A consortium comprising developers Dream Unlimited and Great Gulf together with lead architects Alison Brooks Architects, Adjaye Associates, Henning Larsen and landscape design practice SLA were selected to develop Toronto's Quayside into a new neighbourhood containing affordable housing, robust public spaces and new business opportunities. The design for the 4.9 hectares site on Toronto's waterfront proposes over 800 affordable housing units, together with an 8,000 square-metres forested green space and an urban farm, accompanied by arts venues and flexible educational spaces.
In March 2021, Waterfront Toronto launched an international competition that shortlisted four teams competing to develop the waterfront site. The winning proposal seeks to create an architectural focal point and a new cultural landmark while transforming Quayside into an all-electric, zero-carbon community. The project will feature five towers, as well as one of Canada's largest residential mass timber buildings designed by Adjaye Associates, which will be topped by an urban farm. The various buildings are weaved together by an extensive park designed by SLA.
The new development replaces Sidewalk Labs' previous plans to create a mass-timber, data-driven neighbourhood designed by Heatherwick Studios, Snøhetta and Michael Green Architecture. The subsidiary of Google's parent company Alphabet cited the economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic as the main reason for the project's cancellation. The new scheme proposed by Dream Unlimited and Great Gulf will now enter a negotiation process, expected to conclude by fall 2022, after which the development plans will be finalized, and the consortium will seek municipal approvals.
