Renzo Piano Building Workshop on design team for state-of-the-art facility

Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of the Attorney General have awarded a fixed-price contract to EllisDon Infrastructure to design, build, finance and maintain the new Toronto courthouse following extensive evaluations during a competitive request for proposals process. This marks the first Canadian project for the architects on the team, Renzo Piano Building Workshop.

The new building will bring together many of the city’s criminal courts in a move that the authorities hope will increase efficiency, save money, and improve access. Yasir Naqvi, the Attorney General, said: “This innovative, first-of-its-kind project will reduce costs and ensure equal access to services by all accused, victims, witnesses, and other court users.”

The site in downtown Toronto is steps away from Nathan Phillips Square and the City Hall, and is expected to become a key element of the civic precinct. The court will feature up-to-date facilities such as video conferencing to allow witnesses to appear remote locations and in-custody individuals to appear from detention centres, while closed-circuit television will enable children and other vulnerable witnesses to appear before the court from a private room. The design incorporates separate corridors to ensure the safety of judges, members of the public and the accused. 

The project also includes the first learning centre in an Ontario courthouse, offering opportunities for the public, justice workers, and students to learn about indigenous history and issues related to the State’s justice system.

The contract is valued at approximately Can$956.4 million, which reflects the payments made during construction, the substantial completion payment, and the monthly service payments before inflation adjustments. Construction is expected to start in the next few months, with an anticipated completion date of Spring 2022. 

Lucy Nordberg

TenderStream Research Specialist & Editor

This tender was first published by TenderStream on 30.07.15. See the original brief here

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