Leaving his mark

Architect Raymond Moriyama added his name to his project where no one would readily see it. I asked him why

- EDWARD BROWN

The soundness of the Ontario Science Centre roof is under scrutiny after a recent engineer's report suggested compromised portions threaten public safety and are beyond repair. Leading up to his death in 2023 at age 93, however, architect Raymond Moriyama was sure of the treasured structure's integrity; his design would stand for centuries with proper maintenance, he said. And if that roof had gotten enough attention, maybe more people would have noticed its clandestine extra feature: Moriyama's name, incorporated into the design, but visible only from above.

Issues about the state of the Science Centre's trio of roofs - roughly 50,000-squaremetre complex consists of three individual structures connected by breezeways descending into the Don Valley-aren't new. As early as 1982, engineers recommended a maintenance regime, and politicians balked at the estimated $2.5-million repair bill.

I examined that roof a bit in my childhood. I'd become enamoured with aerial photographs, in large part due to an exhibit at the Science Centre. While the Van de Graaff Generator that made your hair stand on end was a hit with other kids, the attraction that captivated me was a cylindrical mechanism that, when turned manually, displayed changes in the geography around the Science Centre through a chronological series of black-and-white photos taken from an aircraft.