Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners
Since 1945, Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners has provided architectural and engineering consulting services for clients throughout Canada and the United States. Over the years, the firm has been responsible for a wide range of buildings, accumulating experience in government, institutional, industrial, recreational and commercial developments.
Such an extensive background provides an invaluable resource, offering clients a wealth of expertise and insight in all areas of construction. This solid base of knowledge and creativity has been cultivated through the careful integration of loyal senior staff and promising young talents.
With a portfolio that includes literally hundreds of successful projects, Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners have earned a reputation for award-winning architectural design while, at the same time, providing clients with buildings that are efficient, enduring and a daily pleasure to experience.HISTORY1945 - Shore & MoffatIn 1945, Leonard Shore and Bob Moffat established the firm of Shore & Moffat Architects.
Opening their office at 79 Queen Street East in Toronto, they undertook their first project that year in Collingwood: the Meaford Public School. After several small commercial and residential projects, the firm was granted its first major project in 1947, the Ontario Food Terminal Board on Lakeshore Boulevard.1950sBy 1952, the firm had 10 employees. Alfred (Alf) Tilbe, a 24-year-old graduate of the University of Toronto, joined the firm in this year. Throughout the 1950s, the firm was known primarily for its school designs.
In addition to Meaford Public School, the firm designed Cannington Collegiate, Goderich Collegiate, Stayner Collegiate, and Collingwood Collegiate. The firm was awarded the prestigious Massey Medal Award for the York Township Municipal Offices in 1952 and a Honourable Mention for Collingwood Collegiate in 1956.
During the late 1950s, the firm was awarded three major projects that would significantly affect their growth: the William Lyon Mackenzie Building, the Union Carbide Head Office, and the Imperial Oil Research Centre.
The $13-million William Lyon Mackenzie Building at was the second largest building in Toronto at that time. Alf Tilbe was assigned the project. The Imperial Oil project in Mississauga won the Massey Medal in 1958 and launched the firm into the research field which, in later years, would grow to include Petro Canada, Shell Research, Cominco, and many university laboratories. With business prospering, the firm expanded and by 1959, had grown to 40 employees.
With the addition of Art Henschel, Jim Stanners and Jules Petrenic the firm was able to provide full engineering services on almost all of its projects.1960sBob Moffat died in 1960 and Len Shore formed the firm of SHORE & MOFFAT & PARTNERS. Moving to larger office space at 100 University Avenue, the firm now had 150 employees.
Notable projects built during this decade included the Master Campus Plan for the University of Waterloo, the Alexander Campbell Building in Ottawa, the Shell Research Centre, the York University Master Plan (with UPACE), the National Research Science Library in Ottawa, and the Kodak Distribution Centre. 1970sWhen the need for new schools abruptly ended in 1970, the firm changed its focus.
The partners, Len Shore, Art Henschel and Alf Tilbe, took on a young design associate, Stephen Irwin, and appointed him partner, renaming the firm SHORE TILBE HENSCHEL IRWIN - Architects and Engineers. With new design leadership, the firm’s reputation grew and by 1972, the firm grew to 40 employees. Dennis Peters, who had joined the firm in 1960, became a partner in 1974 and in 1978 the firm’s name was changed to SHORE TILBE HENSCHEL IRWIN PETERS.
Memorable projects during this era included Xerox Research Centre, the 52 Division Police Station for Toronto Police on Dundas Street, and the Kortright Centre.1980sIn 1980, Alf Tilbe and Terry Fitsialos completed the North York YMCA, the first of several ‘Y’ projects. Terry, an associate for many years, became a partner in 1986. Throughout the eighties, the firm prospered with an array of projects such as the H.J.A. Brown Education Centre, the Peel Regional Police Headquarters, and the Metropolitan Toronto Police Headquarters. Founding partner, Leonard Shore, died in 1989. Having no family, the Shore Foundation was established in his memory.
The Foundation has assisted the University of Toronto and the L.E. Shore Memorial Library in his hometown of Thornbury.1990sIn 1990, Dennis Peters and Art Henschel retired. Two new partners were brought into the fold: Brian Aitken and David Mitchell. The firm’s name changed once again: this time to SHORE TILBE IRWIN & PARTNERS. During the following years, the firm continued to expand its design expertise into new project types such as Extended Care, Academic Facilities,
Pharmaceutical Laboratories and Recreational Architecture. In 1995, D’Arcy Arthurs, an associate who had been with the firm for several years, joined the partnership. Along with Terry Fitsialos and Stephen Irwin, D’Arcy worked to build the firm’s award winning portfolio of Recreational and Library projects.
Also, during this period the firm was commissioned to design a number of speculative office buildings and corporate headquarters for clients such as Hewlett Packard and Siemens Canada. Notable successes from this period include the L.E Shore Library, Tansley Woods: A Centre for Learning and Leisure, and the Mississauga Public Library. Partner Alf Tilbe retired in 1995 after a long distinguished career, and sadly, passed away March 1, 2001 in Toronto. With the careful integration of loyal, senior staff and promising young design talents, the firm continues to thrive in the new millennium.
Maintaining our diversity, our office has a wealth of projects in various stages of development including recreation centers, libraries, research laboratories, long term care projects, and university buildings. In 2000, the firm established its own Interior Design Group to complement our projects. In 2002, Terry Fitisialos retired from the firm. His legacy can be seen in the abundance of recreation and community centre projects in which the firm now specializes.
In 2004, Steven Ploeger was made a Partner. Steven’s expertise in laboratory design has led to the addition of a number of pharmaceutical and biotechnology projects to the firm’s portfolio. In 2005, Andrew Frontini joined the partnership as the firm’s new design partner.
Andrew’s expertise is focused in the design of civic and cultural institutions. His contributions include the designs for the Whitby Public Library and Civic Square and the Academic Learning Centre at the University of Toronto in Mississauga. With an increased focus on conceptual rigor and sustainable architecture, Shore Tilbe Irwin and Partners remains one of the country’s top architectural firms, combining award-winning design with technical excellence.