Moriyama and Teshima Architects, past, present and future.

2023-10-10 16:24:53 10 October, 2023

Starting far left, Ronen Bauer, Carol Phillips, Diarmuid Nash, Urvish Patel, Emmanuelle van Rutten, and Brian Rudy

A productive day recording interviews with staff at Moriyama and Teshima architects while also getting more b-roll footage of the space. It is fun to note and compare changes made to the office since first recording back in 2017. The offices is open concept to encourage collaboration and sharing of ideas where even senior staff do not have private space. Among some questions asked was staff experience with Moriyama and specific projects they collaborated on. Interviews focused on senior staff who did work with Moriyama, though I noticed there is also an emerging, young, diverse number of staff who have not even met Moriyama and will likely take the firm in new, unexpected directions. When one enters the offices of Moriyama and Teshima, one is immediately struck with the history of the place and the Japanese-Canadian design influences. The front has the parallel wood board panels, the fish pool at the entrance, Japanese influenced décor and several unique totems made by Moriyama that blend indigenous Canadian and Japanese cultures.

One of six wooden totems designed by Raymond Moriyama

Above, one of six totems designed and built by Raymond Moriyama

Among most anticipated interviews is with senior partner, Diarmuid Nash, who worked there and collaborated with Moriyama the longest. Nash has the experience and stories that are valued such as when the firm made (and lost) the bid for the Ontario Science Centre renovation during the 1990’s. Nash also worked on several more projects alongside Moriyama due to his tenure.

Moriyama and Teshima have accomplished many interesting projects, but nothing on the vast scale like the Ontario Science Centre (OSC) that launched the firm in the first place, from more modest boutique designs to large scale government contracts. Government investment in education and infrastructure is not what it used to be, so architecture firms are challenged with material and budget constraints. There is obvious excitement, however, with the staff when they discuss projects that facilitate environmental and technological innovation in building and design, such as using repurposed materials or breathing new life in older buildings. The firm are still involved in some of Canada’s most important buildings, but the country is not what it used to be. Moriyama & Teshima is no longer bound by national architecture constraints as they now have a growing and thriving portfolio of international projects.