Finally Renzo Piano lands in Canada.
Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW) has been chosen to complete the new courthouse in Toronto and the building will be the first development signed by the Italian architect in the Country.
Located in the city’s Downtown area, close to Nathan Phillips Square and Toronto City Hall, the project will be developed in partnership with NORR architects & engineers and will provide a home for a number of currently disparate law courts in Toronto so as to create a modern and efficient service for the residents of the city and surrounding province.
The main volume of the new Toronto Courthouse will be elevated on tall columns to create an open space for a public plaza on the ground level: the aim is to maximize exterior public space by improving the building’s adiacent streetscape.
The most remarkable element of the facility will be the 20 meter-tall atrium enclosed by a transparent glazed facade that rises four storeys from street level; moreover, internal walls will also be glazed to allow natural light into spaces behind while stairways and escalators will be situated on the edges of the ground floor, to leave an open space in the centre with a sculptural fixture hanging above.
The project, which will also include an education centre dedicated to the history and issues of the indigenous justice system, is on track to complete by 2022.
