London-based architecture firm WilkinsonEyre got the nod from developers Ivanhoé Cambridge and Hines to design Bay Park Centre, a $2 billion, 3 million-sf complex in downtown Toronto.
The Globe and Mail reports that the 81 Bay Street and 141 Bay Street office towers feature a glass façade wrapped around a diagonal structural grid, consisting of 10-story-tall steel diamonds that rise off the sides of the building. On the interior, bays and lounges fill the space created by the diamond protrusions.
The complex sits above a commuter bus station and next to Union Station, the busiest transit center in Canada. A one-acre elevated green space four stories above the ground will connect the two towers and serve as a plaza for workers in the buildings. The space will have slopes and hills, gardens, and shade groves.
Two Toronto firms, architect Adamson Associates and landscape architect Public Work, are also involved in the project. The first phase of the plan, the 54-story, 1.3 million-sf 81 Bay Street tower, has been approved.
(Click photos to enlarge)
Related Stories
| Dec 17, 2014
11 predictions for high-rise construction in 2015
In its annual forecast, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat predicts that 2015 will be the "Year of the Woodscraper," and that New York’s troubled B2 modular high-rise project will get back on track.
| Dec 16, 2014
'Wedding dress' tower to be tallest in Africa
The $1 billion tower will have 114 stories, alluding to the 114 chapters of the Koran.
| Dec 16, 2014
Architect Eli Attia sues Google over tall building technology
Attia and tech company Max Sound Corp. have brought a lawsuit against Google because of Flux, a Google X-developed startup launched in 2014. Flux creates software to design environmentally-friendly buildings in a cost-effective way.
| Dec 12, 2014
SOM names winner of One World Trade Center photo contest
Gerry Padden's winning photo offers a striking juxtaposition of the Brooklyn Bridge with the sparkling One World Trade Center tower.
| Dec 4, 2014
10 tallest buildings to be completed in 2015
This year has seen the completion of many signature tall buildings, including the One World Trade Center. CNN reports that 2015 promises to be another busy year for skyscraper construction across the globe.
High-rise Construction | Dec 1, 2014
ThyssenKrupp develops world’s first rope-free elevator system
ThyssenKrupp's latest offering, named MULTI, will allow several cabins in the same shaft to move vertically and horizontally.
| Nov 29, 2014
20 tallest towers that were never completed
Remember the Chicago Spire? What about Russia Tower? These are two of the tallest building projects that were started, but never completed, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. The CTBUH Research team offers a roundup of the top 20 stalled skyscrapers across the globe.
| Nov 24, 2014
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill-designed crystalline tower breaks ground in southwestern China
Fitted with an LED façade, the 468-meter Greenland Tower Chengdu will act as a light sculpture for the city of Chengdu.
| Nov 24, 2014
OMA morphs Miami condo tower development plan
Initially, the design included six slim towers to be set on the Miami shoreline, but the cylinders have been nudged into pairs to form three larger towers.
| Nov 11, 2014
Renzo Piano's third building at London Bridge Quarter approved, will be built adjacent to the Shard
Renzo Piano Building Workshop has been granted planning approval for its residential building at London Bridge Quarter—a 26-story apartment tower dubbed Feilden House.