Safdie Architects has shared its design for ORCA Toronto, a proposed mixed-use development in Downtown Toronto that weaves together the surrounding neighborhoods with a new 10.5-acre park.
By decking over the 100-meter-wide, 800-meter-long rail corridor leading to Union Station, the project looks to reclaim a 16.5-acre site just west of CN Tower. Of the 16.5 acres, 10.5 acres are available for an urban park with six acres that feature residential, office, hotel, retail, and transit facilities.
Safdie’s design features a configuration of slender residential towers connected by elevated bridges that accommodate housing units, gardens, and recreational facilities. Pedestrian bridges will connect the towers and create special public and community amenities. The shared indoor and outdoor amenities will exist at multiple levels and encourage interaction among residents, fostering a sense of community.
The design will also activate 65% of the site’s area through a multilevel park. The park, designed in collaboration with PWP Landscape Architecture, will feature open lawns, playgrounds, walking trails, and bike baths that are accessible by ramps, escalators, and elevators interwoven throughout the development.
Shops, restaurants, and cafes will be directly connected with the park’s outdoor areas on several levels. The retail galleria seamlessly integrates with the park and is designed to be opened to the park in good weather and enclosed during the winter months. Direct access for pedestrians and bicyclists will be provided on all North-South cross streets to allow free movement from the surrounding streets to the park without requiring entrance through the retail galleria.
The project incorporates nine towers in total, including a corner office tower and eight residential towers that will provide approximately 3,000 housing units.
Safdie Architects developed the project in collaboration with Arup Engineering.
Related Stories
Mixed-Use | Oct 18, 2019
BIG designs new vertical neighborhood for South America’s greenest capital
The project is Bjarke Ingels Group’s second in Ecuador.
Mixed-Use | Oct 16, 2019
River Rock mixed-use community breaks ground in Chattanooga
The Beach Company is developing the project.
Mixed-Use | Oct 15, 2019
Skybridges connect SOM’s two trapezoidal Buenos Aires towers
The project aims to become the center of activity in the city’s Catalinas Norte business district expansion.
Mixed-Use | Oct 9, 2019
OMA’s KaDeWe combines retail, a hotel, and a rooftop park in one building
The project will establish urban connections and public spaces through its own internal organization.
Mixed-Use | Oct 1, 2019
KPF breaks ground on West Lake 66 mixed-use development in Hangzhou
The project hopes to reinvigorate the city’s deteriorated surrounding blocks.
Mixed-Use | Sep 16, 2019
Heatherwick Studio designs a giant planted pergola in Tokyo’s Toranomon-Azabudai district
Japan’s tallest skyscraper, designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli, is also part of the district’s redevelopment.
Multifamily Housing | Aug 19, 2019
Affordable, senior development rises in the Bronx
RKTB Architects is designing the project.
Mixed-Use | Aug 14, 2019
Las Vegas’ $7.9 billion ‘mini-city’ will be a ‘digital revolution in motion’
All of the project’s buildings will be net-zero.
Mixed-Use | Aug 12, 2019
BIG will master plan Saudi Arabia's 'Giga-Project'
Qiddiya is currently under construction 28 miles outside of Riyadh.
Mixed-Use | Jul 25, 2019
5 ways to activate ‘dead space’ in mixed-use developments
By energizing the areas in between tenant spaces, design and real estate teams can drive more traffic—and revenue—for tenants.
