Toronto St Lawrence Centre Redevelopment | ?m | ?s | CreateTO | Hariri Pontarini

Preferred choice for the St. Lawrence Centre Redevelopment Competition

  • Brook McIlroy, Trahan Architects, and Hood Design Studio

    Votes: 11 13.9%

  • Diamond Schmitt, Smoke Architecture, and MVVA

    Votes: 12 15.2%

  • Hariri Pontarini, LMN Architects, Tawaw Collective, Smoke Architecture, and SLA

    Votes: 39 49.4%

  • RDHA, Mecanoo, Two Row Architect, and NAK Design Strategies

    Votes: 16 20.3%

  • Zeidler Architecture, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Two Row Architect, and PLANT Architect

    Votes: 1 1.3%
  • Total voters
    79
  • Poll closed .
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CreateTO and TO Live announce shortlist for St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts design competition

CreateTO and TO Live announced the shortlist for an international design competition to reimagine the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts (STLC). The landmark building, located at 27 Front St. East in the heart of the St. Lawrence neighbourhood, was constructed by the City of Toronto as a...
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CreateTO and TO Live announce shortlist for St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts design competition​


Dec 5, 2022

On October 14, 2022, a Request for Statement of Qualifications (RFSQ), inviting design teams to participate in the first stage of the two-stage design competition, was released by CreateTO, which is managing the procurement process for this TO Live project.

Five (5) shortlisted teams, each of which includes an Indigenous design partner, are now being invited to develop a concept based on a detailed project design brief. The five shortlisted design teams, listed in alphabetical order are:

  • Brook McIlroy | Trahan Architects | Hood Design Studio
  • Diamond Schmitt Architects | Smoke Architecture | MVVA
  • Hariri Pontarini Architects | Tawaw Architecture Collective | Smoke Architecture | SLA
  • RDHA | Mecanoo | Two Row Architect | NAK Design Strategies
  • Zeidler Architecture | Diller Scofidio + Renfro | Two Row Architect | PLANT Architect
“This design competition presents a unique opportunity to reimagine an important civic building and the diversity of the teams included on the shortlist speaks to the exciting possibilities to reimagine the STLC in a way that will honour its legacy, foster a new era of civic participation in the arts, and serve the city for the next 50 years,” says Vic Gupta, CEO, CreateTO.

The design component of the process will be judged by a jury of leaders in the fields of planning, urban design, architecture, Indigenous design and landscape architecture. Adjudication is scheduled to take place in March 2023, following a public presentation of the final design submissions.

The re-imagined STLC will create a cultural ecosystem where renewed cultural spaces, innovative spaces and gathering spaces will combine into a dynamic cultural and civic hub and, along with Meridian Hall and Berczy Park, anchor the Front Street cultural corridor.

Toronto City Council will consider the results of the design competition along with a business case in the second quarter of 2023.

Further information about the process and reports to date can be found here: https://stlcnext.org/engagement-reports/
 
Brook McIlroy has done some interesting work including mass timber (I liked the George Brown Arbour submission).

A mass timber foil for all that concrete would be neat... and having an Indigenous firm design it would be even better.
 
Interesting to see that the Indigenous Partners are the same, in two different submissions, twice (ie 2 firms are each in 2 different submissions)

I'm curious how that can work where one partner is a partner to two partners...........architectural polyamory of a sort.......
 
Does this 'reimagining' consist of an entirely new structure, or is it simply giving the existing building a 21st century makeover akin to Ottawa's National Arts Centre?
 
Doppleganger said:
Does this 'reimagining' consist of an entirely new structure, or is it simply giving the existing building a 21st century makeover akin to Ottawa's National Arts Centre?
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They've floated the idea of a total replacement… but maybe one of the teams will have a plan to salvage some of it? I'd be surprised though, the City wants to add quite a bit more functionality and flexibility into the site…

42
 
I'm hoping for a rebuild...the site might be a bit constrained but is certainly worthy of a bold, new design. If it is more of a makeover, here's hoping it's a tad more imaginative than what they threw up(pun quite possibly intended, lol) on the National Arts Center.
 
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Okay, the five shortlisted entries from the international design competition are up! Check out what we have on the front page!

One image from each:

Brook McIlroy, Trahan Architects, and Hood Design Studio
51381-154414.jpg


Diamond Schmitt, Smoke Architecture, and MVVA
51381-154411.jpg


Hariri Pontarini, LMN Architects, Tawaw Collective, Smoke Architecture, and SLA
51381-154412.jpg


RDHA, Mecanoo, Two Row Architect, and NAK Design Strategies
51381-154413.jpg


Zeidler Architecture, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Two Row Architect, and PLANT Architect
51381-154415.jpg


There are some pretty big names on that list!

42
 
Five great proposals and good to see that ALL of them involve the pedestrianisation of Scott Street from Front to Scott Lane. I assume the City has (or will) agree to this as it really allows much more 'scope' to the proposals and makes it far easier to create links - physical and artistic - with Meridian Hall.
 
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AlbertC said:
I like the RDHA, Mecanoo, Two Row Architect, and NAK Design Strategies one the best, but the HP and Brook McIlroy contingents would be the safest choices.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, interesting.

I actually found that among the less appealing entries.

I found the design read a bit 'cool' on the exterior vs many of the others, and I really didn't care for their take on Scott Street, it again seemed a bit cold/sterile.

I thought, on the building, both HP and Diamond Schmitt put forward attractive and warm offerings. The existing building really does read as a concrete bunker. Frankly, I'm no fan of it and really would rather they hadn't made an effort to preserve it, sigh, however, that boat having sailed, the key, other than delivering better function to the space is to 'warm' it up a bit and improve its relationship to the street, on that score, both HP and DS did well I thought.

Brooks to me read too much like a condo grafted on to the top.

Zeildler's take on the building program did nothing for me; but their landscape proposal intrigued insofar as they clearly propose narrowing Front Street here which I would completely support. I will say though, w/Zeidler they managed to have 2 renders show different takes on the Front St. Streetscape which is problematic to me. Which one are you going with? They have one clearly showing a double-row of trees, and another showing none at all, the latter one highlighting the idea of extending Berczy by way of paving treatment over to the other side of Front.

I will have to take time to read the whole package for each one, for now that's my take based on the 8 images per submission on the SLC site.
 
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They all look great. I like the outdoor theatre but do wonder if it will result in noise complaints from residents next door. Was also wondering, seeing another list of potential architects- is there a perennial runner-up in all these projects over the last ten years? Like, a firm that continues to make great proposals but never gets chosen?
 
I'm probably leaning to HP Sauce as well because what they did with the Thingy Theatre in Stratford which is to die for...

(...to which I would give the proper name to if it where flagged appropriately in the Data Base. >.< )
 
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