King Toronto Residences
Toronto, Canada
Client
Westbank Project Corporation | Allied Properties REIT
Typology
Residential
Size m2/ft2
81,843 / 880,950
Status
In Construction
"With King Toronto, we wanted to find an alternative to the tower and podium you see a lot of in Toronto and revisit some of Safdie’s revolutionary ideas, but rather than a utopian experiment on an island, have it nested into the heart of the city. It would be strange if one of the most diverse cities in the world had the most homogenous architecture."Bjarke Ingels - Founder & Creative Director, BIG
Courtyard Connector — A central courtyard, shaped by the site's perimeter, connects a neighborhood network of pedestrian pathways.
Heritage Buildings — Existing heritage buildings are preserved as volumes within the complex. They are not merely conserved but reclaim a central role in the public realm within the development.
Extrusion — The grid surrounding the courtyard is extruded upwards and rotated 45 degrees to open views and increase sunlight exposure for interior spaces.
Outdoor Living — Each residential unit has direct access to outdoor space. The topography of the peaks and valleys provides terraces for larger units while others have balconies stacked along the building's perimeter.
Program — Areas for retail and boutique office space correspond with the height of the heritage buildings, while residential units occupy the peaks and valleys above.
Peaks and Valleys — The roof surface is manipulated to form peaks and valleys that allow sunlight into the courtyard, organizing the housing into separate volumes. The undulating design allows light to reach King Street all year round.
Productive Typography — Private terraces are landscaped to provide tenants with open green space typically reserved for suburban environments. Shared terraces provide communal areas and the potential for urban farming.
"At the core of our design we hoped to answer the question, how can architecture create community? We thought of this project as a way to demonstrate how architecture can meet some of society’s challenges."Ian Gillespie - Founder, Westbank
section
elevation
Partner in Charge
Bjarke Ingels
Thomas Christoffersen
Project Manager
Ryan Harvey
Project Designer
Lorenz Krisai
Project Architect
Andrea Zalewski
Project Leader, Interiors
Francesca Portesine
Project Manager, BIM
Oliver Thomas
Project Team
Aaron Mark
Agla Egilsdottir
Agustin Perez-Torres
Alan Maedo
Alan Tansey
Alejandra Cortes
Alvaro Velosa
Amina Blacksher
Andreas Buettner
Ava Kim
Beat Schenk
Ben Caldwell
Breno Felisbino da Silveira
Brian Rome
Bryan Hardin
Bryan Maddock
Casey Tucker
Casimir Esbach
Chiayu Liu
Chris Tron
Christopher White
Corliss Ng
Cristian Lera Silva
Cristina Medina-Gonzalez
Daniel Kidd
Deb Campbell
Douglass Alligood
Edda Steingrimsdottir
Elnaz Rafati
Evan Saarinen
Fabian Lorenz
Florencia Kratsman
Gabriel Jewell-Vitale
Giulia Figueiredo Chagas
Ian Gu
Ibrahim Salman
Iris van der Heide
Jacob Li
Jaemin Seo
Jakob Lange
James Babin
Jan Leenknegt
Janie Green
Jenna Dezinski
Jin Park
John Hilmes
Joseph Kuhn
Joshua Burns
Josiah Poland
Juan David Ramirez
Juan Diego Perez Diez
Julian Ocampo Salazar
Karolina Bouros
Kayeon Lee
Ku Hun Chung
Linqi Dong
Lucio Santos
Luke Lu
M. Omer Khan
Margaret Kim
Margaret Tyrpa
Mateusz Wieckowski-Gawron
Megan Ng
Neha Sadruddin
Norain Chang
Ovidiu Munteanu
Pabi Lee
Phawin Siripong
Rita Sio
Samantha Okolita
Sang Ha Jung
Seung Ho Shin
Shu Zhao
Simon Scheller
Siva Sepehry Nejad
Sue Biolsi
Tara Abedinitafreshi
Terrence Chew
Thomas Smith
Tiago Sá
Tracy Sodder
Yuanxun Xia
Ziyu Guo
BIG Ideas
Bart Ramakers
Kristoffer Negendahl
Tore Banke
Collaborators
Diamond and Schmitt Architects
BA Group
ERA Architects Inc.
Gladki Planning Associates
Greenberg Consultants Inc.
Gunn Consultants
Reinbold Engineering Group
LMDG
MGM Consulting Inc.
Nemetz & Associates
Public Work
Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd.
BIG Ideas