Sponsors: Waterfront Toronto and the City of Toronto

Type: Open, international, two-stage

Language: English

Eligibility: Lead firm principal must be a licensed urban planner and/or architectural/landscape architectural design firm.  Collaborative multi-disciplinary teams are allowed and encouraged.

Registration Fee: None

Timeline:     
17 December 2009 – RFQ issued
25 January 2010 – Submission Deadline for Phase 1 (prequalification)
Week of 8 February 2010 – Shortlisted candidates announced & competition launches
26 April 2010 – Submission Deadline for Phase 2 (competition)
May/June 2010 – Announcement of Jury Recommendations

Awards: Following the prequalification process, six firms or teams will be shortlisted to participate in an intense, eight-week design competition.  These six teams will receive an honorarium of CA$50,000, subject to conditions to be set out in a detailed Competition Brief.  At the conclusion of the competition, Waterfront Toronto and the City of Toronto may choose to retain one or more than one of the teams for continued involvement in the approved plan.

Design Challenge: The elevated Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway has been a controversial element of the Toronto skyline since it was completed in 1966.  In recent years, public debate has been intensifying over whether its future should be a renovation, relocation, or complete removal.   At the same time, progress on waterfront revitalization has made clear that the elevated structure and the at-grade roadway beneath, if they are to remain, must be integrated with the new waterfront districts currently being developed.  While many plans and proposals have been put forth over the years, none have produced a sufficiently compelling vision for a new urban identity and truly functional transportation system.
Waterfront Toronto and the City of Toronto are seeking input from the world’s most talented and creative design and engineering professionals in developing bold new concepts for the future of the elevated Gardiner Expressway and Lake Shore Boulevard, including the adjacent lands.  
The goal of the Innovative Design Competition is to produce a bold solution or series of bold solutions that can generate broad consensus on the best way forward for the eastern portion of the elevated Gardiner Expressway.  These solutions must harmonize and unify several development plans for this area, including the already approved East Bayfront Precinct Plan and the nearly completed North Keating Precinct Plan – both of which may be affected by plans for the Gardiner.

The intent of the Innovative Design Competition is to infuse the Environmental Assessment process with incisive design ideas and bring creative new solutions to the table.  

For more information, go to: www.waterfrontoronto.ca/procurement