Towered
Senior Member
Thank goodness there is some movement on that finally. That's one of the ugliest corners in all of downtown.
42
Indeed, especially given the nice historic building that was demolished to make that awful blight possible.
Thank goodness there is some movement on that finally. That's one of the ugliest corners in all of downtown.
42
Next week institute researchers, who were previously spread throughout the city, will begin moving into strategically closer quarters.
The bridge
Getting the bridge, which connects the knowledge institute to the hospital’s patient care across Shuter Street, was no easy feat.
Toronto has only a handful of pedestrian bridges, and there’s a good reason for that, says Jack Diamond, the institute’s architect.
Similar bridges, such as those in Calgary, have been accused of robbing sidewalks of foot traffic, he said. Then there was the impact on the skyline.
Eventually St. Michael’s was told, “If you’re going to do it, it better be a work of art,” said Robert Fox, the hospital’s vice-president and chief planning officer.
Mr. Diamond used the Italian glass company he hired for another of his creations, Toronto’s Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.
To Mr. Fox, the pattern of the interwoven steel resembles a stent, a medical device used to create a passage for blood flow to the heart.
Before month’s end, the bridge will arrive in three pieces, and Shuter Street will be closed for a weekend so it can be installed.
Bringing the buildings together
Victoria Lane cuts right through the institute, which consists of two buildings on the ground floor.
Each building will have a distinct lobby and entrance, with the research entrance on the west and education on the east.
A “wishbone” staircase of oak and steel will join the two structures and allow people to see the floors above and below them.
“The very thing that divided the two sites is what unites them,” Mr. Diamond said.
The stairs are near open lounge areas, where the research and education sides overlap.
The future
St. Michael’s opened in 1892 to care for Toronto’s downtown population, some of the most sick and needy in the city.
Now it’s bringing the first piece of modern architecture to the neighbourhood.
And St. Michael’s plan doesn’t end there.
A new 17-storey patient care tower, to be located at the northeast corner of Queen and Victoria Streets, has been proposed. The $300-million project would relocate inpatient care from the outdated Bond Wing, and the tower would also allow for larger critical care and surgical suites and an expansion of the emergency department.
St. Michael’s already has drawings of the new tower and has received rezoning approval for the area.
The next steps, Mr. Fox said, are waiting on funding.
Hm, the Italian glass company that did the Four Seasons is also the Italian glass company that was involved in the ROM. Funny how they don't mention the latter even tho it was a much larger project.