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renderings courtesy Hariri Pontarini arcHitects I n the heart of downtown Toronto, The Massey Tower will be a 60-storey, multi-purpose addition to the city. Originally the site of the Canadian Bank of Commerce building since 1905, Massey Tower will be integrating the historical structure into its overall design by incorporating the original structure into the first four floors as lobby space. To create a neutral backdrop for the heritage building, the third to seventh floors of above-grade parking will have folded surface geometry patterned in fritted glass and will feature architec- tural lighting to further enhance the reading of these folds. The lighting will also highlight the unique elements of the building's historic facade. The ninth floor will hold the tower's state-of-the-art fitness centre, steam room, rain room, sauna and juice bar. The floor directly above it will be a cock- tail lounge featuring windows designed to achieve a higher than average Sound Transmission Class ( STC) rating to ensure residents' comfort. "We were able to take the histori- cal significance of the area, Toronto's original entertainment district encom- passing Massey Hall and The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre, and incorporate the cultural legacy into residents' homes," says Anna Simone from Cecconi Simone Inc., interior designers on the project. "As you enter the lobby, architectural details of the original Canadian Bank of Commerce building are accompanied by art cel- ebrating iconic entertainers like Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald." The cocktail lounge will open up to an amenity terrace designed by Janet Rosenberg & Studio Inc. "An elegant material palette will blend the contem- porary terrace with the more traditional architectural elements of the heritage building," explains Janet Rosenberg. "A mirrored ceiling with suspended lights will add a surreal dimension to the space and reflect a sleek water trough and sculptural element." Janet Rosenberg & St udio also included a five-metre-high water wall into the design that is composed of tex- tured limestone to add soothing sounds and create visual impact. The terrace will have outdoor seating and dining areas, defined by planting features. "We deliberately kept planters and elements away from the terrace railing so that you can walk right up to the edge and have unobstructed views to the dynamic city skyline and streetscape," adds Rosenberg. The remaining floors of the tower will comprise of residential suites to be accessed by four elevators. The facade of three of the tower's sides will feature alternating balcony types with diagonal bends in opposite directions of each opposing plate to create a billowing shroud. By contrast, the north face of the tower will be clad entirely in curtain wall with no balcony projections in order to accommodate nearby St. Michaels Hospital's helicopter flight path that overlaps the site. "The singular language created by the shroud will have the added effect of providing a unique but neutral back- drop," says David Pontarini, partner-in- charge at Hariri Pontarini Architects. "It will highlight the heritage components of the site, while softening the form and connecting the building back to the angled face of the north facade." Projects with heritage components are always a challenge, but here, the old bank had been entirely abandoned in the 1980's. "It's kind of scary when you see buildings without occupancy for 20 or 30 years because you start to realize that they'll get to a point of no return," says Michael McClelland, founding part- ner of ERA Architects, in a press state- ment. "This building was pretty heavily deteriorated on the interior." Buried under layers of adhesive and concrete topping was the original stone tile mosaic floor from 1905, which cre- ated the biggest challenge both in pres- ervation and incorporation into the overall design. The floor itself is fairly large while the tower footprint needed to be situated more or less centrally over the site. With the unavoidable overlap, the only feasible solution was to salvage the historic floor for reinstatement after the completion of the new structure – a strategy already put into play as con- struction progresses. "The floor was cut into several large panels, each weighing 22,000 lbs., which were then lifted onto trucks and transported for storage off- site. The panels will be meticulously stitched back together once reinstated," explains Pontarini. The heritage aspect is not the only challenge facing the teams. The site itself is fairly small and is further com- plicated through easements with adja- cent properties. Existing driveways, ramps, and exit paths have to be maintained for both the north and south neighbours of the future tower – this limits the design team's ability to fit a below-grade park- ing garage. The historical preservations further contract the usable floor area. "Once elevators, exit stairs and other essential operating elements were added to the equation, very little space is left for a traditional vehicular ramping system," says Pontarini. "A fully auto- matic car parking system was selected to overcome the limitations of the site." There will be two car bays at grade that users will drive into. They will then exit their vehicles, swipe the elec- tronic key fob or card, and leave the car bay. Once the parking system scans the vehicle for dimensions and occupants, it will be hoisted into the parking levels on the third to seventh floors. Once the building is complete, the ground level will still need to be durable and functional to accommodate the high volumes of pedestrian traffic. "A uni- form palette of materials will be used throughout the site, providing a cohe- sive public realm strategy," explains Rosenberg. "Subtle shifts in paving materials and tones and textures will be used to direct pedestrian flow and aid in way-finding through the network of walkways linking to the Elgin and Win- ter Garden Theatres and Massey Hall." n Location 197 – 201 Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario owner/deveLoper MOD Developments Inc. architect Hariri Pontarini Architects heritage architect ERA Architects generaL contractor Tucker HiRise Construction Inc. StructuraL conSuLtant Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. MechanicaL/ engineering conSuLtant Able Engineering Inc. interior deSign Cecconi Simone LandScape architect Janet Rosenberg + Studio Inc. totaL area 526,474 square feet totaL coSt $78 million The Massey Tower by Zuzanna Wodzynska 82/ december 2014 The massey Tower