Financial District : Development News

The Toronto Dominion Centre has launched an online dashboard so tenants and the general public can track energy uses in its six towers.

"TDC has deployed a broad range of technologies," said the TD Centre's general manager, David Hoffman, in a press release, “but the engagement and participation of tenants is our most powerful environmental best practice."

Yesterday, the site, known as the green portal, showed that the biggest energy consumption, out of Tower 1, registered 909 kilowatt hours between midnight at noon, and the lowest, Tower 3, used 335.

The site was developed by TD Centre landlords, Cadillac Fairview. It does not allow public perusal of individual tenants' consumption, though the tenants themselves can access the information in real time using the Carma Smart Metering system.


Writer: Bert Archer
Source: David Hoffman

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Yonge Street's going vertical, and Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam figures it's got something to do with a generational shift among the people who own it.

"I think that for Yonge Street, for a long time it's been multi-generational ownership, parent to child, parent to child," says the Ward 27 councillor and former real estate agent with Coldwell Banker. "I think that in many instances, the children are no longer [interested in] operating these businesses."

Yonge Street south of Davenport, along with most of Bloor, the Danforth and Queen Street, have not kept pace with the intensification of the core, keeping to their quaint, two-, three- and four-storey selves. But Wong-Tam's started to notice a tidal shift on Yonge.

"I've had many pre-application meetings with third-generation property owners who are bringing in developers with whom they've structured deals," she says, adding that these days, "applications in Ward 27 seem to start at 40, 45 storeys."

Some of these families are prominent property holders, like Hong Kong-based holding company Chen and Sons, and others own one or two storefronts and are looking to maximize the profit on their generations-long investments, while allowing Yonge Street to grow up.

As Wong-Tam has said before, she's ambivalent on the issue of Yonge Street's imminent verticality. As a former real estate pro, she likes good development, but at the same time, she talks about walking down Yonge on a recent afternoon during this unseasonably sunny spring.

It was, she says, "really illuminating for me, to see all those people lining up for patios with sun. It's not shadows in parks or shadows in backyards, it's shadows right on the street, on patios, that matter." And soon, there'll be many more of them.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Kristyn Wong-Tam

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Just what residential tower is going to be highest in the last depends on how you define your terms.

If you count things like spires—and the people behind the World Trade Centre and the Sears Tower (not to mention the CN Tower) certainly did—it’s the newly opened Trump at 281.02 metres. But the Trump's highest floor, what's known as architectural height, is 256.7 metres.

That means Aura, the Canderel Stoneridge tower on its way up now, which just got a three-storey boost from City Hall, is the winner in that department. At 78 storeys, it can claim the highest penthouse view at  273 metres above the corner of Yonge and College.

"Planning staff did not have major objections," says the ward's councillor, Kristyn Wong-Tam. "Obviously, there was already shadow impact everywhere at 75 storeys."

What made the deal a slam dunk for Wong-Tam, who is ambivalent on the subject of Yonge becoming a street of towers, was an additional Section 37 contribution, which will now allow for the complete reconstruction of Barbara Ann Scott rink and park.  

Under the original agreement, Canderel was making a $2-million contribution to community benefit in return for the variance that allowed them their initial 75 storeys. But motivated by their desire to beat Trump and partner Alex Schnaider, the developer agreed to another $1 million for the three extra floors.

According to Wong-Tam, there will also be wider sidewalks, better "pedestrian treatment," and "all sorts of cafés and restaurants at the base." There will also be a Marshalls department store opening in the fall.

The extra floors in the Graziani and Corazza-designed building will add about 50 units to the building, bringing its total to 985.

Occupancy is expected to begin next winter.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Kristyn Wong-Tam

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The latest and possibly final version of the study for Front Street at Union Station will be presented at a public meeting this week at City Hall.

The results of the environmental assessment for the proposed changes to the bit of Front between Bay and York that separates the Royal York Hotel from Union Station will be voted on by the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, with deputations from the public, as well as various interest groups.

"There's interest by the cycling community in having bike lanes and seeing how cycling is treated in the recommended plan," says Stephen Schijns, the manager of infrastructure planning for the transportation division. "There’s interest from the taxi industry in how curbside space is allocated. There's interest from the Royal York and from Union Station and the owners of the Royal Bank building, but those are normally dealt with one-on-one rather than in a committee setting."

If the document is approved, it moves onto City Council for consideration. If approved there, the plan is opened up to the public for a further 30 days. If at the end of that time there is no other significant concern, the project is approved and can be implemented.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Stephen Schijns

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The Sutton Place won't be called the Sutton Place anymore.

Despite some pretty high-value name recognition, at least among the pre-Millennial set, Lanterra co-founder, president and CEO Barry Fenton says they'll be choosing a new name for the refurbished property when it opens in 2014.

Speaking to Yonge Street in a car on the way to the airport to check out British hotels for some design hints, Fenton says, "We have the right to use it, but I think we're going to come up with a new concept, a new name." They have a few names in mind, but when pressed, Fenton says, "We can't reveal all our secrets."

Fenton says the negotiations with the vendor, presumably a representative of the Ho Family Trust that owns the dwindling Sutton Grande group of hotels, lasted five months before going firm in November.

Lanterra will be adding nine storeys to the original WZMH-designed tower at the northeast corner of Bay and Wellesley. Fenton says he's eager to play with a rare square tower after building so many point towers, with the encouragement of City Hall.

"You get more units per floor,” he says.

Lanterra will launch their sales in June, and will start construction, including a new exterior, by the end of the year.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Barry Fenton

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The Ontario finalists for a nationwide architecture competition went on display Monday in the galleria at Brookfield Place.

The competition, called Migrating Landscapes, "explores how young Canadian architects and designers have been influenced by migration," according to the announcement.

The Ontario winners will be announced on Feb. 22, and the winners of the national competition will represent Canada at this year's Venice Biennale.

The competitions were the result of a call from the Canada Council for proposals for Canada's entry to this year’s Biennale.

"Migrating Landscapes is about the theme of migration and what it means in architecture today," says one of the three Winnipeg-based curators, Johanna Hurme. "It was informed by our own experiences coming together as first-generation architects ourselves." Hurme moved to Canada from Finland, while fellow curators Sasa Radulovic and Jae-Sung Chon came from Bosnia-Herzegovina and South Korea, respectively.

The exhibit runs until Feb. 24. The Architecture Biennale runs from Aug. 29 to Nov. 25.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Sascha Hastings

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Nominations opened this week for the 2012 Green Toronto Awards, though the most interesting category from the 2011 edition has been dropped.

Last year, the awards expanded to include a green homes category, aimed at individuals who had done something remarkable to or with their own homes.

"It wasn't our strongest category," says Jessica Chow, co-ordinator for the city-sponsored awards. "We don’t know why. We noticed a lot of them were, 'Oh, I recycle in my home.' It wasn't really what we were after."

So this year, it's been folded into the more general green design category, where individual homes will now compete with eco clothing, green roofs and other design innovations.

Nominations can be submitted here until midnight on Feb. 6. Winners will be announced in March.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Jessica Chow

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Toronto got an odd new brand of cafe last week, when the ING Direct Cafe opened its doors in the old Pier 1 space at Yonge and Shuter.

With ads up throughout the TTC system and elsewhere, ING Direct CEO Peter Aceto expects they'll be getting a lot of walk-in traffic expecting a more traditional coffee spot. But, he says, "It'll be obvious to you that it's really not a coffee shop like Tim Hortons or Starbucks or Second Cup."

If you drop by, he says, "You'll be greeted by one of our people who understands mortgages, savings, mutual funds and coffee." The idea is that's it's not the sort of cafe people are used to, and not the sort of bank you're used to.

ING Direct has started up these spaces, which also exist in Montreal and Vancouver, to address the downside of being a mostly branch-free bank: no street presence.

To belay fears that this is a corporate pop-up, Aceto emphasized how much work was done on the heritage building -- the bank spent about a year renovating the three-storey, 10,000 square foot space -- and that ING signed a 10-year lease, with two five-year extensions.

"This is a very important space for us," he says, "and it's going to be very important for the next 10 or 15 years."

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Peter Aceto

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Construction has begun on the first large-scale downtown condo tower to be built without parking.

But in a very crowded field, the 42-storey RCMI tower is distinguishing itself in several other ways, as well. For one, its location on University Avenue, on the site of the Royal Canadian Military Institute from which it's taking its name, is almost entirely non-residential, packed as it is with office towers, hospitals and university buildings.

It is also going to house the institute whose original home it's displacing at 426 University.

"We're actually building them a new club and facility there which they'll move back into on the first several floors," says Tony Whitaker, developer Tribute Communities' vice president of sales. The facade of the old building will also remain, as will the canon out front.

The new building, designed by Zeidler Partnership, will have 318 mostly small suites, one-bedroom and one bedroom with a den, which people will be able to start moving into in early 2013.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Tony Whitaker

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What will be, at least until something else tops it, the city's tallest condo tower reached ground level last week.

According to Riz Dhanji, vice president of sales and marketing for developer Canderel Stoneridge, the first people are expected to be able to move into Aura at College Park sometime next year, and the 75-storey tower is meant to be completed by the end of 2013.

In addition to a much-hyped 11,370 square foot, $17.5-million penthouse that takes up the entire 75th floor (and is still available), Aura will have plenty of retail on the ground level.

"We have Bed, Bath and Beyond," Dhanji says, adding that the US retailer's taken 50,000 square feet, "and we have Alice Fazooli's, Canyon Creek and the Bank of Montreal."

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Riz Dhanji

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Forty-six years after it was built, Viljo Revell's new city hall is getting some new windows.

Starting this week, all 758 windows in the east tower are being replaced, floor by floor, in a project that's set to cost $5 million and take till November.

"The existing single pane windows will be replaced with tinted, double pane, energy efficient units," says Jim Kamstra, the city's manager of energy and waste management. Due to heritage considerations, there will be little change to the look of the building."

The work, carried out after office hours and on Saturdays, is being handled by general contractor Buttcon Limited, and the window supplier is C3 Polymeric. The contract for the west tower has yet to be tendered.

The funds, from the Strategic Infrastructure Fund, were set aside two years ago.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Jim Kamstra

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In a few days One King West will embark on a $2-million renovation.

The condo hotel at the southwest corner of King and Yonge is upgrading its lobby, venue spaces and its restaurant.

One million dollars has been devoted to making the building more energy efficient, including the switch from steam heating to gas, replacing the windows in the old sections of the building, as well as all the lighting, and installing sliding and revolving doors in the lobby.

The changes include such things as restoring the clock in the Grand Banking Hall, resurfacing the floors and renovating the toilets.

"The aim is to celebrate the history of a space built nearly 100 years ago by tying-in modern finishes and textures with the classic design elements within the hotel," says sales and marketing director Matt Black.

Built on top of an old Toronto Dominion bank, the project was conceived by Harry Stinson and largely funded by David Mirvish, was designed by Stanford Downey Architects and completed in 2006 at a cost of about $95 million.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Ashley Calapatia

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The $500-milllion, 53-storey Ritz-Carlton opened last week at 181 Wellington Street West.

Designed by Architects Alliance, Kohn Pederson Fox and Page and Steele Architects and built by Graywood, Cadillac Fairview and Ritz Carlton, the building is part hotel and part condominium, with 267 hotel rooms and 159 residential units.

Currently the only Ritz Carlton in Toronto the hotel opened to much attention, with the mayor in attendance and both the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail running stories.

Excavation began in 2006, with construction starting a year later.

The hotel is part of a surge in luxury hotel condos in the city. The first, The Hazelton, opened in 2008, the Shangri-La is under construction at University and Adelaide and the new Four Seasons, just north of The Hazelton on Bay Street, is also under construction.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Melanie Greco

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A year into the project, the renovation of 77 King Street West has begun installing its new ventilation system, and will begin the LEED certification process next month.

The renovation of the large office complex, part of the TD Centre, began last February and is expected to wrap up in 2012.

In addition to the installation of the new ventilation system on the vacant floors, which is scheduled to take until August, the plaza is being replaced and waterproofed, a project that should be completed next month. Other improvements to the concierge desk, the directory board, elevators, the lobby, and washrooms are being included in the general renovation. Windows and window-shading systems, as well as ventilation equipment for occupied floors, will be done beginning in April.

The renovation, being financed by owners Cadillac Fairview, is expected to cost $110-million.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: David Hoffman

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As Torontonians get more and more environmentally conscientious, recycling, composting, not using plastic bags for their groceries, a second-wave sort of feeling can set in. Are we doing enough? Or are all these little things we do just that, little things that don't add up to enough to have any real effect?

And this questioning can extend to the corporate world, as well. If a hotel says it's being green by using low-flow showerheads, or an office building toots its own horn because it turns off all its lights at night, are they greening, or greenwashing?

According to Doug Webber, the green building practice leader for Halsall, an engineering and consulting firm that helps corporate clients use their energy more efficiently, turning off an office tower's lights at night is no small beer.

According to Webber, an average tower tenant expends about a quarter of its energy on lighting.  So if they only turn on their lights between 7am and 6pm, instead of keeping them on all night, "That's 50 per cent of the hours that the lights are off. You could save 12 per cent of your energy just by turning the lights off at night."

Another quarter of corporate tenant's energy tends to go to information technology, so turning computers off -- and reducing the number of servers that need to be on all the time, whenever possible -- when they're not in use can have a similar effect.

"One of the problems with accusations of greenwashing, if they're not careful, is that they can throw cold water on what might be legitimately good first steps," says Chris MacDonald, visiting scholar with the Rotman School of Business's Clarkson Centre for Business Ethics who also runs the Business Ethics Blog "A company may be trying to get some credit for doing the right thing, but then figures they're getting crapped on, so they'll stop."

For his part, MacDonald reserves the term for companies he thinks "have just an atrocious track record and they're really holding up something tiny that isn't central to what they do."

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Doug Webber, Chris MacDonald

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