Call for New Members 2017 - Waterfront Design Review Panel

The Waterfront Design Review Panel provides objective, professional advice to Waterfront Toronto and/or City of Toronto Planning staff about proposed public and private developments within the Designated Waterfront Area. The role of the Panel is to advocate for the highest quality outcomes for the citizens of Toronto on their waterfront.  Established in 2005, the Panel has become a renowned forum for advancing excellence in design and city-building.

Waterfront Toronto's Design Review Panel is now seeking seven new members:
 

•  An Architect
•  A Landscape Architect
•  An Urban Designer
•  A Planner
•  Two Engineers
•  An Innovation Strategist

Architect applicants must have a track record of high quality building design in an urban context. Those with demonstrated expertise in retail design, heritage and adaptive reuse, affordable housing, and/or Passive House energy efficient design will be given strong consideration.

Landscape Architect applicants must have a track record of high quality design and place-making within the natural and the built environment. Those with demonstrated expertise in performative landscapes (i.e. bio-swale storm-water systems), urban trees, and/or complete streets will be given strong consideration.

Urban Designer applicants must be an architect or landscape architect and have experience with large-scale projects.  Those with demonstrated expertise in complete streets, tall buildings and/or Net Zero communities will be given particular consideration.

Planner applicants must have experience with master planning, zoning and land use, the municipal development system, and project economics. Those with demonstrated expertise in affordable housing, retail streets, planning for employment growth, and/or Net Zero Communities will be given particular consideration.

Engineer applicants must have a background of creative problem solving and innovative projects.  Those with demonstrated expertise in either: tall wood structures, adaptive reuse, and energy efficient building systems/Passive House, or; complete streets, transportation and/or bridge engineering will be given particular consideration.

Innovation Strategist applicants must demonstrate the application of innovative technology to improve the built environment at the building scale, the landscape scale, and/or the district scale. Those with demonstrated expertise in “smart” buildings, “smart” grids, and/or Net Zero communities will be given particular consideration.

Eligibility and Qualifications

All applicants must satisfy the following general requirements:

•  A minimum of 10 years relevant professional experience
•  Membership in a related professional association in Ontario or equivalent
•  Excellence in design and city-building demonstrated in proposed and built projects
•  Ability to provide constructive comments and communicate complex issues to a variety of audiences including Waterfront Toronto and City staff, design professionals, and developers
•  Ability to provide objective advice to Waterfront Toronto and City staff with integrity
• Comfort contributing to a critical dialogue in a public forum
• Ability to consistently attend Panel meetings
• Familiarity with municipal planning and development economics
• Willingness to acknowledge potential conflicts-of-interest as per Panel policies
• Little to no history of participating as an OMB witness in litigation against the Waterfront Toronto and/or the City of Toronto

Time Commitment and Remuneration 

The Panel meets monthly at the Waterfront Toronto offices during regular business hours, approximately 12 times per year.  Each meeting is approximately 5-6 hours long with an average of 3-4 projects reviewed.  In seeking appointment to the Panel, applicants acknowledge that they will be able to regularly attend full Panel meetings except in rare instances.  Panel members serve on a voluntary basis, but are reimbursed for travel expenses if residing outside of the GTA.  Panel member terms are for two years, and may be renewed at the discretion of Waterfront Toronto.

For additional information on the Panel and its geographic jurisdiction please visit here. 

How and When to Apply 

By Friday, March 31, 2017 at 4 pm, candidates should submit the following:

1.  A cover letter explaining why they are interested in participating and are particularly well-suited to serve on the Waterfront Toronto Design Review Panel
2.  A CV summarizing their qualifications and experience
3.  A brief portfolio of no more than five double-sided pages of relevant work samples (optional)

Submissions should be sent to Tristan Simpson, Planning and Design Coordinator, at tsimpson@waterfrontoronto.ca, (416) 214-1344. Selected candidates may be contacted to arrange an interview, and the selection process is expected to be completed by the end of April, 2017. Applicants involved in waterfront projects are not precluded from applying, provided they agree to abide by the conflict of interest procedures if they are selected to serve on the Panel.

To download a PDF copy of the Call for Members 2017, please click here.