Ontario Construction News staff writer
Downtown Toronto’s King Portland Centre has won the Best Tall Office Building and the Urban Habitat – District/Master Plan Scale awards at the 2022 Awards of Excellence Conference hosted by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat International (CTBUH).
The development team included Hariri Pontarini Architects and engineer Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd.
Located in the King West neighbourhood, the King Portland Centre includes 12,000 sq. ft. of retail space, a 14-storey, 255,000 sq. ft. commercial tower with 6,100 sq. ft. of indoor amenity space and a 16-storey, 113,000 sq. ft. residential tower.
Built by EllisDon, the development features large, bricked arches to frame the ground floor and connect to the district’s brick-and-beam industrial character while seamlessly integrating a modern curtain wall glazing with curved glass corners for the office tower above.
The project’s green features include an energy-efficient design with an underfloor air distribution system, LED lighting throughout, high-performing equipment and building envelope, rainwater harvesting for irrigation and satisfying indoor plumbing demands, and electric charging stations for electric cars.
Green terraces offer outdoor amenity spaces for office workers, and three levels of underground parking accommodate the needs of the new inhabitants added to the block. The tower achieved its long-term sustainability targets through an integrated design approach. The office portion of the development is LEED Platinum-registered and features photovoltaic (PV) solar panels on the roof.
CTBUH’s global awards program recognizes extraordinary contributions to tall buildings and the urban environment. Awards are presented in more than 20 categories for the best tall building, urban habitat, innovation, renovation, interior design, construction, and engineering.
Winners in all categories presented their projects at the CTBUH 2022 International Conference in Chicago in November. Submissions for the 2023 Awards Program will be accepted beginning early 2023.
The CTBUH Awards program honors projects and individuals that have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of tall buildings and the urban environment, and that achieve sustainability at the highest and broadest level. Awards have been given in more than 20 categories for Best Tall Building, Urban Habitat, Innovation, Renovation, Interior Design, Construction, and Engineering.
Projects are judged by a panel of experts.
King Portland was the only Ontario project to win an award, and two other Canadian developments were recognized:
Tour de Montreal – also known as the Montreal Olympic Stadium Tower – received a renovation award and Humaniti Montréal was recognized in the Best Tall Mixed-Use Building category.
Humaniti Montreal was recognized as the Best Tall Mixed-Use Building.