Hariri Pontarini Architects (HPA) is one of Canada’s leading architecture and urban design firms. The 130-person Toronto office was founded by Siamak Hariri and David Pontarini. It just turned 30 years old, a major milestone. Today, Hariri runs the firm’s cultural projects, and Pontarini helms the commercial work. “I had about ten years of experience at two very, very good firms before we started the office,” Hariri told AN. “We started out with small projects. It was a slow, gradual thing. We didn’t have mercurial success. We built our infrastructure and studio—and the soul of our studio—quite slowly. We tried to figure out our voice and who we were for a long time. David’s been the best partner in the world.”
The firm’s portfolio is expansive. Among HPA’s most prized buildings is the Bahá’í Temple of South America, completed in 2016 in Chile. That space of worship has since become an emblem of Chilean pride and identity and has attracted more than 2.5 million visitors since opening, according to Bahá’í World News Service. Today, HPA is on track to deliver Canada’s tallest building, SkyTower, in Toronto. It’s also adding on to the Royal Ontario Museum, a lauded institution that also features contributions from Daniel Libeskind. “I’m always interested in what people are attracted to. Attraction is a very important part of why people hire us,” Hariri said. “Clients hire us because they want to create a place that attracts, which is what the project with Royal Ontario Museum is all about.”
“I really like the fact that we focus on building. We’re builders,” Hariri added. “We’re not theoreticians, right? We don’t have a blueprint for a brave new world. We’re not sitting here criticizing and sulking. We’re right here in the trenches! We care deeply about beauty. We think about beauty with a capital ‘B,’” he continued. “It’s very important to have an emotional connection with architecture. It should lift you somehow.”
Tom Patterson Theatre, 2020
Due west of Toronto is Stratford, a city of 33,000 people in Perth County on the Avon River. It’s full of nice old buildings, walkable streets, parks, and even Shakespearean gardens. Stratford Festival is a top-tier theater and music event that has taken place annually since 1953, attracting thousands of attendees. Tom Patterson Theatre is a new performing arts venue by HPA, sited right on the banks of the Avon River, that adds to Stratford’s cultural offerings. HPA conceived the building as a “seductive jewel” wrapped in a shimmering bronze veil. It was completed in 2020, but programming didn’t commence until 2022 due to the pandemic. “We won an international competition that invited 92 architects,” Hariri said. “The New York Times theater critic [Jesse Green] later called it the best new theater he had seen in years.”
The Well, 2024
The west side of Spadina Avenue used to be a light-industrial area dotted with small factories and tiny wood houses. Now it’s Toronto’s Fashion District, a burgeoning mixed-use core with much larger buildings. The Ace Hotel, designed by Shim-Sutcliffe Architects, and a forthcoming mixed-use complex by BIG are standout features in the area. The Well is another mixed-use hub west of Spadina, designed by HPA, Adamson Associates Architects, and Claude Cormier + Associés. The 3-million–square–foot complex spans several blocks and is stocked with a bevy of retail options. A 36-story residential tower makes the Well recognizable from afar. The complex was finished in 2024 and was shepherded by David Pontarini; it’s been described as “Canada’s answer to Hudson Yards.”
SkyTower, 2018–2026
On a clear day, with the right view, it’s possible to look out over Lake Ontario from Toronto and see New York. That is, if you’re standing atop SkyTower, Canada’s first supertall, designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects. The 106-story skyscraper is part of a major redevelopment, Pinnacle One Yonge. That tower will have 950 units and ample amenity spaces. A community center and affordable housing will occupy the podium level. Phase one of Pinnacle One Yonge, a 65-story tower called the Prestige, is already occupied. In the coming years, the Brutalist Toronto Star building will be cleared to make way for the rest of the development. Pontarini is steering that project, together with HPA’s Nadine El-Gazzar, Jodi Buck, and others.
Royal Ontario Museum Welcome Project, 2019–2027
The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a building made of buildings. The original venue was designed by Darling and Pearson; it opened to the public in 1914, an Italianate and neo- Romanesque ensemble much later added on to by Daniel Libeskind. Now, Hariri Pontarini is making its mark on Canada’s largest museum with the ROM Welcome Project, Plaza and Public Realm, otherwise known as Open ROM. HPA has already improved the Blue Street and Queen’s Park sides of ROM in past phases. This next phase is about improving interior circulation and expanding gallery capacity, vital steps toward helping ROM accommodate its 1.4 million annual visitors. “The big move is opening up the entire center and creating a really important gathering place for people within ROM,” Hariri said. “It’s a big deal to be a part of this wonderful institution. ROM is a really important project for us at HPA.”
