GTA Construction Report staff writer
Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and the Ministry of the Attorney General have selected EllisDon Infrastructure for the development of Toronto’s new courthouse.
The company was awarded a $956.4 million contract to design, build, finance, and maintain the new Toronto courthouse project, located just to the north of Toronto’s City Hall at 10 Armoury St.
Italian architect Renzo Piano Building Workshop will design the structure, elevated on columns and exposing tall glazed walls, with a 20-m. high atrium. It is collaborating with NORR Architects & Engineers to incorporate sustainable design features, aiming for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver status.
The new Toronto courthouse will include barrier-free environment, video conferencing, closed-circuit television, courtroom video/audio systems, a single point of entry with magnetometers, baggage scanners, continuous video surveillance, and separate corridors to ensure the security of judges, members of the public and the accused.
In addition, the project includes the first learning center in an Ontario courthouse, allowing the public, justice workers, and students to learn about Indigenous history and issues related to the justice system in Ontario.
The building will be Renzo Piano Building Workshop’s first Canadian development. The studio’s other recent projects include the amalgamation of law courts in Paris, and recognizable projects like The Shard in London and The New York Times Building.
Construction is expected to start in the next few months and could be completed in spring of 2022.
