Allied Properties REIT's Queen Richmond Centre West, or QRC West, is adding 17 floors of new office space to Toronto's Entertainment District, an area that has experienced a massive influx of new residents in the last decade. With new office development otherwise being concentrated predominantly in the established Financial District and emerging South Core, commercial growth in the Entertainment District has been comparatively slow, though QRC West's novel model of modern space atop renovated heritage warehouses has tapped into Allied's proven success in attracting creative and entertainment-related industries elsewhere in this part of town, and QRC West is nearly fully leased.

QRC West at night among high-rise condo towers in the Entertainment District, image by Craig White

Designed by Sweeny &Co Architects with Stephenson Engineering, the standout feature of the 17-storey office building is the large five-storey atrium flanked by restored brick walls, mast truss glazing systems, and wood paneled ceiling. Three 70-foot X-shaped supports, or delta frames, serve as both the sculptural centrepiece of the atrium and a crucial structural element, necessary to help transfer the approximately 20-million pounds-force in gravity load plus force from the lateral loading of the tower above down to the building's foundations.

QRC West's podium and atrium viewed from Peter Street, image by Craig White

Engineered by Cast ConneX, the supports are made up of 40-inch diameter, 2-inch thick steel pipes, which have been joined by 17.5-ton cast steel nodes and filled with concrete. The blend of design and engineering seen on the delta frames were instrumental in landing the project a CISC Ontario Region Steel Design Award for Engineering, and a Citation in ARCHITECT Magazine's 2015 R+D Awards.

One of the three delta frames in the atrium of QRC West, image by Carlos de Oliveira

Installation of exterior elements is nearing completion, while some elements, including the vertical fins on the building's east facade and brise soleils on the south facade, are apparently complete. At the time of our last update, a large expanse of the north facade had recently been cleared of the construction hoist. In the time since, the space has been filled in with glazing, sealing off the building's interior spaces.

View of exterior details on QRC West, image by Craig White

The completed development will add ground floor retail and 300,000 square feet of office space to the area, five floors of which will be occupied by anchor tenant Entertainment One. Other major tenants include marketing and consulting company Sapient, digital marketing company Givex, and London, England-based alcoholic beverage manufacturer Diageo. 

Facing north towards QRC West from Glas Condos, image by Craig White

Additional information and renderings can be found in our QRC West dataBase file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided at the bottom of this page.