Dundas Square / Place Dundas
1998
Toronto, Ontario, Canada- Planning
- Urban spaces
- Square
The City of Toronto is pleased to announce a nationally advertised, two-stage competition for the design of Dundas Square. Dundas Square is to be a new public open space located in the heart of Toronto, an animated urban square to serve as the centrepiece of the revitalization of downtown Yonge Street.
The successful design and construction of Dundas Square is vitally important to the Yonge Dundas Redevelopment Project which is promoting the revitalization of Yonge Street. The City of Toronto is committed to design excellence and has chosen a design competition as the vehicle to achieve such excellence and award a design contract.
The shape, form and character of Dundas Square will reflect the goals of the Redevelopment Project, the activities that will take place in the Square and the surrounding developments as well as public objectives expressed by community advisory groups. The Square's design will also be reflective of the various requirements imposed by the construction of an underground parking garage beneath the square, and the creation of new connections to the Dundas TTC subway station and the PATH underground walkway system.
The creation of a major new public place in the heart of Toronto presents a magnificent design challenge. In preparing their submissions, competitors should have regard for the following opportunities:
This site, on Toronto's historic main street, is at the centre of the urban region and the design should reflect the metropolitan image, energy and excitement characteristic of such places in the great cities of the world.
All cities need memorable places of beauty and identity to enrich their civic life. Dundas Square is just such an opportunity, both for the square itself and for any proposed features within it. Dundas Square could well be the location for a major water feature, public art clement or other major installation.
The square is to be an highly animated place by virtue of its location, its hours of use and the high density of pedestrian and vehicular movement through and around it and flexibly accommodate different levels and types of uses. It should flexibly accommodate large and small formal and informal events, as well as the needs of visitors and residents of all ages.
The square must complement and contribute to the activity generated by surrounding developments, which both in design and use patterns will greatly affect the life of the square. To the extent possible, such activities should flow easily into the square.
The design of the square must project a sense of safety and security for its users, offer effective formal and informal surveillance and provide for barrier free access.
The square design should recognize the reality of Toronto's climate and provide mitigation from extremes of heat, cold and wind so as to provide for all-season use of the square.
Both the parking garage and the TTC subway station have access and functional requirements which should be treated as opportunities rather than constraints on the design of the square.
The design should reflect that Dundas Square is not only a major open space on Yonge Street but also an entrance to Ryerson Polytechnical University and the developing residential area to the east.
The design of the square should be sufficiently robust and capable of easy maintenance to sustain the levels of use and types of activity anticipated.
The design of the square should recognize the function of Dundas Street and Yonge Street as important vehicular and transit routes and should appropriately encourage safe pedestrian movement across these streets.
The design of the square should recognize the City's commitment to environmental objectives through appropriate environmental principles and practice.
(From competition documentation)
The successful design and construction of Dundas Square is vitally important to the Yonge Dundas Redevelopment Project which is promoting the revitalization of Yonge Street. The City of Toronto is committed to design excellence and has chosen a design competition as the vehicle to achieve such excellence and award a design contract.
The shape, form and character of Dundas Square will reflect the goals of the Redevelopment Project, the activities that will take place in the Square and the surrounding developments as well as public objectives expressed by community advisory groups. The Square's design will also be reflective of the various requirements imposed by the construction of an underground parking garage beneath the square, and the creation of new connections to the Dundas TTC subway station and the PATH underground walkway system.
The creation of a major new public place in the heart of Toronto presents a magnificent design challenge. In preparing their submissions, competitors should have regard for the following opportunities:
This site, on Toronto's historic main street, is at the centre of the urban region and the design should reflect the metropolitan image, energy and excitement characteristic of such places in the great cities of the world.
All cities need memorable places of beauty and identity to enrich their civic life. Dundas Square is just such an opportunity, both for the square itself and for any proposed features within it. Dundas Square could well be the location for a major water feature, public art clement or other major installation.
The square is to be an highly animated place by virtue of its location, its hours of use and the high density of pedestrian and vehicular movement through and around it and flexibly accommodate different levels and types of uses. It should flexibly accommodate large and small formal and informal events, as well as the needs of visitors and residents of all ages.
The square must complement and contribute to the activity generated by surrounding developments, which both in design and use patterns will greatly affect the life of the square. To the extent possible, such activities should flow easily into the square.
The design of the square must project a sense of safety and security for its users, offer effective formal and informal surveillance and provide for barrier free access.
The square design should recognize the reality of Toronto's climate and provide mitigation from extremes of heat, cold and wind so as to provide for all-season use of the square.
Both the parking garage and the TTC subway station have access and functional requirements which should be treated as opportunities rather than constraints on the design of the square.
The design should reflect that Dundas Square is not only a major open space on Yonge Street but also an entrance to Ryerson Polytechnical University and the developing residential area to the east.
The design of the square should be sufficiently robust and capable of easy maintenance to sustain the levels of use and types of activity anticipated.
The design of the square should recognize the function of Dundas Street and Yonge Street as important vehicular and transit routes and should appropriately encourage safe pedestrian movement across these streets.
The design of the square should recognize the City's commitment to environmental objectives through appropriate environmental principles and practice.
(From competition documentation)