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J U N E 2 0 2 2 | 83 Waterworks E X T ER I O R P H OTO G R A P H Y BY J OY VO N T I ED EM A N N P H OTO G R A P H Y I N C . /CO U RT E S Y D I A M O N D S C H M I T T A RC H I T EC T S; I N T ER I O R P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E S Y M O D D E V ELO P M EN T S I N C . WATERWORKS by LAURIE JONES W aterworks – located on Richmond Street West in the King West neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario – is a "phoenix rising" example of restoring a historical setting and adding modern day amenities. The project was a combined vision from teams at MOD Developments Inc. and Woodcliffe Landmark Properties to not only restore an art deco build- ing built almost 100 years ago, but to create a complete community within the complex. "The story actually dates back to 1837 when this entire block was set aside by the City of Toronto to create a public market," says Gary Switzer, CEO, MOD Developments. "The St. Andrews Market was built on the north half of the block and a pub- lic park on the south half. In 1909 the park became St. Andrew's Playground, the first organized, supervised play- ground in Toronto's history." Switzer explains that by the early 1930s there were not enough people living in the now-industrial area to sustain the market, so it was demol- ished, and the City built the art deco industrial structure that became known as the Waterworks build- ing. "Decades later, the building was almost vacant so a proposal call was issued, with the mandate of develop- ing a mid-rise residential building and a 50,000-square-foot community centre, which became the YMCA in our submission." Eve Lewis, CEO of Woodcliffe Landmark Properties, says because her company specializes in heritage restorations, they were excited to partner with MOD Developments on this project. "The Waterworks revi- talization is the most complex project we've ever worked on. The European- style food hall covers 56,000 square feet on two levels, including 35 food stalls and six restaurants. The res- idential units are stunning with almost 100 unique layouts, includ- ing an affordable housing component with 15 units for Artscape, a group that provides housing for artists." She adds the redesign of the adjacent St. Andrews Playground gives space for families and individuals, particu- larly after the removal of a parking lot increased the area of the park by about 20 percent. Doors have been added into the south façade of the food hall flanking the park, further animating the space. Spanning a full city block, from Brant to Maud Streets, the former machine hall of the Waterworks build- ing and future food hall now features significant glazing with 30-foot win- dows that were formerly bricked-in, along with the reinstatement of mas- sive skylights that spans the length of the food hall. "The public per- formance of this building will be fundamentally different from how it was historically, even though it's the same use of the parts," says Duncan Bates, associate with Diamond Schmitt Architects. "The form and vernacular of the 290 luxury-unit residential build- ing, and the articulation of the façade is very much in response to creat- ing an appearance of a randomized patterning, which is expressed through the balcony projections, the carving away of the volume, and the stepping of the floor levels. It's really quite dramatic," Bates says. "At the eastern end of the food hall [on Brant Street] is an extensive patio space that will be a great addition to the neigh- bourhood. In the centre of the block is a courtyard that can be entered from Richmond Street, which provides another entrance into the food hall and a direct pedestrian route from Richmond to the park." Work on the site was challenging for Bluescape Construction Management Inc., says Rob Kirwan, director. "We had a heritage facade to the north, an existing building in use to the east, and a heritage building on the south to maintain, the need to excavate for four levels of underground parking for the tower, and underneath the food hall, we created one layer of underground for back-of-house commercial storage space. The engineering requirements of these components alone was a sig- nificant task." Kirwan explains that for the resi - dential tower to fit into the established project area, the south wings needed to extend over the food hall. "In order to do that, we supported the struc- ture by rebuilding the original 1932 steel columns in the food hall to sup- port the weight of the tower above, while still maintaining the heritage look within the original building." Another significant structural consid- eration was building the YMCA on the second floor, with the 25-metre pool area full-size gymnasium, with retail below and residential above. As a contrast to the yellow brick and limestone of the retained art deco buildings, the new residential compo- nent is clad in black porcelain panels imported from Italy. Kirwan adds, "While this is cer- tainly the most complex building we have ever worked on, in the end the developers and the creative team have all created something we can be incredibly proud of." A LOCATION 505 Richmond Street West, Toronto, Ontario OWNER /DEVELOPER MOD Developments Inc. / Woodcliffe Landmark Properties ARCHITECT Diamond Schmitt Architects CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Bluescape Construction Management Inc. STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT Jablonsky, Ast and Partners MECHANICAL /ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Smith + Andersen INTERIOR DESIGN Cecconi Simone L ANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Janet Rosenberg & Studio Inc. TOTAL SIZE 340,000 square feet TOTAL COST Undisclosed

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