Architecture

Development brings timber towers and vertical forests to Toronto waterfront

Development brings timber towers and vertical forests to Toronto waterfront
Quayside will feature a greenery covered timber building that's described as one of Canada's largest residential mass-timber buildings
Quayside will feature a greenery covered timber building that's described as one of Canada's largest residential mass-timber buildings
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Quayside will feature a greenery covered timber building that's described as one of Canada's largest residential mass-timber buildings
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Quayside will feature a greenery covered timber building that's described as one of Canada's largest residential mass-timber buildings
Quayside will feature a public plaza, a forested park area, and large amounts of trees and other greenery elsewhere
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Quayside will feature a public plaza, a forested park area, and large amounts of trees and other greenery elsewhere
Quayside will be situated on a sprawling site measuring 12 acres (4.9 hectares) on Toronto's waterfront and will include five towers
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Quayside will be situated on a sprawling site measuring 12 acres (4.9 hectares) on Toronto's waterfront and will include five towers
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An ambitious new project planned for Toronto, Canada, will transform a sizable area of the city's waterfront into a lush green neighborhood. Named Quayside, it will consist of a number of tree- and plant-covered buildings, including a huge timber housing project.

The Quayside project involves an impressive team of prestigious firms. Adjaye Associates, Alison Brooks Architects and Henning Larsen are leading the design, with SLA on landscaping duties, plus Dream Unlimited and Great Gulf Group are developing.

It will be situated on a sprawling site measuring 12 acres (4.9 hectares) and will consist of five towers plus smaller buildings, and what the developers describe as "one of Canada's largest residential mass timber buildings," pictured above. We've no word on its exact size at this early stage but it will clearly be very large and will host greenery on its facade. There will be 800 new homes created, at least some of which will be deemed affordable.

Elsewhere there will be a plaza and a forested public space, plus a rooftop urban farm. In addition to the use of sustainably sourced timber, Quayside will also promote the use of electric vehicles. It certainly looks like it would be a very pleasant place to live, though will also be a massive multi-year undertaking to realize.

Quayside will feature a public plaza, a forested park area, and large amounts of trees and other greenery elsewhere
Quayside will feature a public plaza, a forested park area, and large amounts of trees and other greenery elsewhere

"Today we take an important next step in unlocking the full potential of the city's waterfront," said Jack Winberg, chair of Waterfront Toronto's Investment and Real Estate Committee. "Dream Unlimited and Great Gulf together with their team of architects and local partners have a strong proposal to make Quayside and Toronto's waterfront among the best in the world. As we begin negotiations on a project agreement, we are more confident than ever in the transformative power of the Quayside project to the economic and social recovery of Toronto, Ontario, and Canada."

Further details are still quite light for the moment but planning negotiations are expected to wrap up by late 2022, when more information should flow out.

Source: Waterfront Toronto

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2 comments
2 comments
GregVoevodsky
Hmmm.... what could go wrong? Forest fires, termites, etc? I rather go with steal and concrete and plant some green trees.
MadMaxx
At prices no ordinary person could afford.