Development News

The latest addition to the city's skyline is the RBC Centre at Wellington and Simcoe. You'll recognize it by its distinctive blue stripe running the length of its 43 floors. Designed by Bregman + Hamann Architects and developed by Cadillac Fairview, the tower is remarkable for two things: it's one of three new office buildings (along with Menkes' Telus tower and Brookfield's Bay-Adelaide building) that have added the first significant amount of office space downtown (3 million square feet in total, of which 1.2 million is in RBC Centre) in 17 years. The second is that it's Canada's first office tower to be built to LEED Gold NC standard.

That NC stands for "new construction," which means that though it's measured on how well the landlord's role in the building measures up to LEED's criteria, it also involves a buy-in from future tenants to build and renovate to these same standards, "so it becomes a co-operative and joint effort between landlord and tenant," says Cadillac Fairview's senior vice-president of office development, Wayne Barwise, "to keep the standards of the building and both benefit from the reduced energy costs."

Built with a budget of about $420 million, Barwise lists several of the building's LEED-focused features, including operable windows on the first 10 floors, rain capture and grey-water recycling for the first six floors, and an automated building management system that uses shades and a "light shelf" to respond to changes in the light outside, including both the passage of the sun and glare from nearby buildings.

Though Barwise doesn't anticipate the vacancy rates in Toronto will demand much new commercial construction on this scale for several years, Cadillac Fairview itself, he says, were influenced somewhat by RBC's "very forward-thinking" and specific sustainability objectives, will now be changing the way it does business. "Our standard going forward," he says, "will be to build to a minimum standard of LEED Gold. We believe this is the way of the future."

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Cadillac-Fairview

Mississauga-based builder EllisDon was named the second best employer in the country for 2009 in the Report of Business's annual 50-best list (PCL Constructors, another builder, based in Edmonton with an office in Mississauga, came in first.)

One of the largest builders, contractors and project management companies in the country, with 1,965 employees in Canada, about $2 billion in annual projects across the country, the States and the United Arab Emirates, the employee-owned company is behind such projects as the Bay-Adelaide Centre, Concord Park Place and the Ritz-Carlton.

"Having construction companies in both the first and second spot is quite an achievement," said Janine Szczepanowski, EllisDon's vice-president of leadership and entrepreneurial development in a press release, "and it is a testament to what companies like EllisDon and PCL have been able to do for the industry and its perception as a solid career choice on a number of levels. We have had another successful year and everyone's contribution has kept us amongst the best of the best."

It's the ninth consecutive year EllisDon has placed on this list. Last year, they topped the list.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Report on Business, EllisDon

On January 13, EllisDon Corp announced that, in conjunction with its subtrades and suppliers, it was donating $1.7 million in labour, materials and services toward the construction of the Wellspring Centre addition to the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

The Wellspring Centre, a cancer support facility at Sunnybrook's Bayview campus, is being almost quintupled in size, from 2,400 to 11,000 square feet, gaining a large lecture room, four group support rooms, a teaching kitchen and a large activity room in the process.

EllisDon president and CEO Geoff Smith said in a statement, "It has been terrific to see the enthusiasm with which EllisDon people, as well as many of our industry partners, have embraced this outstanding cause, both in terms of personal effort and hard cash. And the Wellspring team has been terrific to work with. We are extremely happy to be involved."

Lynda Morrison, the CEO of Wellspring, adds in same release, "We are quite simply overwhelmed by the incredible generosity and enthusiasm with which the people at EllisDon and their industry partners have embraced this expansion project. They are truly building a lasting legacy of support and comfort for the many thousands of men, women and children living with cancer who turn to Wellspring each year, and we are grateful beyond words."

Writer: Bert Archer

Source: EllisDon

Cecconi Simone, also known as Oni One, are designers known for clean lines, good textures and interesting materials. They are the last people you'd think would have a new approach to one of Toronto's most abiding and destructive difficulties: sprawl. No matter what you may have heard in Alberta or New Brunswick, Toronto is actually not dense enough. Fly into or out of the city and you'll see what I mean.

The recent spate of condo erections has done a lot to improve the situation, but stroll down any street in Riverdale, the Annex or the Junction and you'll see single family dwellings on 20 x 100 foot lots (or thereabouts). That's a lot of space for a very few people.

When Elaine Cecconi and Anna Simone decided they wanted to branch out into architecture and building, they had capital, but not developer-level capital, so they thought small. With a couple of partners they bought a lot on Lippincott in what's commonly known as the South Annex (but is on the city books as "University"). The former site of the Chicago 58 salami factory, it is slightly larger than a double lot, but not out of line with its mostly semi-detached neighbours. Instead of building a house, or a couple of townhouses, they turned things on their side and built 8 houses with architect Brad Netkin, facing south on a north-south street, quadrupling the utility of the space.

Following in the footsteps of architect Alan Littlewood's project at Queen and Givens, six of the eight infill houses on Lippincott, with their open concept back-to-front spaces have already sold in the $800,000 range. Each has front patio barbeques and glass ground-floor front walls that slide entirely open in good weather.

Though the lot is bigger than most, the design is perfectly suited to replace run-down single family dwellings with similar sophisticated densities, offering greater access to desirable neighbourhoods and potentially higher profit margins for investors and developers. And as the desire for laneway housing increases, variations on Ceccone Simone's solution may be one of the things that keeps Toronto's downtown neighbourhoods vibrant through their next several decades of growth.

Writer: Bert Archer

Last February, Nancy Oomen, Senior Executive Assistant to city councillor Mike Feldman (Ward 10 York Centre), took a call from Goldie Feldman (no relation). An elderly woman, she was looking to make a donation in memory of her parents, something in a park. Oomen suggested a tree, or maybe a bench, but Feldman wanted to do something bigger. Something that cost about $1 million. Oones was floored. "She doesn't even live in the ward," Oomen says, "but she has a real soft spot for Earl Bales Park; she goes to the seniors centre there." As a result of the discussion that followed, Earl Bales is about to get a whole new kind of playground.

The 145-acre park, on the grounds of the old York Downs golf course off Bathurst just south of Sheppard, abuts two community centres: Bloorview Kids Rehab and the Zareinu Educational Centre. Ms Feldman wanted to provide something that would be of use to all the kids who use the park. So after an RFP was put out, the city brought on MBTW Group, who had an idea for what they're calling a "water play and sensory garden." They completed the design development just before Christmas, and it's set to begin construction in April, with a completion date of August 1.

"It was made very clear to us by the advisory group that they were looking to engage all seven senses," says MBTW architect and project captain Christine Abe, of the group they pulled together including city staff, community members and representatives from the two community centres. "We went, 'Wow, seven? What are the other two?'" Which was when she learned about the kinesthetic and vestibular senses, related to motion and balance, respectively. "We're looking to engage children who are blind, who are deaf, who have autism," Abe says, pointing out the niche or "nest" areas they plan to build in the larger play spaces so that, in her words, autistic children can be "involved in spaces, but also away from spaces."

Though the park has no official name yet, it will likely ultimately be named for Ms Feldman's parents, Morris and Sarah.

Writer: Bert Archer

Eight thousand square feet of Yorkville's ever-shrinking retail space is re-opening on Friday after several months' vacancy.

Briefly known as Flow (for fans of 80s Yorkville, it's the old M�venpick site), Liberty Entertainment Group is opening up Ciao Wine Bar at 133 Yorkville Avenue with a heavy emphasis on all things Italian, including the severs' Diesel wardrobes.

Richmond Hill's Chef Rob Punzo, formerly of Peter Pan, Pronto, Auto Grill and most recently his own Punzo's Restaurant & Catering in Oak Ridges, will be offering standard regional Italian fare made with local ingredients.

Typical of the Liberty properties (which include the Rosewater Supper Club, the Liberty Grand and the Spice Route), the approach is rather grand. The bottom level will be done up like a wine cellar, with a long alabaster pizza bar as its focus. The mezzanine level will be fairly casual, with the street level as the main dining area. Wine will be served using a system (called Enomatic) that preserves opened bottle with inert gas, meaning almost everything will be available by the glass.

Writer: Bert Archer

Like any city, Toronto's had its planning ups and downs. Unlike many others, though, it's done a pretty good job of fixing some of its most egregious mistakes (see Regent Park). And then there's the waterfront, which Torontonians think we've been screwing up since about a generation after Simcoe ruled Upper Canada. But now Moshe Safdie along with Waterfront Toronto are stepping in to take another shot at it.

On December 7, the city announced the sale of a parcel of waterfront land known as Parkside (beside the-soon-to-be-inaugurated Sherbourne Park), to the Great Gulf Group of Companies, the folks behind the condo at 18 Yorkville. Safdie refers to his mixed-use tower-and-podium construction, slated for LEED Gold certification, as "gardens in the sky." The tower will be 36 storeys, with about 10 storeys in the podium, and will run from Queens Quay north to Lake Shore Boulevard.

The design team also includes Quadrangle Architects, known for their Candy Factory and Toy Factory warehouse-to-loft conversions (the Candy Factory on Queen west of Trinity Bellwoods Park, remember, was the one that got the whole trend on its feet). They've worked with Great Gulf before on condo projects called St James (adjacent to St Lawrence Hall) and the Morgan (at 438 Richmond St. W.).

This will be Safdie's first residential project in Toronto, and his first in Canada since his thesis became Habitat '67 for Montreal's Expo. "Rejuvenation of the waterfront is a noble task for Toronto," says Safdie, who also designed the National Gallery in Ottawa, Vancouver's Library Square, and is the author of The City After the Automobile. "And I trust that this building will set the standard for an exciting new kind of urban living."

One that acknowledges Toronto is a city on a lake, for instance. The city expects that ultimately the project will inject about $200 million worth of private investment into the nascent East Bayfront community and will be home to roughly 10,000 people.

Writer: Bert Archer

Sang Kim, one of the forces behind Blowfish and the consultant behind Ki's aggressive training of its staff in the fine art of explaining sake to a still mostly innocent clientele, is bringing a Korean tapas restaurant to Yorkville.

KOKO! Share Bar, on the site of the old walk-down Sushi Bada at 81 Yorkville (below Dolce), will have a staff of 12 in two shifts and feature bossam, which is Korean for wrap. Dishes will feature loose leaf lettuce with steamed rice, and things like roasted pork belly and Korean barbequed meats served, on one side of the restaurant, at two long communal tables (the other side is reserved for the more reserved, with more usual two-seater table options). Following the long tradition of Korean and Japanese culinary hook-ups, KOKO! will also serve tamaki, which is the Japanese version of bossam, with seasoned seaweed instead of lettuce, sushi rice, raw fish and tempura.

A fan of Korean cuisine, but not of Toronto's two "Little Koreas" (on Bloor west of Bathurst and on Yonge north of Sheppard). "They beat up on each other by slashing prices," says Kim, who estimates his lunches for two will be under $40, and dinners about $100,  "and they do Japanese food very poorly. I like not having to compete with pork bone soup pricing."

Demolition started on Jan. 9, with a goal of an early February soft opening and a launch on Feb. 14, in honour of Valentine's Day, as well as Chinese and Korean New Year.

Writer: Bert Archer