials and techniques are typically employed in restoration projects. This service often takes the form of detailed technical specifications and drawings.
