Volume 1. Issue 1. July 2005
The inaugural issue of The Robertson Pipeline featured a profile on animation powerhouse Cuppa Coffee, tidbits on tenants, a welcome message from Robertson Building management, and information about our living plant wall.Eva's Initiatives
Congratulations to Eva's Initiatives (Suite 370), who received an urban leadership award from the Canadian Urban Institute on May 24. Eva's, which works collaboratively with homeless and at-risk youth to help them reach their potential, was granted the award for City Livability.
This award recognizes "actions that make our cities more livable from finding new ways and means to improve our healthcare, education, and the environment, to enhancing public spaces and instilling confidence about our personal safety and security."
Green Corner: Climbing Green Walls at 215
Hello from the go-green girl at Urbanspace Property Group! As you know back on March 24, 2004, we installed a 24-square metre living-breathing plant wall (biowall) in the lobby of the building. How do you think it looks? How does it make you feel when you arrive at the building? These are the kinds of questions we are interested in exploring with you over the next year or so. From our perspective the plant species have acclimated very well in the Roberton environment and have grown and expanded profusely over the past year.
In turn, the biowall has humidified the lobby and surrounding air (particularly in the winter when we were all feeling a bit dry) and has contributed to a healthy indoor environment in the building. The biowall functions for the most part, other than the technical maintenance required by the pumps, lights, and salinity outputs that are monitored through an electronic control centre stored in the basement. The control centre can be acessed remotely by Air Quality Solutions, so that adjustments to water flow and water quality can be made quickly and accurately. The plants themselves require weekly maintenance, including dusting, biological pest control (nema-todes to control fungus gnats), and the removal of dead, or wilted foliage.
The plants require UV light to proliferate and bloom. We've noticed that more daylight enters the lobby than anticipated; hence the light from two overhead 1,000 watt light systems will be programmed for fewer hours during off-peak energy times in the next quarter. Our comprehensive air quality report (2005) validates that we have excellent air quality at the Robertson; something to celebrate!
For more information, or questions on green efforts at the Robertson, please call Beth Anne Currie, Environment, Health and Safety Coordinator at 416.595.5900 x21.
Oxfam's Big Noise
Oxfam Canada's (Suite 200) new Big Noise petition to Make Trade Fair campaign is causing quite a stir. The campaign, one of many that Oxfam spearheaded to support community programmes in food security, health, nutrition, and democratic development, features celebrities covered in food! Canadian Singer Alanis Morisette agreed to have wheat dumped on her; in an effort to influence government, institutions, and multinational companies to change the rules so that trade can become part of the solution to poverty, not the problem.
Profile: Cuppa Coffee
In a tenant profile on Cuppa Coffee Animation (Suite 400) from the December 1996/January 1997 issue of the 401 Richmond Update the company was celebrating its recent success measured as "eight full-time staff with up to twenty-five on board during peak production periods." Since then, Cuppa Coffee has grown to a whopping 250 people that create unique, playful, and cutting edge animation for the likes of Disney and the BBC, as well as their own in-house productions of programs like Bruno for Nickleodeon (a playful monkey that helps pre-school age children learn the basics).
Founded by Owner and Executive Producer Adam Shaheen - an illustrator from England who founded the company in 1992 - Cuppa has become the largest stop-motion animation company in North America (and possibly the world). This unprecendented growth necessitated a move from their home at 401 Richmond to a new one at 215 Spadina, a 40,000 square foot space that includes production studios, set and puppet building facilities, and plenty of space for the staff to collaborate and innovate. "We like how the old nature of the building has been maintained, with Margie's flair for contemporary design thrown at it. The flavour of the building suits our personality - eclectic art and design with a professional business feel."
We had a chance to speak with Adam before he headed off to the Broadcast Design Association Awards in New York, and he explained how surprised he is by what Cuppa has become. "Every year I'd say, that's enough and then I'd find us taking on more projects and things just kept growing. I didn't wake up one morning and say 'I want to build the biggest stop-motion animation company in the world,' I never had any great passion or desire to do that. I have always been passsionate about what we do and dedicated to creating great work, and when you create a good product it will attract interest."
For Adam, one of the great benefits of their success is the freedom to invest time and money in more creatively fulfilling activities like creating their own "properties" (shows created and produced in-house) while continuing to be a "work for hire" studio.
Cuppa's specialty is stop-motion animation, which involves building puppets and sets, which are then moved frame to frame to create the action. There are no courses that teach this kind of animation, which requires quite specialized artistic skills and talents, so each year the animation company trains a number of artists, some of which would have struggled to find an outlet for their talents. "A true committment to the art of the business is central to Cuppa's accomplishments - the development of the company is driven by a passion for art, design, and animation, not the bottom line."
As Adam explained, "the essence of Cuppa Coffee is an excitement about creating animation, not a push to make mone in TV. When you come to the table with some unique and special ideas, when you're risk takers in terms of visual and creative work, you grown naturally."
Cuppa Coffee's future will likely hold much of the same energy, growth, and creativity that's characterized the company so far. It is also likely to gain even more accolades - like the nine awards Cuppa brought home from the Broadcast Design Awards just before this article was published! It's clear that Adam remains dedicated to sticking his neck out to do exciting and experimental projects: "this is a really nice place to be. When you're getting started, you spend so much time and energy struggling for recognition. Now that we're established, it makes it so much easier for us to get things made" and getting things made is what it's all about.
You can learn more about Cuppa Coffee and watch their award winning reels and episodes of Bruno at:
www.cuppacoffee.com
Roots of Empathy Leonardo da Vinci Award
Hats off to Roots of Empathy (Suite 160), who received the Leonardo da Vinci Award for innovation in education on April 15. The award recognizes and celebrates those that have created new, useful, and positive inventions, developments, or improvements in arts, business, entrepreneurship, or education.
But Roots didn't stop there! They also received $500,000 in provincial funding in May to expand their international program, geared at teaching children compassion. This very program garnered a visit from Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada, and His Excellency John Ralston Saul, to a classroom at Winchester Public School in Toronto on April 2.
Theatre Ontario Festival 2005
Theatre Ontario (Suite 210) was busy this spring hosting the Theatre Ontario Festival 2005, held in Belleville Ontario from May 18 - 22 at the Empire Theatre + Centre for the Performing Arts. Appropriately named The Fab Four Fest, the event featured four outstanding community theatre productions chosen from regional festivals across the province. The festical also included workshops, adjudications, play readings by Canadian authors, and an awards ceremony.
Festival 2005 was co-hosted by Theatre Ontario, Belleville Theatre Guild, and the Eastern Ontario Drama League.
Welcome
Welcome to the inaugural issue of The Robertson Pipeline - the first of many issues to come, chronicling the activities of tenants of 215 Spadina Avenue.
Most of you already know the management staff who operate 215 Spadina, but a refresher never hurts. The Property Manager is Mike Moody, and on site we have Building Manager Richard McKinnon, and Facilities Staff Dennis Fryer and Gabriel Galuego. Dennis is the person you reach when calling 416.937.4880.
Now that the construction dust has settled, we're able to concentrate on some new projects for the Robertson Building. The first is a comfortable common area in the open space outside the Centre for Social Innovation and Roots of Empathy on the ground floor. We have recently placed a 
couch and chairs in this area for you to lounge and visit with your neighbours. We will also be installing a community bulletin board where you can post information about up-coming events, sales, workshops, or conferences for other tenants in the building.
Finally, we are planning an official grand opening event for the roof garden this summer. So watch for your invitation!
215 Spadina is a remarkable building filled with a vibrant community of creative and socially innovative tenants. It is our hope that this newsletter will help you get to know your neighbours, the community, and the building a little better.