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Bay Adelaide Centre West Tower (Brookfield, 50s, WZMH)

From http://www.heenanblaikie.com/en/nouvelles/pdf/HB_Toronto_Move.pdf
N E W S R E L E A S E
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Heenan Blaikie is the first occupant in Toronto’s most environmentally-friendly office tower
August 10, 2009, Toronto – Heenan Blaikie, one of Canada’s top firms, has moved to the Bay Adelaide Centre as of August 10th 2009. The 1.1 million square foot, 51 storey office tower at the northeast corner of Bay and Adelaide Streets was built in accordance to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standard. LEED® is the internationally accepted scorecard for sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality.
Choosing the modern, efficient and environmentally-friendly building was an easy decision for the rapidly-growing firm. “It is important to keep our working environment modern and fresh to inspire creativity and good work,” says Norman Bacal, Co-managing partner of Heenan Blaikie. “We have also factored environmental improvements into our decision-making process regarding the build out and furnishing of the new office. This is one of the many ways the design of the new office space is allowing us to reinforce our values and reflect the personality of Heenan Blaikie today and for the future.”
The firm first opened the doors to our Toronto office with four lawyers in 1989 and is one of the city’s outstanding business success stories. Thanks to the firm’s entrepreneurial spirit, 170 lawyers and professionals and over 190 support staff will move into the Bay Adelaide Centre. “We are eager to create an environment that reflects our values as well as our commitment to evolve in an ever changing environment,” Bacal added.
Heenan Blaikie chose to collaborate with id+s, an interior design team from Montreal, known for their innovative work. Through the use of materials, indirect illumination, simplicity of forms, strategic use of colour and orchestrated perspectives, the goal was to achieve corporate elegance with sleek modernism. Bacal is happy to report that the impressive Canadian art collection of founding partner Roy Heenan will continue to be the highlight of Heenan Blaikie’s interior space.
The first occupants of the building, Heenan Blaikie signed a long-term 120,000 square foot lease and will occupy five floors. The new office will not only comfortably accommodate the lawyers, professionals and support staff who currently work in downtown Toronto, but also Heenan Blaikie’s Thornhill Intellectual Property team, who will also move into the Bay Adelaide Centre in the fall of 2009.
Heenan Blaikie is one of Canada’s top national law firms. It delivers highly strategic legal advice and innovative business solutions under six broad sectors: business law, labour and employment, litigation, tax, intellectual property, and entertainment.
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Yup. took a walk around with the security guard this afternoon. it's a very spacious lobby. The unpolished marble floors are great as they carry the look and feel in from the streets. Brookfield is looking to rent the streetfront to a restaurant that will enhance the feel of the lobby, instead of low end retail. Once inside it is very open and airy and very well lit. I liked the overall feel, similar to the TD towers in size, but much more light and airy. Cool.
 
The "plaza" area over top of the footprint for BAC2 is now being paved with interlock pavers. Better than chain link and gravel, for sure, but not as good as the granite used in the main plaza area. However, I expect that this is as good as we could expect given that it's not supposed to be a permanent plaza . . .
 
Aug 11

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If this is Luddite so is X, no? Why one and not the other? Would it have to do with your 'expectations' for office towers vs. condo towers? Have I just answered my own questions?
 
More or less. Although we don't expect corporate towers to be reticent, it isn't always the loudest voice that is heard the clearest. While this prominent site mandated something more - the next generation of Toronto corporate landmarks - I think the wan, ghostly presence that we actually got ( joined eventually by a slightly shorter twin, and a somewhat related mixed use tower to the north ... ) adds surprisingly well to the skyline - the grafted-on facadectomy notwithstanding.
 
I'm not inferring that I don't like BAC - I do - I just think a Katsuhiro Otomo-style set of antennae would do wonders, though, as Shocker notes, such an addition sadly wouldn't be in keeping with our most egregious facadectomy.
 
maybe I am just contrarian but I think the historical facade is the best part of this project! I had mixed feelings at first, but the quality of the workmanship that seems to have gone into resurrecting that facade sealed the deal for me.
 
It also helps mitigate the impact of the tower on Bay and preserves a piece of its historic street-scape. A little grime and it'll look fine.
 
Cloud Gardens

Bay Adelaide Centre from Cloud Gardens on August 3, 2009:

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Follow this link to see complete 360x180 VR panorama, which is best seen in "Full Screen" mode with controls hidden. You can pan and zoom using the keyboard or the mouse.
 
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