Over the past few years, Office dA has gained international recognition for their uninhibited explorations in new forms and technologies. Among their projects is a house clad in rubber and an environmentally green gas station built in LA. Azure readers might recall seeing their work in our magazine last November, where we showed their curvaceous ceiling for Banq, a Boston restaurant housed in a former bank. To cover up exposed mechanical systems and plumbing, they developed a dramatic system of CNC-milled plywood panels that hang from the ceiling, creating a grotto effect.

Similarly, their plans for the Daniels Building are strikingly transformative. The rather stout five-storey structure will be re-skinned with fritted glass that fits over the building like a giant helmet. Its key function is to decrease the building’s energy consumption by creating a thermal barrier. But the main visual impact will be from the street. The new skin wraps around the building like a shimmering veil made of thousands of snake-like scales. At one corner of the building, the veil is lifted like the hem of a skirt to provide a new main floor entrance leading to an auditorium.

Run by Monica Ponce de Leon and Nader Tehrani, Office dA beat out two other finalists, Steven Holl Architects of New York and Sauerbruch Hutton of Berlin. Oddly, no Canadians made the final cut as a lead firm. The lack of national representation hasn’t gone unnoticed among local critics who suggest the competition guidelines were skewed toward firms from outside Canada. (That criticism isn’t new, however. There is an ongoing and unresolved frustration among local architects regarding a general lack of support in nurturing younger firms.)

According to the faculty’s new dean Richard Sommer, the building’s transformation coincides with the school’s plans to add a doctoral program and develop a stronger undergraduate program. “I’ve just arrived, but I would say that there are as good firms here as elsewhere. But there aren’t many younger firms like Office dA who have staked out their own territory and made their way through to the international level,” he says. Sommer stepped into his position only six weeks ago and was one of the jurors for the final selection. He adds, “I can’t comment on why there wasn’t a lot of Canadian representation because I wasn’t here. But I do know that Office dA won because their plan was the most hybrid, and frankly, they worked harder than anyone else on this. Their ideas take into account that technology will change over time, and that the building should be able to adapt.”

Sommer’s financial goal for the project is $40 million with $15 million now in place.