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76 | J U N E 2 0 2 4 Collège Boréal – Distillery Historic District P H OTO G R A P H Y BY N I C K C AV I L L E /CO U RT E S Y B D P Q UA D R A N G L E COLLÈGE BORÉAL – DISTILLERY HISTORIC DISTRICT by ROBIN BRUNET T he renovation of two landmark historic buildings to accom- modate the new Collège Boréal campus in Toronto is a rare collab- oration of four teams of architects working in concert: the Distillery District Development Consortium led by Jamie Goad, architect; Collège Boréal as tenant/user/occupant, led by Terry Comeau, architect with the College; ER A Architects (building envelope and historical preservation consultant); and BDP Quadrangle, interior architecture. Once located in a downtown office complex, the Distillery District was chosen as the College's new home: "To expand our rapidly growing campus, but more importantly, to establish a strong sense of community and increase our brand exposure," Comeau says. "The Distillery District, with its focus as an arts, culture, and entertainment destination was the perfect setting for us." Comeau notes that the Distillery District development consortium, composed of Cityscape Development Corporation and the Dream Unlimited Corporation, had been responsible for transforming close to 50 Victorian heritage buildings and 10 cobblestone streets since the year 2000. "The development team were great facilitators, working with the College, the architectural teams, and the heritage consultants, the lat- ter of whom reviewed every aspect of our historical restoration work, right down to the placement of signage." Comeau goes on to note that "the main challenge was three- fold: the historical restoration itself, the fit-up work necessary to meet the institutional needs of the col- lege, and the furniture design and finishes needed to create a sense of community within the spaces." BDP Quadrangle renovated the two historic warehouse spaces to suit the demands of modern campus life and the college's specific academic, immigration, employment, and continuing education programme requirements. "This directly led to a collaborative design process with ER A Architects for the thoughtful restora- tion of the historic 1927 Case Goods Warehouse and a floor of the adja- cent Cannery building, linked by one of the District's distinctive wooden bridges," says Yves Bonnardeaux, associate, senior architect, at BDP. Jordan Molnar, senior associate at ER A, adds, "The idea was to preserve the original wood and brick structure and leave it exposed as an architec- tural feature." ER A was responsible for the building envelope retrofit and all aspects of the historic restoration (it was also the architect of record for the base building work, including co-ordinating the consultant team), while BDP presided over the interior architecture and led the engineer- ing and specialty consultant team. The overall design philosophy emphasized sustainability, transpar- ency, and the vertical integration of the interior's relatively small spaces. "The Case Goods Warehouse also had a low ceiling height, which obliged us to tuck as much of the mechanical and electrical infrastructure between the joist spaces as possible," Bonnardeaux says (less work was required on the Cannery building, which had much higher and more open spaces). A high- efficiency variable refrigeration flow mechanical system for cooling and heating reduced the physical impact of bulkheads; piping and ductwork were located in corridors to reduce visual impact, and improve efficiency. The reclamation of heritage arti- facts is most evident near the main reception, where the team retained a rare, two-storey radial grav- ity conveyor, complemented with modern suspended custom lamps. Meanwhile, the classrooms were designed with compact footprints and maximized both functionality and district views; careful planning was required to optimize sight- lines throughout the building's heavy timber column structure. While Ledcor's restoration of the building's original character in the interior was achieved mainly through mild abrasive cleaning, there were challenges in achieving energy efficiency. "The walls couldn't be insulated on the inside due to the softer type of brick, so Ledcor insulated the roof and replaced the original steel-frame windows with thermally insulated aluminum frame steel replica windows, approved by the heritage consultants," Molnar says. Comeau, who was responsible for the furniture design and finishes, credits the Global Furniture Group for "a unique sole source programme that gave Boreal the freedom to customize and highlight our French culture and community." Considering construction took place during the pandemic, the team had to deal with an all-too-familiar difficulty: "Mechanical components, electrical systems, windows, doors, and many other items were delayed, so as much as possible was ordered early," Molnar says, to which Bonnardeaux adds, "Rooftop components arrived literally on the day the inspectors were sched- uled to pay a visit." As a result of visionary developers and great interdisciplinary teamwork, Collège Boréal is now an integral part of the Distillery District, and the col- lege couldn't be more pleased with the outcome. "The collaborative spirit between so many designers, consul- tants, and builders was memorable," Comeau says. "The enthusiasm and talent coming together to make this happen was unforgettable." A LOCATION The Distillery District, 60 Distillery Lane, Toronto, Ontario OWNER /DEVELOPER Cityscape Development Corporation / Dream Unlimited Corporation ARCHITECTS ERA Architects / BDP Quadrangle GENER AL CONTR ACTOR Ledcor Construction Limited STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT Entuitive MECHANICAL /ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT BK Consulting FURNITURE CONSULTANT Global Furniture Group / Hollend Furnishings TOTAL SIZE 4,500 square metres TOTAL COST Undisclosed

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