10K 
A dynamic new high-rise design by Partisans is poised to anchor the southeast corner of Wellington and Simcoe Streets in Downtown Toronto, replacing a 13-storey 80s office with a building that weaves together a mix of commercial, residential, and amenity uses. Designed in collaboration with Turner Fleischer Architects, the new vision by Partisans reflects the latest thinking for a site positioned on the edge of two of Toronto’s most commercially and culturally significant neighbourhoods. The 61-storey mixed-use building – office, retail, and residential rental – would bring over 500 new units to the neighbourhood.
Located at the intersection of Wellington West and Simcoe streets, the property is bound by a 12-storey mixed-use property to the east, and a 46-storey mixed-use building to the south which is currently under construction. It contains a nondescript 13-storey office building constructed in 1987. While cultural hubs Roy Thomson Hall and David Pecault Square are a short walk away, the surrounding area is generally characterized by large scale office complexes (e.g. the Toronto-Dominion Centre) and multi-storey, residential buildings with commercial space at-grade. While the existing 145 Wellington Street West does support the character of the Financial District through its scale and use, the building is not particularly remarkable, and is not considered to be important in defining or maintaining the character of the area.
As determined in ERA Architect’s Heritage Impact Statement, the property does not possess significant design, historical or contextual value; as such, it is not considered to be a significant cultural heritage resource and does not merit individual designation under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.
H&R REIT submitted an initial Zoning By-law Amendment application to redevelop the property in August, 2019 with a first resubmission in September, 2020 and a second in January, 2022 following feedback from various commenting departments and agencies, as well as from the public. The January resubmission included reductions to the proposed building’s height, gross floor area, density, and number of residential units. Earlier this month, Developer H&R REIT issued new architectural drawings (the first with Partisans' touch) as part of rezoning submission ZBA filed in January.
Designed by Turner Fleischer Architects (Architects of Record), with Partisans (as Design Architect, the new design comprises a 61-storey mixed-use building that consists of a 13-storey office podium, and a 48-storey residential tower above. It includes 14,540m² non-residential floor area and a 130m² retail component at grade for a density of 31.64 FSI (reduced from the 33.95 FSI of the 2019 submission.
The key planning and urban design related changes from the 2020 submission are summarized below:
• reduced the total number of storeys from 65 to 61 (two suites on the 60th floor have a second floor above)
• introduced a geothermal exchange system to serve the office component of the building
• reduced the podium height from 65 metres to 61 metres;
• reduced the GFA from 50,326m² to 46,895m², while still providing an increase in the amount of office GFA
• set back the 14th floor an additional 3.5 metres, in order to provide a weather-protected outdoor amenity space;
• relocated the main office lobby entrance from the Simcoe façade to the corner of Simcoe and Wellington, providing for a prominent residential entranceway and anchoring the intersection;
The total dwelling count has been increased from 428 (submission 2022) to 512, with a mix in the following breakdown: 113 studio (22%) 111 one-bedroom (22%), 236 two-bedroom (46%), and 52 three-bedroom (10%). Residents will have access to a total of 1,508m² of indoor amenity area — situated on the 14th floor, contiguous with a 674m² outdoor south-facing terrace — as well as on the 15th floor. The residential units rise from the 16th floor.
Three levels of underground parking would accommodate 39 cars (34 residents; 5 visitors). A total of 615 bicycle spots would be provided.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow updates for this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more from our Database file for the project, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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| Related Companies: | Bousfields, Counterpoint Engineering, Entuitive, EQ Building Performance Inc., NAK Design Strategies, Rad Marketing, Turner Fleischer Architects |
