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Today, Mayor David Miller officially launched the construction
kickoff to revitalize Toronto's greatest public space, Nathan
Phillips Square.
From 2010 to 2012, the City of Toronto will reinvigorate Nathan
Phillips Square to restore its beauty and dignity, preserve and
enhance its unique heritage qualities, and reintroduce it as a
more functional and environmentally sustainable public meeting
place.
"Nathan Phillips Square is literally the face of Toronto and
where we welcome the world," said Mayor David Miller. "I am
pleased we are revitalizing Nathan Phillips Square to make it a
more vibrant, beautiful and green square for future generations.
From ushering in the new year to skating under its Freedom
Arches, visiting Nathan Phillips Square has become one of the
Toronto things to do. It's exciting to see it get enhanced and
beautified with new features that will increase its
functionality and improve its environmental sustainability."
Nathan Phillips Square's revitalization will transform it into a
more vibrant urban square for the more than 1.5 million people
who visit it yearly. Included in the project is a new,
state-of-the-art permanent theatre stage for various events, a
relocated and enhanced Peace Garden, a new two-level restaurant,
a new visitor information kiosk, and a new skate pavilion. The
City will also reintroduce the square's overhead walkways with
new furniture, landscaping and connections to the second levels
of the new restaurant and skate pavilion, which will provide
panoramic views of activities on the square.
Also included in the revitalization are plans to transform
Nathan Phillips Square into an urban forest in the middle of
downtown Toronto, with more trees, landscaped gardens and
advanced systems for soil regeneration and stormwater
management.
"We're literally going to breathe new life into the square,"
said Scott Mullin, Chair of the Public Advisory Group for the
project. "Soon, Torontonians will be able to welcome visitors
and residents to this revitalized civic square that will inspire
through its design and consideration for the environment."
The start of construction comes after the City held an
international design
competition in 2006-2007 and chose the winning architectural
design in 2007.
From 48 submissions from around the world, the competition jury
selected a forward-thinking, innovative design from the team led
by Plant Architect Inc. & Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners.
In 2009, the City began the implementation of the
revitalization's prelude project - the City Hall Podium Green
Roof, which will be officially opened at this year's Doors Open
Toronto as the city's largest publicly accessible green roof.
Since 1965, the Toronto City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square
complex has inspired and captivated the world with its unique
and modern design. While the square has many successful
attributes, the City has long recognized that some of its
features have been underdeveloped and poorly used since the
square was originally designed by Finnish architect Viljo
Revell. Modern-day alterations and upgrades are required to meet
the new functional requirements of the square and allow a
greater variety of activities and special events.
"Every great city has a great public square," said Councillor
Kyle Rae (Ward 27 Toronto Centre-Rosedale). "Once it's done, the revitalized
square will become a renewed source of pride as we showcase this
important landmark to the world."
More information is available at
http://www.toronto.ca/nps.
Toronto is Canada's largest city and sixth largest government,
and home to a diverse population of about 2.6 million people. It
is the economic engine of Canada and one of the greenest and
most creative cities in North America.
Toronto has won numerous awards for quality, innovation and
efficiency in delivering public services. Toronto's government
is dedicated to prosperity, opportunity and liveability for all
its residents. For information about non-emergency City services
and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can
dial 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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