AZ Awards are issued to designers and architects that have demonstrated exceptional creativity in achieving best concept and product designs.

From Wednesday, April 11, members of the public will be able to vote for their favourites designs. Deadline to cast your vote is Friday, May 4, by midnight EST.  The People’s Choice award winner will be announced during the AZ AWARDS gala presentation, which will take place in Toronto on June 7.

Canada’s Sugar Beach was built as part of Toronto’s waterfront revitalization. Located at the foot of lower Jarvis Street, south of Queens Quay, Canada’s Sugar Beach transformed a former industrial area into a fun, dynamic space.

Designed by Claude Cormier + Associés, the park’s features include a number of  Muskoka chairs, signature pink umbrellas, soft sand and an interactive water feature embedded in a granite maple leaf, which makes cooling off fun for adults and children.

How do I vote for Canada’s Sugar Beach? Click here to register and cast your vote.

“FCM’s Green Municipal Fund offers a range of resources and services that specifically address the sustainable community development needs of municipal governments,” said Anderson. “The financing and knowledge provided by the Fund supports the development of communities that are more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.”

“The Government of Canada is assisting municipalities across the country in achieving their goal of a cleaner and healthier environment for Canadians through the Green Municipal Fund,” said MP Carmichael. “Today’s announcement is another example of how our government — in partnership with FCM — is helping Waterfront Toronto build a greener future for our citizens.”

“The Green Municipal Fund grant has helped Waterfront Toronto demonstrate that there is a sustainable and economically viable method for dealing with impacted soil,” said John Campbell, President and CEO, Waterfront Toronto. “The benefits of soil recycling are significant. Recycling frees up landfill capacity, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, traffic related accidents and injuries, wear and tear on our roads, and reduces the need for new aggregate.  It also provides a source of clean material that can be used in waterfront projects.  It’s really a win-win-win approach.”

The revitalization of Toronto’s waterfront is one of the largest urban brownfield remediation projects in the world. Waterfront renewal depends on the ability to deal with soil that has been impacted by decades of industrial uses, and by infilling long ago when environmental standards were not as stringent as today.

Remediation efforts currently underway across the waterfront are expected to generate significant volumes of impacted soil and rather than simply ‘digging and dumping’ contaminated soils Waterfront Toronto is working to recycle soil. The goal is to clean and treat soil to an appropriate quality so that it can be used for redevelopment activity instead of importing new soil.
As a first step in its soil recycling plan, Waterfront Toronto established a pilot soil recycling facility in the Port Lands in 2010 to assess the economic and technological viability of recycling contaminated soil. The pilot confirmed the effectiveness and economic feasibility of recycling soil and allowed Waterfront Toronto to seek a private sector operator to finance and operate a long-term soil recycling facility in the Port Lands.

Waterfront Toronto chose Green Soils, an industry leader with over 20 years of experience managing contaminated soil, as the soil recycling facility operator in the Port Lands. Once operational, Green Soils will encourage other communities to make use of the facility and the soil recycling technologies available.

As part of the pilot project, Waterfront Toronto commissioned a study to understand and quantify the environmental, social and health benefits of soil recycling versus conventional disposal. The findings were striking.

The study demonstrated that Waterfront Toronto’s pilot project reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 36kg/tonne of soil moved, for a an estimated savings of $18.50 per tonne, which is a projected savings of $65M over the life of the long-term facility. The study also projected that a full-scale soil recycling facility would have significant environmental and economic benefits: associated truck travel would be reduced by about 80%, resulting in reduced road maintenance, fewer traffic accidents and reduced traffic noise; associated greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by about 75%, resulting in reduced societal, environmental and health costs; and recycling soil would reduce the need for landfill capacity and new aggregate.

Waterfront Toronto is the public advocate and steward of waterfront revitalization. Created by the Governments of Canada and Ontario and the City of Toronto, Waterfront Toronto is mandated to deliver a revitalized waterfront. Formally created in 2001, Waterfront Toronto has a 25-year mandate to transform 800 hectares (2,000 acres) of brownfield lands on the waterfront into beautiful, sustainable mixed-use communities and dynamic public spaces.

The Government of Canada endowed the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) with $550 million to establish the Green Municipal Fund™. The Fund supports partnerships and leveraging of both public and private-sector funding to reach higher standards of air, water and soil quality, and climate protection.

FCM has been the national voice of municipal governments since 1901. It fosters the development of sustainable communities to improve quality of life by promoting strong, effective, and accountable municipal government.

– 30 –

Port Lands Soil Recycling Facility Fact Sheet
GMF 11005 Waterfront Toronto French News Release

For information:
Waterfront Toronto
Tari Stork
Manager, Project Communications
Waterfront Toronto
Tel.:   416-214-1344
Cell :  416-414-1577
E-mail: tstork@waterfrontoronto.ca
www.waterfrontoronto.ca

FCM’s Green Municipal Fund
Maurice Gingues
Media Relations Officer
Green Municipal Fund
Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Tel.: 613-907-6399
Fax: 613-244-1515

Natural Resources Canada
Patricia Best
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister
Natural Resources Canada
Tel.: 613-996-2007
Media Relations
Natural Resources Canada
Tel.: 613-992-4447

Toronto –

Since 2002, The GLOBE Awards for Environmental Excellence have recognized leading Canadian companies for outstanding achievement in environmental stewardship. Canada’s most high profile annual national environmental accolades, the GLOBE Awards are judged by a panel of recognized experts. The Award for Excellence in Urban Sustainability honours a local government, private sector company or consortium that has developed and applied outstanding urban sustainability principles.

“We are honoured that our efforts have been recognized by the Globe Foundation for leadership in promoting and encouraging urban sustainability principles,” said John Campbell, President and CEO of Waterfront Toronto. ”Ensuring that sustainability principles are integrated into all facets of waterfront revitalization has been a core principle for Waterfront Toronto since our inception.  The Minimum Green Building Requirements were developed as a strategic tool for achieving our goals and to encourage innovation and market transformation.”

Waterfront Toronto’s revitalization process is designed to make Toronto a world leader in sustainable development with buildings and neighbourhoods that are among the greenest in the world. Its Minimum Green Building Requirements were developed to help achieve that objective and drive market transformation.

The requirements support Waterfront Toronto’s integration of sustainability into every facet of planning, design and development on the waterfront. They define Waterfront Toronto’s vision for green building design and construction, and the requirements mandate high performance buildings, which represent superior conditions for occupant health, comfort, conservation and cost savings.

The Minimum Green Building Requirements also support Waterfront Toronto’s achievement of LEED ND Gold for the planning stage, which focuses on sustainability at a neighbourhood-wide scale, taking green development beyond the threshold of energy-efficient buildings.

With funding support from the Ontario Power Authority, the Minimum Green Building Requirements were updated in 2011 to ensure that they were leading the market in best practices for the building industry, incorporating the newest building methods and technologies available.

Waterfront Toronto’s recently developed Carbon Tool provides the corporation and its building partners an objective tool for understanding and influencing sustainability choices at the design stage. Developed in collaboration with the C40-Clinton Climate Initiative, the Carbon Tool has the ability to analyze carbon reduction strategies to effectively understand and plan energy needs and carbon outputs, supporting the Minimum Green Building Requirements and outstanding urban sustainability principles.

The GLOBE Foundation

The GLOBE Foundation is a Vancouver-based, not-for-profit organization dedicated to finding practical business-oriented solutions to the world’s environmental problems. Formed in 1993, the foundation has helped companies and individuals realize the value of economically viable environmental business opportunities. The foundation is a leader in championing green initiatives and leveraging sustainable ventures into mutually rewarding opportunities for enterprise and the environment. From urban sustainability to climate change, we’re helping change the world by degrees.

Waterfront Toronto

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.

Media Contacts:

Tari Stork, Manager, Project Communications, Waterfront Toronto

416-214-1344 x 279 / tstork@waterfrontoronto.ca

The episode follows David Suzuki and his daughter Sarika Cullis-Suzuki as they travel across Canada in a trailer in an attempt to discover if some of the biggest Canadian cities are ready for the challenges of the future. On their Toronto stop, David and Sarika park their trailer on the waterfront to learn more about the various projects that are underway as part of the revitalization initiative.

Guided by Waterfront Toronto President and CEO John Campbell and Parks Director James Roche, David and Sarika tour the East Bayfront precinct, including Sherbourne Common and its neighbourhood-wide storm and lake water treatment facility. In the West Don lands David and Sarika visit Don River Park which is being built on top of a flood protection landform and they learn how Waterfront Toronto is transforming derelict and unused space beneath a series of overpasses into a community park.

The episode aired on Thursday, February 16 at 8PM on CBC-TV and will air again on Thursday, February 23 at 10PM on CBC-News Network; and on Sunday, February 26 at 6PM on CBC-News Network.  To watch the episode online, follow the link – http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/episode/suzuki-diaries-future-city.html

TORONTO – Infrastructure Ontario and Waterfront Toronto announced today that Dundee Kilmer Developments has signed a fixed-price contract to design, build and finance the development that will be used as the Athletes’ Village during the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games.

The project is expected to create and support 5,200 jobs, including employment of approximately 700 workers on the construction site.

The project will advance implementation of Waterfront Toronto’s award-winning precinct plan for the West Don Lands area and when complete in 2015, the project will support the wider community by providing a beautifully designed, sustainable mixed-use riverside community. The project will also provide 10,000 Pan and Parapan athletes, coaches and team officials a safe and supportive environment during the 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games.

The community has been designed by a team of internationally renowned architects, including Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects, architectsAlliance, Daoust LeStage, TEN Arquitectos and MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects and will be constructed by EllisDon Ledcor PAAV Inc.

The project will deliver design excellence and sustainability, with all new buildings designed to achieve LEED^® Gold.

In time for the Pan/Parapan American Games in 2015, Dundee Kilmer Developments has committed to complete:

• The next phase of West Don Lands infrastructure, roads and public spaces, including new municipal services, Front Street promenade, local streets, and the reconstruction of Eastern Avenue and Cherry Street, which will include a new streetcar route;
• A new 82,000 square-foot YMCA recreational facility, which will function as training facility during the Games, then serve the West Don Lands and surrounding communities following the Games;
• George Brown College’s first ever student residence, which will be used during the Games to support athletes and officials, and will subsequently provide housing for 500 students;
• 787 units of market housing, which will be used temporarily for Games accommodation, then converted for permanent occupancy following the Games. Once converted, up to 100 units representing five per cent of the total residential units will be reserved for affordable ownership;
• 253 units of affordable rental housing, representing 24 per cent of the total residential units being built in time for the Games, which will be used temporarily for Games accommodation, then converted for permanent occupancy following the Games;
• Additional accommodations and facilities required for use during the Games, including offices, administrative and ancillary facilities; and
• Site preparation work necessary to support temporary Games facilities.

Dundee Kilmer will also provide facilities management services (grounds and building maintenance) during the Games, and will subsequently convert buildings for their legacy use.

The project is an innovative public-private partnership arrangement that reduces the cost to tax payers and transfers risk to the developer. The arrangement reduces the cost of building the community by enabling Dundee Kilmer to also develop additional market housing post Games.

The fixed-price contract between Dundee Kilmer and the Province of Ontario is for $514 million, and will be paid in stages at significant construction milestones, to ensure the project’s on-time and on-budget delivery. The Province will recover approximately $65 million in development costs from future facility operators, for a total net provincial outlay of approximately $449 million.

The project is expanding on the investments made to date by federal, provincial and municipal governments. With lands that have been unusable for decades, these investments have enabled Waterfront Toronto’s revitalization efforts of the 80-acre West Don Lands precinct.

The project was subject to a fair, open and competitive procurement process that was overseen by a third-party fairness advisor. Dundee Kilmer Developments submitted the proposal that delivered the best value and consistently demonstrated the team’s proven experience and capabilities in financing, designing, developing and constructing large, world-class facilities.

Infrastructure Ontario and TO2015 are also working with municipalities, universities and provincial agencies to develop other Games venues across the Greater Toronto Area and Golden Horseshoe, such as the Aquatics Centre, the Velodrome, the Pan Am Athletics and Soccer stadiums and others.

The Pan/Parapan American Games are one of the world’s largest international multi-sport events, held every four years for athletes of the 41 member nations of the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO). The Games comprise all Olympic Summer Games sports, as well as traditional Pan American sports. The Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games will draw up to 10,000 athletes and officials to municipalities across the Greater Golden Horseshoe area. The Pan American Games will take place July 10–26 and the Parapan American Games August 7–14.

Infrastructure Ontario is a Crown corporation dedicated to delivering some of the province’s larger and more complex infrastructure renewal projects, on time and on budget; managing one of the largest real estate portfolios in Canada and providing real estate services, such as asset management and property and land management; and providing the public sector and not-for-profit organizations with long-term financing to renew public infrastructure.

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 -

Mandy Downes                                                                                   Tari Stork

Infrastructure Ontario                                                              Waterfront Toronto

416-327-5246                                                                          416-214-1344

Multimedia:

West Don Lands community renderings – here

Pan/Parapan Athletes’ Village Video – here

Backgrounders:

• Pan/Parapan American Games Athletes’ Village Legacy
• Pan/Parapan American Games Athletes’ Village Financial Close
• Pan/Parapan American Games Athletes’ Village Jobs and Economy
• Kilmer Van Nostrand Co. Ltd., Profile
• Dundee Realty Corporation Profile

Quotes

Bob Chiarelli, Minister of Infrastructure

“This project is an important investment that will create jobs, provide economic opportunities and transform a former industrial site into a vibrant and environmentally sustainable community.”

Charles Sousa, Minister responsible for the Pan/Parapan Am Games

“The start of construction in the West Don Lands is the first major step towards delivering the 2015 Games on time and on budget. The Athletes’ Village will provide an exceptional experience for athletes and bring long-lasting economic and social benefits to the community.”

Michael Chan, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport

“The Athletes’ Village will influence how the world views our city, our province and our country when we welcome the Pan/ Parapan American games to Toronto in 2015.”

Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and Minister of Aboriginal Affairs

“Families in need will benefit from this project, a portion of which will be transformed into affordable housing and serve as a living legacy. These new homes will give people a stable environment to improve their health and increase their opportunities to prosper.”

John Campbell, president and CEO, Waterfront Toronto

“This project accelerates development of the West Don Lands, builds on our work to date and leverages the investment our government partners have made in waterfront revitalization.”

Ian Troop, Chief Executive Officer, TO2015

“The Pan Am Games was the catalyst to kick-start this vital community project a full five to ten years earlier. The Athletes’ Village will be a state-of-the-art oasis for competitors where they can both rest and train to ensure top-notch performances during the Games.”

Dr. Gordon Chong, Chair of the Board of Directors, YMCA of Greater Toronto Area

“The YMCA will be a legacy of the Pan/Parapan Am games, creating a safe and supportive environment for this vibrant and diverse community. We want to create a place where everyone will have access to essential life programs regardless of their economic situation.”

Anne Sado, President, George Brown College

“This is another exciting day in the expansion of George Brown College. The addition of our first student residence is an important milestone in our commitment to delivering a consistently high-quality student experience. We are committed to being a vital part of this new neighbourhood”

Disponible en français

The annual awards recognize architectural design excellence and are given to architects and architectural graduates for buildings in the design stage. Canadian Architect jurors consider response to program, site, geographical and social context, and evaluate physical organization, structure, materials and environmental features when assessing submitted projects.

Designed by gh3 Architects and Landscape Architects/ R.V. Anderson Associates Limited, the 300-square-metre treatment facility will be  built as part of the stormwater treatment system to serve West Don Lands and the future North Keating Channel community.  The building will house the system’s main treatment plant and is intended to be a landmark structure for the West Don Lands.  Construction of the facility, located at northeast corner of Lake Shore Boulevard and Cherry Street, will begin in 2012 and be completed in 2013.

The design team had to address site challenges, the facility’s use and the project’s modest budget, while still meeting Waterfront Toronto’s requirements for design excellence. Their approach was to design a simple, elegant building that brings a modern interpretation to the ancient story of water. The design of the facility enclosure comes from the idea of a stone well, inverted to be displayed as a sculptural form above ground. The building will be embellished by etchings on its surface that act as a system of rain channels running from roof to wall, to ground plane and shaft that represent the broader system of urban hydrology in which the structure is rooted.

The faceted, limestone–clad building will be surrounded by the same limestone material, creating a composition that will be a striking counterpoint to the infrastructural complexity around it. Strategically placed glazed openings will be set within the facade to reveal glimpses of the building’s inner workings and become glowing highlights at night, while interior and exterior LED lighting will abstractly register information about the building’s performance to transparently and compellingly convey the workings of civil infrastructure sustaining a city for its inhabitants.

The Canadian Architect jury described the project as “a strong design in the tradition of elevating the architectural role of infrastructural work.”

The goal of the initiative is to deliver a high-level road map for accelerating development and maximizing the value of the Port Lands as a unique city legacy. The undertaking is the result of Toronto City Council’s September 21 unanimous decision for Waterfront Toronto in conjunction with the City of Toronto to lead a review of the Port Lands and to ensure the process is informed by extensive public consultation.

An initial public meeting is being held from 6:30pm to 9:00pm on Monday December 12 at the Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street. The meeting will include a summary of the work to date, the goals for the Port Lands initiative and an overview of acceleration opportunities and challenges for development.  The meeting will provide the public with an opportunity to ask questions and discuss their goals and ideas for the Port Lands.

“The work being undertaken is an opportunity to seize the full potential of these lands and to deliver development of enduring value and legacy to the people of Toronto,” said Councillor Peter Milczyn, chair of the City’s Planning and Growth Committee. “It is a first step in realizing our joint objective of creating one of the world’s great waterfronts.”

The work is a highly collaborative process. Waterfront Toronto and the City are working closely with Toronto and Region Conservation and seeking input from other agencies such as The Toronto Port Lands Company and the Toronto Port Authority.  Stakeholders such as land owners, tenants, port users and sector specific groups are being engaged throughout the process.

Work on the Port Lands acceleration initiative is well underway. A series of technical working groups are examining key issues including land use and design, infrastructure and constructability, and real estate development and financing.  Waterfront Toronto has also issued or will be issuing a number of Requests for Proposals to competitively procure the required technical expertise.

“Our intent is to take a fresh and wide-ranging look at the challenges and opportunities of developing the Port Lands, including examining phasing options, higher-value interim uses, and the feasibility of modifying or removing existing constraints,” said Waterfront Toronto President and CEO John Campbell.

The comprehensive undertaking builds on the large body of work delivered to date on the Port Lands and Lower Don Lands and explores new ideas and creative solutions. The project includes:

• Further examining the options for the Don Mouth Naturalization and Port Lands Flood Protection Environmental Assessment (EA) within the EA’s terms of reference, by reviewing costing and exploring options for value enhancements through such things as alternative construction approaches and project phasing, and by increasing the development potential of surrounding lands;
• Identifying financial and policy tools, incentives, and delivery mechanisms that enable development and offset or reduce the initial public sector investment needed to provide required infrastructure such as roads, services, utilities and flood protection;
• Exploring opportunities to increase private sector investment involvement; and
• Ensuring that the plan delivers a great waterfront for people to live, work and play.

Public consultation will play a central role in the creation of the go forward plan for the Port Lands and will include traditional in-person public meetings and interactive social media and/or web enabled consultations. The on-line consultation initiative is expected to launch early in 2012. In addition to the December 12 meeting, two rounds of public consultation are planned to be held throughout the city in 2012.

The final report on the results of the Port Lands review is expected to be completed for the June 2012 City Council meeting. On January 24, 2012 the City and Waterfront Toronto will provide City Council’s Executive Committee with a report on required funding for the review.

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.

Toronto is Canada’s largest city and sixth largest government, and home to a diverse population of about 2.7 million people. Toronto’s government is dedicated to delivering customer service excellence, creating a transparent and accountable government, reducing the size and cost of government and building a transportation city. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can dial 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

-30-

Media contacts:

Michelle Noble, Waterfront Toronto, 647-288-8048

Wynna Brown, City of Toronto, 416-392-8937

The blog surveyed international green spaces for the best in emerging standards for design in the public sphere. Sherbourne Common shares the list with eight other spaces from countries across the globe.

Sherbourne Common is 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 also features a splash pad that’s a skating rink in the winter months, a playground, an open green space and a pavilion.

The Atlantic Cities explores innovative ideas and issues facing today’s global cities and neighborhoods. Last month, the blog also ranked Underpass Park at the top of its list of Nine Cool Projects Under Freeway Overpasses.

OPPI’s annual Excellence in Planning Awards Program recognizes excellence in all aspects of the planning profession.  Waterfront Toronto’s Lower Don Lands Plan won in the Urban/Community Design category which acknowledges planners’ contributions to the built form within our communities and recognizes planned, newly constructed or renovated sites or areas.

“We are honoured that the Lower Don Lands has been recognized as a model of excellence by the Ontario Professional Planners Institute,” said John Campbell, President and CEO of Waterfront Toronto. “The Lower Don Lands is an incredibly complicated yet integral piece of the waterfront puzzle and one that is essential to get right.”

Located in the flood plain of the Don River, The Lower Don Lands is a 110 hectare (272 acre) brownfield site at the eastern end of Toronto’s harbour. The site is at the junction of two new waterfront communities already under construction, and it is the gateway to the larger Port Lands area and the first stage of the Port Lands that will be developed. Planning for the area had to address a myriad of requirements and challenges including flood protection, infrastructure, urban design, transportation and contaminated soil and groundwater.

Waterfront Toronto’s plan for the Lower Don Lands, created by a team lead by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc., reroutes the mouth of the Don River through the area and creates vibrant mixed-use communities around the new river mouth. The plan enables the development of 13,000 new homes, 3,000,000 square feet of commercial/retail space, plus 53 hectares (130 acres) of parks and public space. The plan also protects more than 230 hectares (568 acres) of land currently at risk due to flooding.

The Lower Don Lands plan has been recognized as an exceptional model of sustainable urban development, and has won numerous local and international awards. The Lower Don Lands project is one of 16 founding projects of The Climate Positive Development Program: a partnership between the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI), and the U.S. Green Building Council.

OPPI

OPPI’s Awards Program acknowledges the significant contribution that professional planners make in their communities, and helps to build awareness of the planning profession among related professions, government, the private sector, and the general public.

OPPI is the recognized voice of the Province’s planning profession. Its more than 3,500 members work in government, private practice, universities, and non-profit agencies in the fields of urban and rural development, urban design, environmental planning, transportation, health and social services, heritage conservation, housing, and economic development.

Waterfront Toronto

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.

Media Contact:

Tari Stork, Manager, Project Communications, Waterfront Toronto
T: 416-214-1344 x 279 / C: 416-414-1577 / tstork@waterfrontoronto.ca

Loretta Ryan, MCIP, RPP, CAE, Director, Public Affairs, Ontario Professional Planners Institute
C: 416-668-8469 / policy@ontarioplanners.on.ca

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.