Five Design Proposals for Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and Harbour Square Park to be Unveiled March 16 at Toronto City Hall

three ferry boats with buildings in the background

March 12, 2015, Toronto, ON— On Monday March 16, Waterfront Toronto will unveil five innovative design proposals for the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and Harbour Square Park. The proposals will be on exhibition for public feedback in the Rotunda at Toronto City Hall during regular hours, beginning Monday, March 16 at 12:00 p.m. and closing at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 20.

The five design teams participating in the Innovative Design Competition will make public presentations on their proposals at a special event in the Rotunda at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, March 16.

An online exhibition of the design proposals, including the opportunity for members of the public to provide their feedback via an online survey, will be posted on Waterfront Toronto’s blog at 12:00 p.m. on Monday, March 16. The deadline for the public to submit comments online is midnight on the morning of Saturday, March 21. Follow Waterfront Toronto on Twitter and Facebook to receive updates and a link to the online exhibition.

Waterfront Toronto’s innovative design competition was launched in November 2014 to solicit bold and innovative visions for the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal, Harbour Square Park and the surrounding area. The competition’s goal is to create a unifying and inspiring Master Plan for the area that can be phased in over time. The vision for the area will result in a welcoming gateway to the Toronto Islands – one of the City’s most unique and cherished parks – with amenities and infrastructure to support the approximately 1.3 million visitors who use the ferry each year.

The competition will result in a master plan that will transform one of Toronto’s most important waterfront destinations. Following the public feedback period, a summary of public comments will be prepared and reported to the distinguished jury of design professionals and members of the public, for their consideration in selecting the winning team. The members of the jury are Donald Schmitt, Diamond Schmitt Architects; Claude Cormier, Claude Cormier + Associes; Antonio Gomez-Palacio, Dialog; Pina Petricone, Giannone Petricone Associates; and Sevaun Palvetzian, CivicAction.

“We are excited to see the bold visions that the design teams will put forward in their proposals for transforming one of the most important pieces of Toronto’s waterfront,” says Christopher Glaisek, Vice President of Planning and Design, Waterfront Toronto. “The public exhibition creates a great opportunity for the public to engage in conversations about each proposal, helping to create the final approach for the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and Harbour Square Park.”

“I invite all Torontonians to get involved in creating an imaginative pubic space, and their opinions on the five designs are an essential part of the design competition,” says Deputy Mayor Pam McConnell, City Councillor, Ward 28. "The final vision will create both an extraordinary gateway to the Island for residents and visitors, as well as an important gathering place that will become the centerpiece of the waterfront.”

The five teams who will be presenting proposals include a mix of Canadian and international design firms:

Clement Blanchet Architecture (Paris) + Batlle I Roig (Barcelona) + RVTR (Toronto and Ann Arbor) +Scott Torrance Landscape Architect Inc. (Toronto)
Diller Scofidio + Renfro (New York City), architectsAlliance (Toronto) and Hood Design (Oakland)
KPMB Architects (Toronto), West 8 (Rotterdam), Greenberg Consultants (Toronto)
Quadrangle Architects (Toronto), aLLDesign (London), Janet Rosenberg & Studio (Toronto)
Stoss Landscape Urbanism (Boston), nARCHITECTS (New York City), ZAS Architects (Toronto)

In addition to the public exhibition, a Stakeholder Advisory Committee comprised of local residents, businesses and neighbourhood groups has met at key points throughout the competition, providing advice and feedback to the project team, the design teams and the competition jury. A Technical Advisory Committee comprised of City of Toronto staff and other agencies is providing technical input about the operations of the terminal and park to the design teams and the jury.

The teams participating in the Innovative Design Competition for the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and Harbour Square Park were selected from a pre-qualifying round that saw submissions from 33 design teams from 12 countries. The proposals were reviewed by a multidisciplinary team that included both Waterfront Toronto and City of Toronto staff and the selection process was overseen by an independent fairness advisor.

About Waterfront Toronto
The Governments of Canada and Ontario and the City of Toronto created Waterfront Toronto to oversee and lead the renewal of Toronto’s waterfront. Public accessibility, design excellence, sustainable development, economic development and fiscal sustainability are the key drivers of waterfront revitalization. For more information, please visit our website.