Famed architect Frank Gehry will design his largest building to date for his hometown of Toronto, Canada. Developed by Great Gulf Group, Dream, and Westdale Properties, the mixed-use, two-tower development, called Forma, will mark the first Gehry-designed new development in Canada.
Considered one of the world’s most influential contemporary architects, Gehry has received numerous honors including the prestigious Pritzker Prize. His most notable projects include the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris.
Mixed-Use Building
Located in downtown Toronto, Forma will feature two residential towers: one at 73 floors and the other at 84 floors. It will house a total of 2,034 condominiums, in addition to commercial and retail spaces and a new space for OCAD University, an art and design school.
Forma takes its name from the Latin and Italian word for form, shape, and appearance. The twisting design of Forma’s towers will create a sense of movement, and its iridescent facade will reflect the changing natural light as well as Toronto’s surrounding skyline.
“Forma will be an exceptional addition to the city’s downtown Entertainment and Financial District,” Krystal Koo, head of marketing and sales, Dream Unlimited Corp, said in a statement.
“We are confident that Forma will put Toronto on the map as a world-class architectural destination,” added Mitchell Cohen, chief operating officer, Westdale Properties.
Established in 1975, the Great Gulf Group has delivered major projects in Canada and the US. Dream Unlimited is a Canadian real estate company founded in 1994. And for over 60 years, Westdale Properties has owned, managed, and developed real estate in Canada and the US.
Owner and developer: Great Gulf Group, Dream, and Westdale Properties
Design architect: Frank O. Gehry Architects
Architect of record: Adamson Associates Architects
MEP engineer: Smith + Andersen
Structural engineer: RJC
General contractor/construction manager: EllisDon
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
University of La Verne opens new campus center designed by Gonzalez Goodale Architects
Construction has been completed on a new campus center designed by the noted Pasadena-based institutional architecture firm Gonzalez Goodale Architects for University of La Verne that will help create a new identity for the venerable institution. The Sara & Michael Abraham Campus Center will be dedicated on September 10 at 3 p.m., in a ceremony attended by campus officials and other local dignitaries.
| Aug 11, 2010
Thom Mayne unveils 'floating cube' design for the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas
Calling it a “living educational tool featuring architecture inspired by nature and science,” Pritzker Prize Laureate Thom Mayne and leaders from the Museum of Nature & Science unveiled the schematic designs and building model for the Perot Museum of Nature & Science at Victory Park. Groundbreaking on the approximately $185 million project will be held later this fall, and the Museum is expected to open by early 2013.
| Aug 11, 2010
SOM's William F. Baker awarded Fritz Leonhardt Prize for achievement in structural engineering
In recognition of his engineering accomplishments, which include many of the tallest skyscrapers of our time, William F. Baker received the coveted Fritz Leonhardt Prize in Stuttgart, Germany. He is the first American to receive the prize.
| Aug 11, 2010
Theater Renovation—A First-Class Production
In 1985, the city of San Diego ordered the historic Balboa Theatre, its beleaguered performing arts center, to be shuttered due to seismic safety concerns. It would take another two decades to restore the landmark building.
| Aug 11, 2010
Green roof professional designation launches in Canada
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC), the North American Green Roof Industry Association, is pleased to announce the Canadian Green Roof Professional (GRP) Accreditation launch on October 19, 2009 at the CitiesAlive World Green Roof Infrastructure Congress in Toronto, Canada, hosted by GRHC, the City of Toronto, and the World Green Roof Infrastructure Network.
| Aug 11, 2010
American Concrete Institute forms technical committee on BIM for concrete structures
The American Concrete Institute (ACI) announces the formation of a new technical committee on Building Information Modeling (BIM) of Concrete Structures.
| Aug 11, 2010
Former Colorado Governor Bill Owens retained by PCL Construction as senior advisor
Bill Owens, former Colorado Governor, has been retained by PCL Construction as senior advisor for the company’s U.S. operations, headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The PCL family of companies collectively form the seventh largest contracting organization in the U.S. with major offices in 29 locations across North America, the Hawaiian Islands, and the Caribbean.
| Aug 11, 2010
Kansas City Music Hall and Municipal Auditorium
Kansas City, Mo.
The show will go on in Kansas City’s beloved Music Hall and Municipal Auditorium thanks to a fast-track renovation and expansion project that brought the 72-year-old Art Deco playhouse up to 21st-century standards.