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A PR IL 2018 | 47 The Livmore RENDERINGS COURTESY IBI GROUP ARCHITECTS + PCL CONSTRUCTORS CANADA INC. The Livmore by LAURIE JONES T he Livmore, a 43-storey, 595-unit building located at the corner of Bay Street and Gerrard Street in downtown Toronto, promises to be a standout property for many reasons, particularly since it is entirely for the rental market. With an extremely low vacancy rate in the city, the Livmore will be a welcome addition for residents. With studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, three-bedroom and two-storey penthouse lofts, the building offers suites of refined quality and high-end amenities that cater to today's renter. "One of the key differences in this project is the developers have made a sizable investment in the design," says Steve Kuo, associate director, IBI Group Architects. IBI's global director of architecture, Mansoor Kazerouni, who envisioned the form of this building, adds, "The building is expressed as a composition of rectangular forms juxtapositioned in an artful manner to provide scale and visual interest. The tower sits over a five-storey stone, metal and glass clad podium and is composed of individually expressed glass clad boxes that create a strong visual focus from various vantage points in the City. "The boxes are separated from each other by balcony reveals that add scale and texture to the facade. To further emphasize the playful massing of the various forms, their soffits have been painted tangerine at their points of intersection. The introduction of colour gives these architectural elements further prominence." Another high-design feature of The Livmore is the Sky Lounge, a two-storey gathering space with spectacular views of the city and ample lounge space to meet, mingle or just relax. "Unlike crowning elements seen at the top of most towers, the sky lounge located midway up the tower between the two dark boxes is the key architectural feature of this project," says Kazerouni. Kuo adds that "the rest of the project's amenity spaces are located at the lowest level of the tower taking advantage of the podium roof to create outdoor amenity spaces as a direct extension of the indoor amenity spaces also located at this level." The amenity spaces incorporate a full range of fitness and social programs for the enjoyment of the residents. "Upfront, we spent a lot of time with GWL Realty Advisors, the consultants, and our window contractor to make sure we got the right makeup of glass to ensure that the building esthetic was constructed to our client and the architect's vision," says Ryan Evans, project manager, PCL Constructors Canada Inc. (Toronto). "Because there are varying aspects between balcony glass and window wall glass, it was important to see how those were going to look next to each other. We did an off-site mock-up of the glazing to make sure it did what it is supposed to do prior to getting into full production." He adds the fabric selection of the shades in all the suites was important to make sure that when the blinds are closed, the overall look of the building is consistent. "If the dark glass had stark white shade behind it, it would show up very differently than a co-ordinated fabric. That would detract from the overall look of the building." Babak Baradaran-Seyed, senior associate, Stephenson Engineering Ltd. says the whole project was challenging because of its fast track nature. "We had to constantly be involved with construction and solve site issues as it was moving very quickly. Design wise, there were a couple of areas that required more attention from our side, including shifting stair cores due to architectural requirements." Due to floor-to-floor height restrictions, transfer slabs were thinner than what they typically should be, Baradaran-Seyed explains. "We had to provide special details to deal with high shear stresses in the slabs. The pop-outs in the design required us to move the columns/ walls in and out with the envelope of the building. That created additional forces that had to be absorbed by the lateral system." With the multitude of amenities and LEED Gold directives, The Livmore's electrical designs were top notch. "The theatre room's focal point is a large 85-inch LED display screen," says Shaili Patel, VP, Mulvey + Banani International Inc. "The main purpose of this room is for entertainment and presentation purposes. Audio reinforcement includes an integrated surround sound system as well as acoustic treatments within the room to restrict sound transmission to the adjacent rooms." Patel adds the 26th floor layout can be split into different zones to allow for various audio and lighting levels. "LED lighting has been provided throughout as well as motorized shades. The controls of the lighting, AV, and shades is via a wall mounted touch panel at the entry." For energy efficiency, Patel says state-of-the-art components have been utilized throughout to minimize energy consumption, including highly efficient LEDs, occupancy and daylight sensors in the amenity areas. "The typical suite corridors also have occupancy sensors that reduce the suite corridor lighting levels to 50 percent during unoccupied times such as late evening or early morning. Energy efficient mechanical equipment has also been installed to reduce the energy consumption." MCW Consultants Ltd. designed HVAC that included four pipe fan coils, giving tenants more flexibility in setting their suite temperature. "The building mechanical systems have also been designed in such a way that it is very energy efficient," says Laura-Lee Moran, associate, national manager of BIM services. "This isn't something that is obvious to the resident, but is still beneficial." MCW designed all mechanical systems for The Livmore, including domestic water, waste water (sanitary and storm), ventilation, and hydronic piping (heating and cooling). The outdoor amenity terraces feature multiple fireside lounges, and an abundance of seating in the form of outdoor harvest tables and lounges. Plantings include American beech trees, flowering shrubs and under plantings of ferns and perennials. "There are sunset and sunset-facing terraces on the fifth floor," says Jackie VanderVelde, founder of the Land Art Design Landscape Architects Inc. "The east terrace features a large central island that forms an oasis that captures all views." She adds the west side has a children's play area with an open rubberized surface to support creative play. The dog run in the south facing private terrace is populated by fire hydrants, climbing apparatus, drinking fountains and open play areas. A LOCATION 55 Gerrard Street, Toronto, Ontario OWNER/DEVELOPER GWL Realty Advisors Inc. ARCHITECT IBI Group Architects CONSTRUCTION MANAGER PCL Constructors Canada Inc. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Stephenson Engineering Ltd. MECHANICAL CONSULTANT MCW Consultants Ltd. ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Mulvey + Banani LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Land Art Design Landscape Architects Inc. TOTAL SIZE 734,000 square feet TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST $125.5 million

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