The Bentway, in partnership with the City of Toronto, Waterfront BIA, and Toronto Downtown West BIA, has revealed six proposals for the next phase of Waterfront ReConnect, a project aiming to improve the pedestrian experiences under the Gardiner Expressway.
Three shortlisted designs have been proposed for the intersection of Lake Shore Boulevard and York Street, and three for Lake Shore Boulevard and Simcoe Street. The designs are described as experimental in nature, created by interdisciplinary teams composed of architects, designers, engineers, and artists.
“The Gardiner Expressway created a barrier between the city and its waterfront. Waterfront ReConnect addresses this issue by extending The Bentway’s character and innovation to new areas.” She continues, “This project furthers our growing movement to engage the public, enliven public space, and create more welcoming connections, changing how Torontonians perceive and experience the public realm underneath the Gardiner Expressway,” says The Bentway’s Co-Executive Director, Ilana Altman.
For the York Street intersection, the shortlisted proposals are:
- Future Forest by Sans façon + Zeidler Architecture (Calgary/Toronto)
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- Waking the Shore by LeuWebb Projects + DIALOG + Mulvey & Banani Lighting (Toronto)
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- Boom Town by 5468796 Architecture Inc. + Office In Search Of (Winnipeg/Toronto)
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For the Simcoe Street intersection, the shortlisted proposals are:
- Pixel Story by O2 Planning + Design Inc. + Mulvey & Banani Lighting + ENTUITIVE (Calgary/Toronto)
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- Patina of Life by Daily tous les jours + SvN Architects and Planners + Lateral (Montreal)
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- Fragments of a Home by SOCA + Tiffany Shaw-Collinge + SHEEEP (Toronto/Edmonton)
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There will be a public virtual design presentation on January 10 at 4:30pm. The public is also encouraged to review the proposals online and register feedback by January 19, 2022. A jury composed of local and international design and arts professionals will consider this feedback and select one design for each intersection, and the winners will be announced mid-February.
The designs will be installed in 2022 and will remain in place until the Gardiner deck rehabilitation project moves to this area of the Expressway (estimated in 2025).