Famed architect Frank Gehry will design his largest building to date for his hometown of Toronto, Canada. Developed by Great Gulf Group, Dream, and Westdale Properties, the mixed-use, two-tower development, called Forma, will mark the first Gehry-designed new development in Canada.
Considered one of the world’s most influential contemporary architects, Gehry has received numerous honors including the prestigious Pritzker Prize. His most notable projects include the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris.
Mixed-Use Building
Located in downtown Toronto, Forma will feature two residential towers: one at 73 floors and the other at 84 floors. It will house a total of 2,034 condominiums, in addition to commercial and retail spaces and a new space for OCAD University, an art and design school.
Forma takes its name from the Latin and Italian word for form, shape, and appearance. The twisting design of Forma’s towers will create a sense of movement, and its iridescent facade will reflect the changing natural light as well as Toronto’s surrounding skyline.
“Forma will be an exceptional addition to the city’s downtown Entertainment and Financial District,” Krystal Koo, head of marketing and sales, Dream Unlimited Corp, said in a statement.
“We are confident that Forma will put Toronto on the map as a world-class architectural destination,” added Mitchell Cohen, chief operating officer, Westdale Properties.
Established in 1975, the Great Gulf Group has delivered major projects in Canada and the US. Dream Unlimited is a Canadian real estate company founded in 1994. And for over 60 years, Westdale Properties has owned, managed, and developed real estate in Canada and the US.
Owner and developer: Great Gulf Group, Dream, and Westdale Properties
Design architect: Frank O. Gehry Architects
Architect of record: Adamson Associates Architects
MEP engineer: Smith + Andersen
Structural engineer: RJC
General contractor/construction manager: EllisDon
Related Stories
| Jan 31, 2012
28th Annual Reconstruction Awards: Modern day reconstruction plays out
A savvy Building Team reconstructs a Boston landmark into a multiuse masterpiece for Suffolk University.
| Jan 17, 2012
SOM launches Los Angeles design studio
Expert team to join the firm's West Coast practice, focusing on innovative urban and environmentally sustainable design in Southern California
| Jan 16, 2012
Suffolk completes construction on progressive operating suite
5,700 square-foot operating suite to be test bed for next generation of imaged-guided operating techniques.
| Jan 3, 2012
Callison acquires Barteluce Architects & Associates
This acquisition will grow Callison’s New York team to over 75 architects.
| Jan 3, 2012
New Chicago hospital prepared for pandemic, CBR terror threat
At a cost of $654 million, the 14-story, 830,000-sf medical center, designed by a Perkins+Will team led by design principal Ralph Johnson, FAIA, LEED AP, is distinguished in its ability to handle disasters.
| Jan 3, 2012
The Value of Historic Paint Investigations
An expert conservator provides a three-step approach to determining a historic building’s “period of significance”—and how to restore its painted surfaces to the correct patterns and colors.
| Jan 3, 2012
Art Gensler: Still Making a Difference for Clients Every Day
After running what is today the largest architecture firm in the world for more than four decades, M. Arthur Gensler, Jr., FAIA, FIIDA, RIBA, is content to be just another employee at the firm that bears his name.
| Dec 27, 2011
Clayco awarded expansion of Washington University Data Center in St. Louis
Once completed, the new building addition will double the size of the data center which houses sophisticated computer networks that store massive amounts of genomic data used to identify the genetic origins of cancer and other diseases.
| Dec 21, 2011
DOE report details finance options for PV systems in schools
The report examines the two primary types of ownership models used to obtain PV installations for school administrators to use in selecting the best option for deploying solar technologies in their districts.
| Dec 16, 2011
Goody Clancy-designed Informatics Building dedicated at Northern Kentucky University
The sustainable building solution, built for approximately $255-sf, features innovative materials and intelligent building systems that align with the mission of integration and collaboration.