The Toronto International Film Festival Group and the King and John Festival Corporation have selected Toronto-based architectural firm Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects (KPMB) to design TIFFG's international Festival Centre and a soaring residential condominium development, Festival Tower.
The TIFFG Facility Committee conducted an architect selection process. KPMB rose above an international and diverse list of firms that included some of the newest and most intriguing architectural firms in the world.
Formed in 1987, the partnership of architects Bruce Kuwabara, Thomas Payne, Marianne McKenna and Shirley Blumberg is recognized both nationally and internationally for excellence in architecture, urban and interior design, and brings an award-winning portfolio of projects throughout North America and Europe. KPMB has received more than 60 awards for outstanding architecture, interior design, and contributions to city building and the greater community. The firm has received eight Governor General's Awards, Canada's highest recognition of achievement in the field. Past projects include the Art Gallery of Ontario (phase three expansion), Design Exchange (1997), and Hilton Toronto Hotel (2001). Their current portfolio includes the Royal Conservatory of Music, Canadian Embassy in Berlin, Le Quartier Concordia at Concordia University in Montreal, that involves the design of three new academic buildings, and the Montreal Centre for Genomics and Proteomics at McGill University.