placespace

Toronto, Radiant City

A new way of thinking about the slabs of the suburbs.

Green Urbanity

My story about the green Toronto offices of HOK-- one of the largest architecture firms in the world-- is up on the Metropolis site. The Torontonians in the group will enjoy it, but I'm more excited about the fact that the concept of what makes interior design 'green' was extended to the urbanity of the office, not just its fixtures-- particularly given the fact the project was chosen as part of the International Interior Design Association's/ Metropolis Smart Environments Awards program. Here's the urban analysis:

The location is at Toronto’s hipster heart, near both the boutique-lined stretches of the King West neighborhood and the clubs of the Entertainment District. “I hate to call it gentrification because it’s still got a nice edge to it,” Stratford, who lives in the suburbs, explains a bit sheepishly. Two streetcar lines intersect outside the door—worth a single LEED point, one of 36 toward a Gold rating for commercial interiors—and the regional commuter rail is within walking distance. A recent office survey shows that 82 percent of the employees who live in the city said they either take public transit, walk, or bicycle to work; 67 percent of employees living in the suburbs use public transit. Bike parking and showers are available in the building—earning another LEED point. As in many design firms, a sense of urbanity is embedded in HOK’s culture; with this space the firm was able to embody the feeling in its office. “We’re thinking about the community of people who work in our studio and how we can design a great space for them, but we’re also in a location that really feels like a part of the broader community we live in,” Stratford says.

Photo for Metropolis by Christopher Wahl. And make sure to check out the infographic on the office's commuting patterns.