Our team was retained by the City of Toronto to provide landscape architecture, architecture and engineering services for the preservation of Nathan Philips Square, one of the most iconic public spaces in North America.
Located in downtown Toronto at 100 Queen Street West and as the forecourt to Toronto City Hall, Nathan Philips Square is one of the city’s most prominent features. Originally designed by the modernist duo of architect Viljo Revell and landscape architect Richard Strong, the square opened in 1965 and immediately became the central gathering space downtown. The square serves millions of Torontonians and visitors in a myriad of ways throughout the year.
Every day, the Square sees visitors flock to the larger than life “Toronto” sign to take selfies, cooling off in the fountain in the summer, and gliding on ice in the winter. They wander through the Peace garden and Queen Street forecourt and admire public art in the Square and Sculpture garden. They pass through the plaza on the way into City Hall, connecting to the PATH network below, or commuting between home, work and everything in between. But more importantly, the square is a space where Toronto comes together. People gather en-masse to attend massive concerts and annual events like New Years Eve. Nearly every week, there are programmed activities, cultural celebrations, festivals, and political rallies. It is a space of entertainment, of performance, and of free speech. The programming of Nathan Philips Square is as diverse as Toronto itself, a reflection of the rich tapestry of the local culture.
Over the last 50 years, Nathan Philips Square has undergone persistent repairs and interventions to preserve the square and mitigate deterioration. In 2006, seeing a need to restore deteriorating elements of the square that were central to Revell and Strong’s modernist vision, The City held an international competition to redesign NPS and to transform it into an exemplary 21st Century public space. The winning entrant to the competition was a multi-disciplinary team led by Plant Architect Inc. and Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners, which sought to open the central square, program the perimeter, activate the elevated guideway through improved connections to the plaza level, and to program the rooftop podium of City Hall. Although several of the envisioned improvements were realized, a significant portion remains unbuilt.
Our team has been tasked with realizing the plaza level elements of the 2006 competition vision, while at the same time addressing the poor state of repair of the infrastructure. In addition, recent events and a shift in cultural awareness have introduced new design challenges for the team to resolve. For example, The City is committed to protecting Nathan Philips Square from hostile vehicle attacks to enhance public safety. Additionally, many elements of the square do not meet current best-practices in universal accessibility. Finally, climate change will result in more extreme heat events downtown, and outdoor spaces like NPS can serve as refuge for residents who lack air-conditioning or other means to escape the heat.
Our multi-disciplinary team has positioned Nathan Philips Square preservation for success by establishing key project objectives to improve the existing infrastructure by addressing the waterproofing of the parkade roof slab below the plaza, reconfigure the edges to improve the public realm, enhance the pedestrian environment and safety, and preserve the rich heritage features of the largest city square in Canada.
A major project challenge is to ensure the square remains open to the public and operational for events while under construction. To accomplish this significant challenge, we’ll work closely with the City’s team on a phased approach to construction to implement the waterproofing, hostile vehicle mitigation measures, repairs to the ramp and revitalize the landscaping to transform the Square.
Client
City of Toronto
Services -Programming/Feasibility -Schematic design -Design development -Construction documents -Construction administration -Post-construction
