The City of Toronto’s Urban Design Awards recognize and acknowledge the significant contribution that architects, landscape architects, urban designers, artists, design students, and city builders make to the look and livability of Toronto. This year’s competition drew a record 129 entries in nine categories.

The Large Places or Neighbourhood Designs category honours major areas of innovation that also provide evidence of community involvement and acceptance for large parks, area plans, subdivisions, industrial parks, campus plans and streetscapes. Canada’s Sugar Beach, designed by Claude Cormier Architectes Paysagistes in association with the Planning Partnership, transformed a parking lot and a neglected part of the waterfront to a park that has attracted thousands of people to the area since it opened in August 2010. The park features three distinct components: an urban beach; a plaza space; and a tree-lined promenade running diagonally through the park. The jury stated, “in every way, Canada’s Sugar Beach represents a superb addition to the city’s public realm, creating an intimate but spacious vantage point from which to enjoy the harbor.”
The Elements category recognizes a stand-alone object, landscape element or small-scale piece of a building which contributes significantly to the quality of the public realm.  The central park of the Easy Bayfront community, Sherbourne Common was completed in two phases that opened in September 2010 and July 2011. Teeple Architects designed the Sherbourne Common Pavilion, a building that provides vital functions for the park while being a stunning structure that enlivens the space with its blue-grey exterior and architecture features, that as the jury noted, “create a striking new gateway to the waterfront while providing useful public space functions. The angular, low-slung design, which references Frank Gehry, ensures that the structure serves as a strong visual counterpoint to the diverse landscape that surrounds it.”

Since 2005, Waterfront Toronto has received nine Toronto Urban Design Awards.  Design excellence is a core priority for Waterfront Toronto. The organization’s goal is that everything built on Toronto’s waterfront — from buildings to streets to parks and public art — will set new standards for architecture and public space.

To help achieve and uphold its standards for design excellence, Waterfront Toronto hosts international design competitions, works with some of world’s top architects and landscape designers and incorporates urban design as an important component in its environmental assessment process. The Waterfront Design Review Panel, an independent body comprised of some of Canada’s most prestigious architects and planners also guides and informs the organization’s projects.

(Left to right). Toronto Councillor Norm Kelly, Waterfront Toronto Chair Mark Wilson, Ontario Minister of Research and Infrastructure, Glen Murray, and Federal Minister of the Environment, Peter Kent, officially open Sherbourne Common.

Waterfront Toronto and its government partners officially opened the completed Sherbourne Common, a unique park that seamlessly blends art and innovation.

Located in the heart of the new East Bayfront neighbourhood, Sherbourne Common is far more than the area’s main park. It is the first park in Canada to incorporate a neighbourhood-wide stormwater treatment facility. Public art is integrated with the water infrastructure to create a public space that is as beautiful as it is functional.

The park, which lies on both sides of Queens Quay Boulevard east of Lower Sherbourne Street, was completed in two phases. The portion south of Queens Quay was completed and opened in September 2010, and the portion on the north side was completed in July 2011.

A water treatment facility, housed in the basement of the park’s pavilion on the southern side, cleans collected storm and lake water with ultraviolet light.  The treated water is then sent underground to the north side of the park where it is released through three dramatic nine-metre-high art sculpture towers. The water flows from the tops of the towers, down metal mesh veils and into a 240-metre long water channel, or urban river, where it then flows out to Lake Ontario.

“Our government is pleased to have invested in the renewal of Toronto’s waterfront by providing more than $27 million in helping transform this part of Toronto’s industrial past into a beautiful public space,” said Minister Flaherty, MP (Whitby–Oshawa) and Canada’s Finance Minister.  “Investing in infrastructure strengthens and binds this country and builds a healthier environment for all Canadians.”

“To have Sherbourne Common completed is a tremendous accomplishment,” said Minister Kent, MP (Thornhill) and Canada’s Environment Minister. “The Sherbourne Common development is an integral part of the incredible transformation already underway across Toronto’s Waterfront. It will form the anchor for a thriving community of families, schools and businesses.”

“Sherbourne Common is going to be a wonderful asset for our community,” said Glen Murray, MPP (Toronto Centre) and Ontario Minister of Research and Innovation. “Our government is proud to support this project, which will give residents another way to enjoy the waterfront, bring neighbours and families together and make our community move lively and more livable for decades to come.”

“Sherbourne Common is a great example of how a park can be more than just a fantastic public space, with the addition of public infrastructure and public art,” said Councillor Norm Kelly, Chair of Parks & Environment for the City of Toronto. “This park will be a great asset to the developing East Bayfront community and all the people of Toronto,” Kelly added.

“Sherbourne Common is a catalyst for the development of the East Bayfront neighbourhood,” said Waterfront Toronto Board Chair Mark Wilson. “The park has already helped us attract private and public sector partners who are working with us to transform this former industrial area into a dynamic new community.”

George Brown College is currently constructing a new waterfront campus on the western edge of the park south of Queens Quay that will open fall 2012. Great Gulf will be building its mixed-use development on the eastern flank of the north portion of the park. Sales of units will launch later this year with occupancy expected by 2015.  The $800 million Bayside development by Hines will be constructed on the east side of Sherbourne Common south of Queens Quay. The project will feature 1,700 residential units, plus retail, cultural and commercial spaces in multiple buildings. Units will go on sale in 2012 and the first occupancy is expected by 2015.

Sherbourne Common was designed by Vancouver-based landscape architectural firm Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg in association with The Planning Partnership. The art sculpture towers, entitled “Light Showers”, were designed by Jill Anholt. Chosen through an online public naming contest, the name ‘Sherbourne Common’ reflects the idea that parks and public spaces should belong to the people.

The spectacular waterfront park is designed to be both a city-wide destination and neighbourhood amenity for daylong and year-round use. Along with the art features, the newly completed north portion features a children’s playground, a grove of trees, plus seating and benches. The water towers are lit at night and as people move over the bridge of the water channel, motion sensors trigger shifting light patterns in the water falling from the sculptures. The mesh veils of art sculptures are designed to capture water in the winter to form unique ice patterns.

The south portion of the park features a large greenspace overlooking the lake that can be used for festivals and special events, a splash pad that becomes a skating rink in the winter months, and a weather-protected pavilion with washrooms and space for a future café.

The total budget for Sherbourne Common was $28.7 million plus an additional $1.9 million for the public art. The federal government provided $27 million, the provincial government provided $1 million and the City of Toronto contributed $2.6 million. The cost for the art feature will be recovered through development fees as part of the Waterfront Toronto public art strategy.

Waterfront Toronto has made major strides in revitalizing Toronto’s waterfront. In addition to building and improving 17 parks and public spaces, Waterfront Toronto has finalized development agreements with Great Gulf Group of Companies, Urban Capital and Hines for private sector projects on the waterfront, as well as with George Brown College for the development of their new state-of-the-art Health Sciences campus.

The Governments of Canada and Ontario and the City of Toronto created Waterfront Toronto to oversee and lead the renewal of Toronto’s waterfront. Public accessibility, design excellence, sustainable development, economic development and fiscal sustainability are the key drivers of waterfront revitalization.

-30-

MEDIA KIT:

Sherbourne Common Fact Sheet
East Bayfront Backgrounder

Media Contacts:

Bruce Sudds, Waterfront Toronto 416-214-1344 x290 or 416-271-1316, bsudds@waterfrontoronto.ca

Waterfront Toronto is partnering with the pioneering telecommunications firm Beanfield Metroconnect to create Canada’s first open-access ultra-high speed broadband community network. Following a competitive selection process, Waterfront Toronto chose the Toronto-based firm to build and operate an advanced fibre-optic broadband network throughout the new waterfront communities.
The open-access ultra-broadband infrastructure will transform the neighbourhoods into intelligent communities that revolutionize how residents receive telecommunications services, promote economic growth and development, and enable innovation.

“Broadband has become essential public infrastructure for 21st century communities, and the need for faster connections delivered over more robust networks has been intensifying since the dawn of the Internet age,” said John Campbell, President and CEO of Waterfront Toronto. “This state-of-the-art network will help us establish a new hub of innovation and stimulate enduring economic growth to help Toronto remain competitive with other world-leading cities, such as Seoul, Stockholm, and Tokyo where similar broadband infrastructures exist or are now being built.”

Every home and business in the new communities will be wired with fibre and provided with affordable and unlimited access to internet speeds up to 500 times faster than typical North American residential networks. The network will also provide full community-wide Wi-Fi service. The ultra-high speed network will deliver internet connections starting at 100 megabits per second for residential customers and up to 10 gigabits per second for commercial customers – all at an extraordinarily competitive cost.  At present, broadband of this calibre is not available for residential users in Toronto, and commercial access is significantly less affordable in Toronto than in other leading world cities.

“We are a Toronto company, and we are excited to be working with Waterfront Toronto to build on our waterfront what will be one of the world’s leading community networks,” said Dan Armstrong, Founding Partner, President and CEO of Beanfield Metroconnect. “As the Internet continues to develop and revolutionize the way people live, work, play and learn, the tremendous capacity of the network will ensure that everyone on the waterfront is equipped to both use and potentially create the web-based technologies and applications of the future.”

Waterfront residents and businesses will have the highest performance internet services in Canada and guaranteed “among the best in the world” network services for more than a decade. Beanfield Metroconnect is required to ensure that the network is on par with that of the seven top global intelligent communities for 10 years beyond when the last building is built.
“The network is being built without taxpayer dollars,” said Campbell. “Waterfront Toronto has facilitated an arrangement where our private sector development partners will initially provide the upfront capital and Beanfield Metroconnect will also invest in building the network.”

As part of their monthly condo fees, residents will pay $60 for unlimited 100 megabit per second internet service, neighbourhood-wide Wi-Fi, and access to a unique community portal service, which will be developed to reflect local needs and interests.

The network will be “open-access” and residents and businesses will also be able to choose from a wide variety of content and service providers for internet, high-definition and internet protocol television, telephone, safety and security systems and more.

“This open, robust community-wide infrastructure will make the waterfront a living laboratory that encourages and supports innovation,” said Campbell. “The network we are building will enable the development of smart buildings, smart healthcare and smart education. Plus it can support new applications that promote better public safety and traffic management.”

Beanfield Metroconnect brings significant local knowledge and expertise to the project.  The pioneering company has built and operates a large fibre-optic network in downtown Toronto that provides service to more than 200 commercial buildings. It was also instrumental in helping to build the thriving technology and media hub in Toronto’s Liberty Village.

Waterfront Toronto has made major strides in revitalizing Toronto’s waterfront. In addition to building and improving 17 parks and public spaces, it has finalized development agreements with Great Gulf Group of Companies, Urban Capital and Hines for private sector projects on the waterfront, as well as with George Brown College for the development of their new state-of-the-art campus.

The Governments of Canada and Ontario and the City of Toronto created Waterfront Toronto to oversee and lead the renewal of Toronto’s waterfront. Public accessibility, design excellence, sustainable development, economic development and fiscal sustainability are the key drivers of waterfront revitalization.

-30-

For more information, please contact Michelle Noble, Director of Communications, Waterfront Toronto 647-288-8048 or 416-294-7762, mnoble@waterfrontoronto.ca

MEDIA KIT:

NEWS RELEASE
BEANFIELD BACKGROUNDER
ULTRA-BROADBAND BACKGROUNDER
ULTRA-BROADBAND SERVICES FACT SHEET
“WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING” BACKGROUNDER

]]> http://news.waterfrontoronto.ca/2011/06/toronto%e2%80%99s-new-waterfront-neighbourhoods-will-feature-cutting-edge-ultra-high-speed-broadband-network/feed/ 0 http://news.waterfrontoronto.ca/2011/06/first-restaurant-in-east-bayfront-now-open/ http://news.waterfrontoronto.ca/2011/06/first-restaurant-in-east-bayfront-now-open/#comments Fri, 03 Jun 2011 18:15:18 +0000 Eddie http://news.waterfrontoronto.ca/?p=2084 The transformation of Toronto’s eastern waterfront continues with the opening of Against the Grain, the first restaurant in the new East Bayfront community.

Located in the Corus Entertainment building right next to Canada’s Sugar Beach, this new gastro pub features a delicious menu, beautiful décor, large waterside patio and stunning views of Toronto’s habour.

Against the Grain is the first of many new restaurants, shop and cafés planned for the area as the new vibrant mixed-use neighbourhood gets built out.

By combining beautiful parks and animated spaces with successful commercial and residential development, East Bayfront will be a destination for residents and visitors alike.

Open seven days a week, check out Against the Grain for lunch, dinner or weekend brunch.

Against the Grain Urban Tavern
25 Dockside Drive, Corus Quay

For more information about Against the Grain, visit their website at www.atgurbantavern.ca.  Learn more about East Bayfront revitalization by visiting Waterfront Toronto’s website.

On June 7, Waterfront Toronto and its new telecommunications partner will share their plans to wire Toronto’s new waterfront communities with the latest in smart technology infrastructure and make them among the most connected in the world. The briefing will provide an overview of the project, and its significance for Toronto’s waterfront revitalization and economic development in Toronto and Ontario.

WHO:

John Campbell, President and CEO, Waterfront Toronto
Dan Armstrong, President and CEO, Beanfield Metroconnects
Evan Kelly, Partner, PriceWaterhouseCoopers
John Jung, Chair and Co-founder, Intelligent Community Forum, and CEO, Canada Technology Triangle
Michael Thompson, Toronto City Councillor, and Chair, City of Toronto Economic Development Committee (to be confirmed)

WHAT: Media Briefing

WHEN: Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 11a.m.

WHERE: Corus Entertainment, 8^th Floor Lounge

Corus Quay
25 Dockside Drive
Toronto, Ontario

For more information:
Michelle Noble, Communications & Marketing Director, Waterfront Toronto, 416-214-1344 ext.263

Waterfront Toronto has added a new ramp and built a deck that is level with the sand. The hardwood ramp runs from the main pathway on the east side of the beach to a four square meter platform that features Muskoka chairs  and one of the park’s iconic pink umbrellas.

While the park was built to City of Toronto accessibility standards, Waterfront Toronto added the new platform to further enhance accessibility.

East Bayfront: Meet at 11:00 a.m. at Canada’s Sugar Beach for a tour of Canada’s Sugar Beach, Corus Quay, the Water’s Edge Promenade, Sherbourne Common and other exciting new developments along the eastern portion of the waterfront.

Lower Don Lands: Set off from The Historic Distillery District at 2:00 p.m. Walk along the Keating Channel with its industrial heritage and discover how this “brownfield” will one day be transformed into a vibrant new waterfront community and new Don River mouth.

Waterfront Toronto will begin construction on the East Bayfront sanitary sewer infrastructure project on May 2.

Waterfront Toronto is replacing the sanitary sewer along Jarvis Street and Queens Quay Boulevard and twinning the existing sewer along the Esplanade to enable the development of the East Bayfront community. The expanded sanitary sewer infrastructure is needed to meet the capacity required by the new mixed-use community. Construction is schedule for regular hours, Monday to Friday, 7am to 7pm and two way vehicle access will be maintained on all streets.

The project will be constructed in three phases:

• Queens Quay: May 2011 – October 2011

• Jarvis Street: July 2011 – December 2011

• The Esplanade: August 2011 – March 2012

If you have questions or feedback about construction, contact Waterfront Toronto at (416) 214-1344 or info@waterfrontoronto.ca.

Waterfront Toronto held a public information session to share the plans and answer questions about the new sanitary sewers. The presentation can be viewed in the Related Documents section on the East Bayfront page.

The expanded sanitary sewer infrastructure is needed to meet the capacity required by the new mixed-use community. Construction will begin this spring and is expected to be completed by spring 2012.

The affected streets include The Esplanade from Scott Street down Lower Jarvis to Queens Quay East at Lower Sherbourne.

To learn more about the sanitary sewers infrastructure project, a public information session has been scheduled on Thursday, April 14 from 6pm-8pm at St. Lawrence Hall located at 157 King Street East. Waterfront Toronto team members and city staff will be available to answer public inquiries.

If you have questions or feedback about construction, contact Waterfront Toronto at (416) 214-1344 or info@waterfrontoronto.ca

Globetrotters Flight Time Lang and Wun “The Shot” Versher took 4-point shots – over water – from the charter vessel River Gambler to a basketball hoop positioned on Canada’s Sugar Beach. A crowd of 100 local school children gathered around the hoop and cheered the players as they both succeeded in making 4-point shots.

The always innovative globetrotters unveiled the 4-point shot, which is 10.67 meters (35 feet) from the basket and 3.66 meters (12 feet) beyond the NBA 3-point line, in 2010. Every game on the world famous basketball showmen’s 2011 North American Tour features the shot.

Following the shooting exhibition on Canada’s Sugar Beach, the school children joined the Globetrotters on board the River Gambler to learn about character education.