This past Tuesday evening, Allied Properties REIT, Hariri Pontarini Architects, and RioCan held a community consultation meeting on their development at 620 King West. During their presentation, many details of refinements to the upcoming project were made public. Hoping to begin construction as soon as approvals are received, the development will feature a 12-floor office building and a 14-floor rental apartment tower, along with a comprehensive network of woonerfs and pedestrian laneways. 

620 King West from above, image courtesy of Allied REIT

The design for the complex features a white fritted glass on the upper office floors, white precast and spandrel glass cladding on the rental building, and red brick along the two buildings' podiums. The base features some of the most exciting architectural features, with large bricked arches framing the ground floor retail spaces. 

The proposed development looking southwest, image courtesy of Allied REIT

The developers are planning a distinctive restraurant space facing King Street, with outdoor sheltered patio space on the sidewalk. Due to the changing grade of the site and the desire for a more intimate space for the restaurant, Allied has dropped the ceiling height of the space from the original plans and put in another level of office space into the King Street frontage. Above the restaurant space will be an impressive length of brick detailing, helping the building transition into the more modern exterior treatment above while referencing the heritage warehouse architecture surrounding the site.

The King street frontage will feature a large restaurant space, image courtesy of Allied REIT

The defining feature of the development at street level will be the laneways and woonerfs surrounding and running through the site. Paved with red brick to match that of the building's base, the woonerfs will provide access to several key features in the development. Parking garage access has been moved from Adelaide Street to the interior of the site, opening up Adelaide to place the residential lobby right by the sidewalk. Another large restaurant space will be placed within the woonerf network, which will feature another covered patio space. The two entrances to the office building will be located off of the west and east woonerfs coming off of King Street, and will further draw people into the laneway system. Another key feature of the development is that Allied REIT hopes to move the existing service delivery parking along Portland Street for 602 King Street into the woonerf system, allowing for the beautification of Portland Street including the planting of new street trees. 

overhead view of the planned laneway and woonerf network, image courtesy of Allied REIT

The laneway network will have a woonerf access from Portland Street on the east end of the site, a passageway to the 8,000 square foot park on the southeast corner of the Musée Condominium on the west side, as well as the north-south network between King and Adelaide Streets. A large brick wall will be constructed to protect the privacy of the houses along Portland street as well, and will further continue the brick theme of the development.

A view of the planned laneway system, image courtesy of Allied REIT

The office space of the development will depart in form slightly from the normal space constructed in the downtown core with several unique features. The building will feature several outdoor patio spaces, to provide greater amenities to the tenants. Allied REIT is hoping to construct a large outdoor patio space atop of 602 King West, and to construct a bridge over from the new office building at 620 King West as well, but it is still dependent on an engineering study on the structural feasibility of the idea. The office space will also feature operable windows, an uncommon feature Allied REIT has already included in their Queen Richmond Centre West development.

The planned rooftop patio space and access bridge, image courtesy of Allied REIT

If you want to see more information on the development, check out our dataBase file with a comprehensive set of renderings. What are your thoughts on this proposed development at 620 King West? Feel free to add your thoughts in the space provided below or in our Forum thread.