Toronto’s Tower Project

Posted by on April 13, 2008

Toronto Mayor David Miller is in China with his "Tower Project" team to consolidate research on how Toronto's concrete towers can be made more energy efficient and much higher quality places to live. E.R.A. Architects? Graeme Stewart, who will be travelling with the firm?s principal architect, Michael McLelland, told Novae Res Urbis, ?The interesting thing about large Chinese cities is that they have thousands of these tower blocks and most of them, similar to here, don?t have insulation, so a lot of the building sciences we?re working on will be directly applicable there and could make a huge environmental impact.?

McLelland and Stewart have been working with city staff, Toronto Community Housing Corporation, University of Toronto, CMHC, Toronto Atmospheric Fund and the Clinton Foundation to develop a plan and a report is expected in June. Meanwhile, they will be taking the concept overseas, presenting it to Chongqing building officials, who have been early adopters of new policies. McLelland said it is also an opportunity to talk about what makes a city work and to present Toronto?s makeup of neighbourhoods as economic, social and culturally sustainable examples.

Mayor Miller has made the conversion of the city's concrete towers a top priority. He imagines their conversion will not only save energy but will also employ underemployed citizens, generate manufacturing opportunities and put local food closer to residents by converting land surrounding the towers to gardens.