Today, Build Toronto announced that the team of Henning Larsen, Adamson Associates, and PMA Landscape Architects has won the competition to design the new Etobicoke Civic Centre. According to Build Toronto, "the new Etobicoke Civic Centre is composed of five program elements–municipal offices including gathering and civic function space, a community recreation centre, a Toronto Public Library district branch, a child care centre and an outdoor civic plaza." In addition, "a new urban park, south of the civic plaza, will complement the outdoor civic function for new and existing residents."

Rendering of the site, image courtesy of Adamson Associates/Henning Larsen/PMA

The designs were revealed to the public at an event held at the existing Etobicoke Civic Centre on Tuesday, April 25th to members of the community and a panel of judges. Headed by Henning Larsen with Adamsson Associates as architects of record, the winning team prevailed over proposals from three other shortlisted teams made up of;

• Moriyama + Teshima Architects, MJMA, and FORREC
• Diamond Schmitt Architects and Michael Van Valkenberg Associates
• KPMB Architects and West 8

In Build Toronto's news release, the proposal is described as "best [satisfying] the guiding principles established in the Request for Proposals, showing flexibility and an iconic design well suited for the community." The Henning Larsen Team won based on their adaptation and execution of four key concepts determined by the competition jury:

• Environmental Sustainability – The proposal clearly kept sustainability and efficiency in mind, aiming for a net zero target that benefits the environment and the workers.
• Flexibility – Spaces within and around the building proposals are clearly flexible, having the potential to facilitate a wide range of activities for the community. The office floor spaces reflect the flexibility of the public spaces, in accordance to the City's office modernization program and enable a diverse range of working environments.
• Community Identity – The design builds on the story and context of Etobicoke with an over-arching narrative of diversity and dynamism. The final design and the narrative of 'a place of many homes' reflects these ideas to create a new landmark for Etobicoke. 
• Pedestrian Scale – By dividing the relatively large programs—which typically require large floor spaces—into multiple forms, a context-sensitive agglomeration of masses creates a more inviting and human-scaled experience within and around the building. The flexibility and diversity of both the interior and exterior spaces also has great public engagement potential that can adapt easily over time.  

Rendering of council chamber and main atrium image courtesy of Adamson Associates/Henning Larsen/PMA

These key concepts that were shown in all four of the short-listed designs but were best fulfilled in Henning Larsen's design, according to the judges. As part of Etobicoke's redevelopment of the Westwood Theatre Lands redevelopment—and the nearby Six Points Reconfiguration Project—the jury wanted a design that could help propel a new vision of Etobicoke, fostering a strong sense of community while setting an ambitious design standard for the future.   

East elevation of the site, image courtesy of Adamson Associates/Henning Larsen/PMA

Over the next few months the Build Toronto will carry out a business case analysis to determine the feasibility and next steps for the project, which will continue to evolve. The results of the business case analysis are set to be released later this fall. A more detailed overview of the Henning Larsen design is also available in our previous story, linked here.

Rendering of the site looking northeast, image courtesy of Adamson Associates/Henning Larsen/PMA

We will keep you updated on this sure to be transformative project and any developments coming out in the coming months. In the meantime, you read more about the project on our database, engage in discussions on the Forum, or comment on this page.