Central Waterfront : In The News

The Toronto Star looks at the "greening" of Toronto's financial core. In addition to a surge in the construction of new sustainable office towers, many iconic Toronto buildings—from First Canadian Place to the TD Tower—are in the midst of massive "green" refurbishments.

"A number of Toronto’s landmark bank towers are now swaddled in scaffolding as they undergo a combined $300 to $400 million in refurbishments that include everything from updating their aged food courts to, in the case of First Canadian Place, replacing its almost 40-year-old marble façade."

"'The trophy towers are getting to that 30- and 40-year-old mark so they are hitting the gym again, so to speak, and getting into shape because they realize they aren't the only game in town anymore,' says John Peets, vice president of leasing for Oxford Properties."

"Oxford, the real estate arm of the OMERS pension fund, announced in October that it's teaming up with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board to do what would have been unthinkable a decade ago. They're building a 30-storey office tower between Bay and York Sts. that will become the new domestic banking headquarters for the Royal Bank of Canada."

"Most of the renos are aimed at helping the financial towers, the first of which was built in the 1960s, achieve so-called LEED certification—an internationally recognized acknowledgement that the building is energy efficient and environmentally sound."

read full story here
original source Toronto Star 

The Toronto Wavedecks, the wooden wave-like pedestrian walkways along Toronto's central waterfront, are continually getting international praise from architecture enthusiasts. Four years after the completion of the first wavedeck, the structures--designed by architecture firms West 8 and DTAH--are frequently pointed to as an example of successful waterfront and public space design. In the last month, the Wavedecks have been praised in, among other publications, Arch Daily, The Wall Street Journal, and Japan's Kudo design blog.

From Arch Daily:

"In response to an innovative design competition launched by Waterfront Toronto, West 8 submitted a comprehensive vision for the Central Waterfront that produced a powerful design language with the strength and simplicity to overcome the existing visual noise and create a sense of interconnectedness and identity. Connectivity between the vitality of the city and the lake and a continuous, publicly accessible waterfront are the plan's priorities."

"Spadina, Simcoe and Rees wavedecks are the first in a series of timber structures that explore variations of a simple articulation in the change in level between Queens Quay Boulevard and Lake Ontario along the Toronto Central Waterfront. Responding to the current pinch-points where the streetscape meets the water's edge, a new public space gateway is created where the city kisses the lake, inspired by the sinuous contours of the shoreline of the Canadian lakefront."

"The geometry of the wavedeck is carefully conceived using playful curves that are constantly changing to create ledges for seating and new routes to access the water's edge. It allows for different vantage points and ultimately different experiences with both the lake and the city. In order to establish a coherent aesthetic for the public realm along the waterfront, the simple undulating timber wave gesture became a prototype that will be repeated at seven heads of slips with subtle variation. Using a consistent palette of materials and details, the identity of each wave structure will be derived from the unique curvatures of the structure as well as the activities suggested through its form."

read full story here, here and here
original sources Arch Daily, Wall Street Journal, and Kudo

Concord Cityplace this week unveiled its latest art installations, two massive and highly-detailed murals by Brooklyn-based artist Jose Parla. The Ministry of Artistic Affairs features photos of the stunning pieces (available for public view) and an interview with their creator.

"On January 20, 2011, a gala party was held in downtown Toronto for Jos� Parl� to celebrate the reveal of two massive public art murals he painted as a commission for Concord CityPlace."

"Interwoven into the art and very fabric of his life, travel is something Jos� Parl� does constantly. Born in Miami to Cuban parents, raised in Puerto Rico and now based in Brooklyn, Parl� has spent the last decade journeying with exhibitions of his work around the world. Throughout his years of global wandering, he has developed a highly sophisticated system of calligraphy that reflects, like a mirror, the wear and tear of the urban environments he passes through. Capturing the light in Havana, colors of Istanbul, or the pace of Tokyo, his works are visual meditations on global locations and the people that occupy them. This last point is important because, though abstract, Parl�'s paintings are all about the characters he meets and the friends he makes along the way. With a Clooney-esque degree of charm spun around a warm, Latino spool, Parl� leaves behind a thread of admirers, companions, and connections whenever he departs for his next destination."

read full story here
original source The Ministry of Artistic Affairs

Urban Toronto looks back at the most notable new buildings of 2010. One Bloor, the Queen Richmond Centre West, and the Bisha Hotel & Residences are among the buildings that transformed Toronto's architectural landscape over the past year.

read full list and descriptions here
original source Urban Toronto

Toronto's International Festival of Authors (IFOA), an 11-day festival of readings, interviews, lectures, and book signings, celebrated its 31st anniversary this October. According to a review by the Guardian UK, this year's IFOA was an unqualified success, showcasing the best of Canadian and International literature.

"The IFOA is both fiercely Canadian, aggressively international, and dedicated to getting the best writers and editors together for a kind of rolling symposium. Where else could you find David Mitchell, Claudio Magris and Andrea Levy under one roof? And it's not just about big names, there's an interest in diversity, too. In the registration office at the Festival HQ there's the UK crime writer Peter James, a Dutch publisher Lidewijde Paris of Ailantus, a new imprint, and Alissa York, an up-and-coming Canadian novelist."

read full story here
original source Guardian UK

The Globe & Mail has singled-out Toronto's Porter Airline's as an exemplar of great customer service. The successful airline is lauded for its "refined" look, comfortable lounges and friendly staff.

"The company to watch for new thinking about customer experience, Porter Airlines just four years out of the gate is all about service and style. As Canada's third-largest scheduled carrier, maintaining its "refined" look and feel and providing a special level of service and experience to passengers have been key to its success."

"People now expect this," says Brad Cicero, the manager of communications and public affairs for Porter. "It's about delivering a consistent experience."

read full story here
original source Globe & Mail

The Huffington Post writes on Corus Quay, the new 8-storey Build Toronto office building located in the Waterfront district. Corus Quay has recently become home to a large-scale art installation by British design firm Troika.

"A shimmering combination of Brancusian shapes, swarm robotics and corporate ceiling design, the new installation by British design firm Troika is an image of hope for the city of Toronto...It's a simple, benevolent image for one of the city's industrial districts, but we wonder just how complex the patterns can get: do the fish seem to swim away if you're hostile?"

read full story here
original source Huffington Post