Toronto architects Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg (KPMB) have been selected
to design the new headquarters for the Toronto International Film Festival.
To be located in the heart of the city’s entertainment district at King and John
streets, the $120 million facility will include a five-storey podium
building, expanded archives, touring exhibition space, a library, dining,
screening and lounge facilities, and also a Festival Tower residential
condominium with approximately 400-500 units. The project, with completion
expected for the start of the 2006 festival, was the result of a partnership that
included Canadian film director Ivan Reitman, his sisters, and real estate
developers The Daniels Corporation. Along with the main film
festival screenings, the centre will house current programs including the
children’s festival Sprockets, Talk Cinema and Cinematheque Ontario. The
centre is expected to screen 4000 films annually, and will house an expanded
audience of nearly 2 million. Financial commitments to date have totalled
18.5 million, with a significant naming gift, and a comprehensive
fundraising campaign to raise the rest. KPMB was selected from a shortlist
that included Toronto’s Kohn Shnier Architects and Kohn Pederson Fox of New
York.
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