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A few weeks since the big reveal of Hines' T3 Bayside project planned in Toronto's East Bayfront community, newly uncovered renderings are offering more insight into the pair of 11- and 10-storey office buildings coming to Queens Quay East. The competition-winning design entry by Copenhagen-based architectural firm 3XN aims to add 51,840 m² of new commercial/office space to the waterfront, which would be built with sustainable timber construction.
Referred to by 3XN as “The Steps”, the buildings have been designed to blend with the existing master plan for the Bayside community, responding to the architecture of the Aqualina and Aqualuna condominium buildings to the west and east with a series of stepped roof terraces. Between the two office buildings, these same terraces step down to frame an “urban gateway” central plaza connecting to Aitken Place Park—now under construction—and the waterfront promenade.
The project would activate the public realm along this stretch of Queens Quay East with a full retail frontage, as well as retail wrapping around all sides. No underground garage is planned for the buildings, while much of the second storey would be given over to parking, space that could in future be converted for office use: Hines is looking to the future TTC Waterfront East LRT to bring most workers and visitors to the building.
A section of the Queens Quay frontage framing the central plaza would feature a mix of community and shared spaces capable of accommodating exhibition and gallery spaces, flexible office space, as well as community and co-working facilities. Spaces lining the plaza's edge would have moving glass walls, allowing them to open up and engage with the public space during warmer months.
Inside the buildings, flexible co-work and community spaces step up in staircase patterns, forming dynamic double-height interior spaces as well as the buildings’ main exterior expression. Each of these co-working spaces will be accessible via corridors in the buildings’ central cores, allowing for tenants across multiple levels to share access to the spaces.
The two buildings are among many in the East Bayfront area proposed to be constructed with sustainable timber, along with George Brown's The Arbour and the many structures planned within the controversial Sidewalk Labs digital community. According to an article from The Globe's Alex Bozikovic, "Hines is considering both cross-laminated timber, in which layers of wood are glued together, and dowel-laminated timber, in which hunks of wood are pierced and held together by dowels."
Additional information and images can be found in our database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.
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