Waterfront Toronto Announces Winner of the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and Harbour Square Park Innovative Design Competition

TORONTO, April 10, 2015 /CNW/ - Waterfront Toronto, in partnership with the City of Toronto today announced that KPMB Architects + West 8 + Greenberg Consultants is the winning team of the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and Harbour Square Park Innovative Design Competition. The goal of the competition was to create an inspiring vision for the long-term transformation of the area. The winning design is subject to approval by Waterfront Toronto's Board and the City of Toronto.

The winning design from KPMB Architects + West 8 + Greenberg Consultants will be used to create a unifying and inspiring Master Plan for the revitalization of the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and Harbour Square Park that can be phased in over time, as funding and budget become available. 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.

KPMB Architects + West 8 + Greenberg Consultants' proposal successfully created a signature waterfront park and iconic ferry terminal that complements proximity to the water's edge while offering spectacular views of the lake. The jury agreed that the winning proposal's heavily planted and lush green space set it apart from the other designs and would help support the large number of visitors during peak times.

The winning team's multi-functional, accessible design was well thought out for both winter and summer uses and retains The Jack Layton Memorial at the prominent central crossroads of the Park. The jury was led by Donald Schmitt, Diamond Schmitt Architects and was comprised of a distinguished group of design professionals and civic leaders, including Claude Cormier, Claude Cormier + Associés; Antonio Gomez-Palacio, Dialog; Pina Petricone, Giannone Petricone Associates; and Sevaun Palvetzian, CivicAction.

The competition was launched in November 2014 to develop bold new concepts for one of the waterfront's most important waterfront destinations. An impressive number of high-calibre design teams made submissions in pre-qualification phase of the competition. In total, 33 design teams from 12 countries submitted proposals outlining their qualifications. 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.

Five teams were shortlisted in January 2015 to participate in the design competition and undertook an intensive eight-week design exercise to develop their proposals for the ferry terminal, park and surrounding areas. Communication and engagement with the public was an integral part of the competition. A Stakeholder Advisory Committee comprised of local residents, businesses and neighbourhood groups met at key points during the competition process and provided advice and feedback to the project team, the design teams and the competition jury.

In March 2015 a five-day public exhibition was held at Toronto City Hall and online, giving Torontonians an opportunity to review the design approaches and provide feedback to the competition jury. Following the public feedback period, all the public comments received were summarized in a report that was delivered to the competition jury for consideration, alongside reports from the competition's Stakeholder Advisory Committee and Technical Advisory Committee.

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 www.waterfrontoronto.ca.

Quotes: Winner of the Layton Ferry Terminal and Harbour Square Park Design Competition

"All five design teams, comprising of some of the best design talent from Canada and the world presented excellent and compelling proposals that would transform the Ferry Terminal and surrounding area. The design from KPMB Architects + West 8 + Greenberg Consultants team offered a unique and unifying vision for revitalizing this important piece of Toronto's central waterfront." 
John Campbell, President and CEO, Waterfront Toronto

"On behalf of City Council, I would like to congratulate KPMB Architects + West 8 + Greenberg Consultants on their winning design that will create a beautiful gateway to the Islands for residents and visitors. The transformation of the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and Harbour Square Park will play an important role in the larger revitalization of the waterfront."
Deputy Mayor Pam McConnell, City Councillor, Ward 28

"We were extremely pleased with the incredible level of engagement that the design competition garnered, involving the entire City in a dialogue about this critical waterfront asset."
Christopher Glaisek, Vice President, Planning and Design, Waterfront Toronto

"The Jury was impressed by the design balance achieved between a new heavily landscaped Civic Park, an elegant, iconic Ferry Terminal whose naturalistic form echoes the landscape topography and an overarching plan which makes strong connections to the emerging public realm of the waterfront."
Donald Schmitt, Chair, Design Competition Jury

"The Community Stakeholder Advisory Committee was especially delighted to be a part of this process. While many of us have been involved in other Waterfront Toronto projects, the Ferry Terminal and Harbour Square Park was the missing piece in the overall vision for the revitalization of the waterfront. We saw wonderful, imaginative and creative possibilities in the five design proposals and now we look forward with great anticipation to seeing KPMB Architects + West 8 + Greenberg Consultants winning design become a reality."
Pam Mazza, Chair, Community Stakeholder Advisory Committee

 "We are honoured to be chosen for the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and Harbour Square Park project. The renewal of this key site at the foot of Yonge and Bay Streets is the missing link. It presents the chance to complete decades of work on making the Toronto waterfront truly inviting and accessible. By fusing the design of the new Ferry Terminal and Park into one special place on the waterfront, Harbour Landing speaks to what it means to be inviting and public in a rapidly evolving, highly diverse, open society that is expanding and celebrating its common ground."
Ken Greenberg, Principal, Greenberg Consultants Inc.

SOURCE Waterfront Toronto

Media Contact: Andrew Hilton Director of Communications and Marketing, Waterfront Toronto, Telephone: [phone] x 263, Mobile: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]