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.
![Forma Ext](/sites/default/files/inline-images/EXT02_Looking%20South_Final.jpg)
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
Batson-Cook completes National Infantry Museum
Batson-Cook Company recently completed the $91 million National Infantry Museum in Columbus, Georgia. Working with the owner, the National Infantry Foundation, the general contractor has used this new structure to illuminate the honor, dedication and history of this unique fighting division of the United States Army.
| Aug 11, 2010
10% of world's skyscraper construction on hold
Emporis, the largest provider of global building data worldwide, reported that 8.7% of all skyscrapers listed as "under construction" in its database had been put on hold. Most of these projects have been halted in the second half of 2008. According to Emporis statistics, the United States had been hit the worst: at the beginning of 2008, "Met 3" in Miami was the only U.S. skyscraper listed as being "on hold". In the second half of the year, 19 projects followed suit.
| Aug 11, 2010
Structure Tone, Turner among the nation's busiest reconstruction contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 75 Reconstruction Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Populous selected to design 'crystalline skin' stadium for 2014 Winter Olympics
Russian officials have selected global architect Populous to design the main stadium for the 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia. The 40,000-seat stadium will feature a crystalline skin that "engages with its surroundings by day and provides an iconic representation of the color and spectacle of the games when illuminated at night," said Populous senior principal John Barrow.