The City of Toronto (“the City”) invites Architects to submit their Expression of Interests (Stage I) to participate in a Limited Design Competition (Stage II) for the redevelopment of a prominent public property located in the St. Lawrence Market Complex at the core of the City’s historic St. Lawrence neighbourhood. The St. Lawrence Market Complex consists of three buildings: St. Lawrence Hall, the South Market and the North Market. St. Lawrence Hall and the South Market are both significant heritage assets to be retained, while the North Market Building requires redevelopment. Although the North Market Building houses the successful Saturday Farmers’ Market and the Sunday Antique Market, it was built in the late 1960s without the view to longevity or heritage sensitivity, has declined in public utility and is in a form incongruous to its historic neighbours.

The City’s redevelopment strategy is to replace the existing one storey North Market building with a new multi-storey, multi-purpose building (of approximately 11,237 square metres above grade) that will house the established Saturday Farmers’ Market and Sunday Antique Market, as well as Toronto Court Services’ court rooms (for offences under the Provincial Offences Act) and administrative offices on the upper floors, and a 250-space underground parking garage. The City has selected a Limited Design Competition (the “Competition”) process to deliver the design of this project.

The Competition presents Architects with the opportunity to create a new North Market building that has relevance for the future, is sustainable and energy efficient, and expresses its function as a place to be. A public market has existed in one form or another on the North Market site since 1803 and will continue to do so well into the twenty – first century. The challenge of how to combine the long-standing civic function of a public market with an expanded role that reflects the diverse and multi-faceted needs of the City – in a building that is still capable of representing the history of the area – is unique and exciting. The City is confident that the design community can add architectural excellence to the St. Lawrence neighbourhood, and create an appropriate and respectful building on a site that is considered to be the birthplace of the city.

Eligibility
In order to participate in Stage II of the Competition, all participants, either in joint venture, singly or in association, will be required to have a Licence and Certificate of Practice as per the Architect’s Act and Regulations in the Province of Ontario.

For the Expression of Interest (Stage I), those Respondents that are not licensed to practice in the Province of Ontario but are associating with a licensed Ontario firm, are required to notify the Registrar of the Ontario Association of Architects in writing that they are submitting an Expression of Interest, and if they are selected to go to Stage II they will comply with the provisions of the Architects Act and Regulations thereunder in the Province of Ontario. In this case, only the Certificate of Practice of the Ontario firm need be submitted in Appendix II of the Expression of Interest as a Mandatory Requirement.

Honoraria
Each Competitor in the Stage II Limited Design Competition will receive an honorarium of $70,000 in Canadian Dollars total compensation, excluding all applicable taxes. The honorarium will be paid after the competition adjudication, and upon confirmation by the Professional Advisor that the competitor has met the minimum submission requirements.