To many, the King East area doesn't immediately come to mind as one of Toronto's development hotspots. Some blocks away from the St. Lawrence Market and the Distillery District—and with the Financial District's towers looming in the distance—the neigbourhood remains on the peripheries of Downtown. In recent years, however, the area has experienced fast-paced growth, becoming more integrated into the urban core. On King Street, First Gulf's Globe and Mail Centre is becoming a local landmark, while on Adelaide east of Sherbourne, the Ivory and Axiom condominiums are remaking the area with new residential density.

Aerial rendering of the 18-storey tower (looking southeast), image courtesy of First Gulf

Just south of the two-tower Axiom Condos—where construction is now above grade—First Gulf is advancing plans for an 18-storey office building. Proposed to rise from the existing 2.5-storey building at 25 Ontario Street, the Sweeny &Co-designed project follows a string of residential condominium proposals for the site, dating back to at least 2011. Following the First Gulf / Great Gulf takeover of the site, a rezoning application to allow a 27-storey residential building—designed by Graziani + Corazza—was submitted to the City in 2014.

Looking northeast, image courtesy of First Gulf

Since then, however, the Globe and Mail Centre's success in swiftly attracting commercial tenants has revealed pent up demand for office space in the area. Capitalizing on the growing appetite for office development, the new proposal envisions an irregularly carved 400,000 ft² office tower rising above the former headquarters of the virtually unwatched and now defunct Sun TV.

The site today, image by Marcus Mitanis

The Sweeney &Co design negotiates the transition between the existing building and the modern tower via an expansive atrium space. Housing communal amenities for workers, the triple-height atrium opens out to a terrace.

The triple-height atrium level, looking northeast, image courtesy of First Gulf

Wrapping around the atrium's window-wall, renderings show the landscaped terrace as an informal seating area.  Inside, the atrium is seen configured as an open lounge area, providing casual meeting and cafeteria space. 

A view of the outdoor terrace that would top the existing building, image courtesy of First Gulf

Similar programming is planned for the base of the project, with the existing building opened up to create a large, central space. Featuring 10' vision glass on office floors, the development targets LEED Gold certification, while the tower's floorplates are designed to offer flexible office configurations. 

The interior of the existing building is opened up into a lobby space, image courtesy of First Gulf

We will keep you updated as more information about the project becomes available. In the meantime, make sure to check out our associated dataBase page for more information. Want to share your thoughts about the project? Leave a comment in the space below this page, or join in the ongoing conversation on our Forum.