The Herzog & de Meuron architectural studio has presented the drawings of what will be the tallest skyscraper in Canada: 1200 Bay Street. Built on the northwest corner of Bay Street and Bloor Street in the Yorkville area of Toronto, the imposing skyscraper will take the place of an old commercial building dating from the 1960s.
Related article: What is the PPP: Paycheck Protection Program?-Mathias Goeritz Brunner end the Emotional Architecture-Frank Gehry's new mirrored tower in Arles!
In short, another large commission for the prominent studio founded in Basel in 1978 by the Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, both born in 1950. Herzog & de Meuron boast among their projects the Beijing Olympic Stadium (developed together with the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei); the Goetz Collection in Munich (1992); the Tate Modern in London (2000); the Museu Blau in Barcelona (2011); the new Unterlinden museum in Colmar (2016) and also the Tai Kwun art center in Hong Kong and the Jade Signature skyscraper in Miami, to name a few.
At 324 meters high, 1200 Bay Street will become Canada's tallest skyscraper on record, as it will exceed the 306-meter high skyscraper in construction on Bloor Street. The height of 1200 Bay Street will be accentuated by the 3:1 construction ratio, which indicates a length 3 times greater than the width. From the drawings, in fact, the skyscraper looks narrow and tall. On the façade, the architects have proposed timber roller shades and a reflective layer of open-jointed glass, while on the inside the residential units will have floor to ceiling windows and shutters to control daylight. Dutch management companies Kroonenberg Groep and ProWinko hired Herzog & de Meuron and the Canadian firm Quadrangle.
From left to right: Rendering of 1200 Bay Street in Toronto. Courtesy Herzog & de Meuron Studio.
The skyscraper has been designed to host a variety of different businesses: the first 16 floors of 1200 Bay Street will include retail functions, offices and a level intended for private services. On the upper floors there will be residential houses, which will develop over 64 floors and include 332 apartments of different sizes. On the top three floors there will be a restaurant, a beauty salon, and a triple-height lobby.
"Providing diversity in the proposed program is an important component of the building’s approach to sustainability and enhancing the vibrancy of the local community," states the announcement. "This is an iconic block in the neighbourhood and Toronto at large. We have an opportunity to deliver a project that sets a new benchmark for design and strives to give something back to the city," says Lesley Bamberger, owner of Kroonenberg Groep.