The Richmond Street side was given priority in the design process because that's where large delivery trucks come and go. Without figuring out how to do that side correctly the opera house couldn't function at all. The original plan was for trailers to pull in forward and drive out forward, but the site wasn't big enough so they back in and drive out. They designed backwards from that - fitting in the stages, the auditorium, rehearsal space, and using what little space was left for the public space - the City Room. The tight site dictated why the City Room is so prominently connected to the University Avenue and Queen streetscape ( as is, to a lesser degree, the Jackman Lounge overlooking Queen ). There is a lot of subtle ramping too - the Queen Street entry plaza and the floor between the City Room and the ground floor of the auditorium - necessitated by the site.