3.6K 
It has been nearly two years since the Delta Toronto Hotel opened its doors to the public amid much fanfare, and the cause for celebration has hardly abated since. The gleaming tower has earned recognition from the public and critics alike, having collected a 2015 Toronto Urban Design Award of Excellence, and named UrbanToronto's Building of the Year in 2014 as voted by our readers. We recently ventured back in to take a look at how the building has fared two years after claiming its spot in the burgeoning South Core skyline.
Designed by Mansoor Kazerouni of Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects, the 46-storey building comprises an eye-catching tower atop a three-storey base at the corner of Simcoe and Bremner. The sleek glass tower features a recessed zipper-like incision down the centre of the east and west facades, with a heavier stone-clad podium spreading out toward the street at its base. The building is part of a larger complex dubbed the Southcore Financial Centre, developed by bcIMC and GWL Realty, which largely rounded out the newly dubbed South Core neighbourhood along Bremner Boulevard.
Taking a closer look at the tower, the reveal of recessed dark blue glass divides the building into two distinct masses. The north portion takes on a simpler, more rectilinear form finished with a plain glass curtain wall that is punctuated by strips of solid white spandrels on the north facade, breaking up the volume with a striped pattern.
The southern portion of the tower takes on a more sculptural form, accenting the west facade with an asymmetrical angled edge that acts as a counterpoint in tension with the rectangular mass to the north. The south elevation protrudes slightly outward with a subtle fold down the middle, while the glass envelope extends above the level of the roof, adding a touch of drama to an otherwise flat roof line.
Finished with the same glass curtain wall as the northern portion, the south mass is speckled with randomly placed solid white spandrel panels, providing subtle accents that create visual interest on the monochrome facade.
The sprawling podium extends outward from the footprint of the tower to meet Simcoe and Bremner Streets. Clad with black stone panels, the heavy volumes are pierced by large bands of recessed windows, giving the appearance of depth and weight that anchors the airy tower to the ground. Cantilevering over the sidewalk to the south, the podium brings a more human scale to the development.
Atop the podium, a landscaped green roof provides additional event and gathering space and offers a more visually pleasing view from the floors above, while also reducing the building's urban heat island effect. (A final landscape design is coming soon for this space.)
Incorporating generously large landscaped sidewalks on all sides, the Delta has been lauded for its design of the public realm. Space for a patio is incorporated along the sidewalk, while the treatment of parking entrances and loading docks has placed emphasis on the pedestrian realm.
Moving inside the building, striking interiors designed by New York-based Champalimaud Design use simplicity and materiality to create warm, inviting atmospheres. The lobby space is finished with wood on the walls and ceiling, while smartly-placed lighting fixtures accent the subtle reveals in the wood finish.
Artwork can be seen throughout the building, including an exterior piece by Douglas Coupland, a three-storey mural by Adrian Forrow, and an installation in the main lobby by Aleksandra Rdest.
A look inside a typical room shows minimalist finishes and clean details, with unobstructed panoramic views over the city through floor to ceiling windows.
Finally, a notable feature of the building is its western PATH connection via a bridge across Simcoe Street leading to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Dubbed 'Torque', the twisting design of the bridge was conceived by Toronto-based multi-disciplinary artists Jennifer Marman and Daniel Borins and New York-based architect James Khamsi of FIRM a.d. The simple twisting black band on the exterior and the chaotic triangulation on the interior make Torque perhaps one of Toronto's most interesting components of the PATH network.
With its prime location sandwiched between two of the city's largest sporting venues, adjacent to the waterfront and financial district and a stone's throw away from numerous tourist attractions, the Delta Toronto Hotel seems poised for a prosperous future. Only time will tell how well the Delta will age, but for now, the shiny new tower has impressed its audiences thus far, setting itself apart in the sea of glass in the rapidly growing South Core neighbourhood.
Want to find out more about the Delta Toronto Hotel? Follow the links below to our dataBase file, or you can get in on the discussion by checking out the associated Forum thread, or by leaving a comment in the space provided on this page.
| Related Companies: | EllisDon, Kramer Design Associates Limited, Trillium Architectural Products |
