WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF MULTI-TENANT BUILDINGS? UPCOMING DATES

MAY 20 Executive Committee, 9:30 a.m., committee room 1 (CANCELLED) POST-PANDEMIC DESIGN

21 Budget Committee, 9:30 a.m., committee room 1 (CANCELLED) Rob Jowett 27-28 Council, 9:30 a.m., council chamber (CANCELLED) he way office and residential distance between themselves and a vaccine or other treatment 28 Design Review Panel, time TBC (virtual) buildings are designed and people not residing with them, has been approved for life to the specific uses that will and not to leave their homes fully return to normal. This JUNE T 1 General Government & be desired by tenants in them unless absolutely necessary. may not occur until well into Licensing Committee, 9:30 a.m., committee room 1 are likely to change significantly At a May 14 press conference, 2021 or beyond. As a result as a result of the COVID-19 Premier Doug Ford announced of our prolonged adoption of Preservation Board, 9:30 a.m., committee room 2 pandemic, according to that provided that infection different daily practices, many

2 Infrastructure & Environment architectural design experts. rates continue to decline, private of the behavioural adaptations Committee, 9:30 a.m., The current pandemic and parks, campgrounds, marinas, that have been made could committee room 1 the associated quarantine and boat clubs, golf courses and become permanent, say some 9 Etobicoke York Community Council, 9:30 a.m., council social distancing measures animal boarding businesses experts, and residential and chamber, Etobicoke Civic being undertaken to contain it will be permitted to reopen to office tenants may be more Centre have led to sudden changes in the public at 12:01 a.m. May likely to seek additional building Community Council, 9:30 a.m., council chamber, the way people live and work in 16. On May 19, all stores with features measures to reduce the North major cities. Workplaces deemed street entrances and that are not likelihood of disease spread of a Scarborough Community non-essential by the province located in malls, all construction future pandemic. Council, 9:30 a.m., council chamber, Scarborough Civic have been closed under a state sites, some seasonal venues like “If it is a two-year problem, Centre of emergency order originally sports fields and dog parks, and… we will go through waves Toronto & East York declared March 17. The closures household services, and health of it, if we will have a good Community Council, 9:30 a.m., committee room 1 will be continue to be in effect and medical services will be summer or a moderate summer,

10 Economic & Community until at least June 2 pending allowed to resume operations, then some challenges in winter Development Committee, 9:30 recommendation by Ontario’s provided they follow provincial again, and then a moderate a.m., committee room 1 chief medical officer. Parks and social distancing guidelines. summer, then I don’t think 11 Planning & Housing Committee, 9:30 a.m., other public areas in the province However, it remains unclear people will invest heavily in re- committee room 1 have been shut down entirely. how long it will be before all engineering the entire society,” 12 CreateTO, 9:30 a.m., Those that remain open only social distancing measures Regionomics director and committee room 1 allow people to pass through prescribed by the authorities Ted Rogers 15 Board of Health, 9:30 a.m., without stopping. Ontario become unnecessary. With the School of Management real estate committee room 1 residents have been advised likelihood of a second wave of management professor Murtaza 16 Executive Committee, 9:30 a.m., committee room 1 by medical experts, including infections in the fall coinciding Haider told NRU. “But if it turns Canada’s chief public health with the start of influenza out that this was just a dress officer Dr.Theresa Tam, to season, many medical experts rehearsal for bigger and more

maintain at least two metres of are suggesting it will take until CONTINUED PAGE 3

NRU PUBLISHING STAFF NRU PUBLISHING INC

Ian A.R. Graham, Publisher Rob Jowett Jeff Payette SALES/SUBSCRIPTIONS Novæ Res Urbis Toronto Editorial Office Billings Department [email protected] Reporter Design/Layout [email protected] is published 50 times a 26 Soho Street, Suite 330 NRU Publishing Inc. [email protected] [email protected] year and is not to be Toronto, ON M5T 1Z7 PO Box 19595 Manulife PO, Irena Kohn, Editor Annual subscription rate is redistributed without the Tel: 416.260.1304 Toronto, ON M4W 3T9 [email protected] Peter Pantalone Samantha Lum $409 +HST (ON). written consent of the Fax: 416.979.2707 Planning Researcher Sales and Circulation publisher. ISSN 1918-7548 Andrew Reeves, Senior Reporter Complimentary trial [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] subscriptions are available.

Advertising rates available upon request. FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020 NOVÆ RES URBIS TORONTO 2 the amount of office space working from home all the time, POST-PANDEMIC being allocated to individual especially in shared meeting employees is also likely to rise, rooms or in co-working so some offices could be using spaces could also increase the DESIGN the same amount of space to spread of diseases, meaning accommodate fewer employees that some recreational areas CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 at any one time. in multi-tenant mixed-use or nasty viruses coming out way otherwise considered?” In a press release May 12, residential buildings may need later, then we really need to start Both King and Haider say Twitter announced that it will to be redesigned, Urbanation thinking about re-engineering they believe office buildings be allowing current employees market research director the economy.” are likely to see some of the to work from home “forever” Pauline Lierman told NRU. A major impact of the most significant changes if they choose to do so. Many She says transmission would current changes to the ways as a consequence of altered companies are likely to follow be very likely in shared spaces, people live and work are likely habits during the health crisis. their lead, especially technology especially fitness areas, and the to be seen in the design of Businesses that have historically companies, a category that the main reason those spaces have buildings and the uses being used office buildings as sites City of Toronto has been trying not been transmission vectors demanded by the market, for their operations are more to attract for some time. King during the current pandemic BNKC principal and partner likely to be able to operate with says this could lead changes to is that building operators were Jonathan King told NRU. An employees working from home, residential spaces, with more proactive in shutting them architect, King says clients and will likely be the last to residential buildings offering down early. have already been requesting return to their workplaces since amenities that could make “We’re seeing a lot more design changes to aspects of their businesses can continue working from home simpler flex spaces. Even in new their planned projects, such as to function remotely. Offices and more attractive. purpose-built rentals… [we changes to mechanical systems that can accommodate large “One of the big issues with a have what] we would call like air circulation, which could numbers of staff may reopen lot of the home office scenarios partitionable areas [that] create be a major transmission vector slowly, allowing only some is that… you’re sharing with more intimate areas within for the virus. Researchers at employees to be present in the your partner or your spouse… those spaces as well as having the University of Alberta workplace at any time. roommates… [or] children, more space all together,” says are conducting research to “If COVID-19 or other and your ability to create a Lierman. “[Apartment] units determine whether the HVAC viruses become a permanent space which is professional, are getting smaller still. And system was responsible for feature [of 21st Century life], which is, in some cases, people are looking for that an outbreak at a restaurant in then we may realize that we confidential, and allows you to exterior space where they want Guangzhou, China in January. have overbuilt office space… If focus, is challenged,” says King. to have socialization, so… I “In some cases, it’s our [only] one-third of the workers “Maybe part of the solution think [redesigning residential clients proactively asking us to are allowed in [a] building, to a certain percentage of the spaces to limit transmission] think about these things and to then there will be a lot of space population starting to actually would have to come down to come up with suggestions and that becomes redundant,” says begin working from home is materials and airflow at this solutions to it—to do an audit… Haider. “Perhaps we can benefit to think about the amenities, point.” of the design,” says King. “And from the opportunity and… and to think about perhaps Lierman adds that the in other cases, it’s really the when buildings see redundant providing bookable meeting economics of real estate will design team, thinking about space, they can consolidate space somewhere [in a multi- make it unlikely that developers the projects that we currently space onto certain floors, and unit residential building] that would want to build larger units have on the board. And asking then vacant floors could be has been completely outfitted since that pushes up prices in an ourselves the questions [like] ‘is turned into residential or other with the necessary connectivity already extremely unaffordable there anything that we would do uses.” and technology that that people housing market. She says that differently or need to consider However, in an effort to would be requiring to carry out most existing larger units that doing differently in our current maintain physical distance a meeting or a conference call.” remain affordable for people, design that we wouldn’t have between working individuals, However, more people CONTINUED PAGE 4

FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020 NOVÆ RES URBIS TORONTO 3 IN BRIEF

The Meadoway recognized with over four ravines and seven winners demonstrate that places where we live, work and CSLA 2020 Award of Excellence watercourses in Canada’s landscape architects are leading play.” largest linear urban greenspace. sustainability, conservation and For more information Perkins&Will’s restoration The Meadoway was one recreation by promoting a broad about this project and those of and revitalization plan for of 13 projects across Canada vision for our environment and all of this year’s CSLA award Scarborough’s Meadoway was to be recognized with a CSLA being key players in planning our recipients, please visit the CSLA recognized Wednesday with a award this year from among 68 cities…They illustrate the range website. Canadian Society of Landscape submissions; the only project to of what landscape architects do Architects (CSLA) 2020 Award be recognized in the GTHA. and how landscape architects of Excellence for Planning and In its press release, the are helping to reshape our Data set visualization from Perkins&Will’s Analysis. CSLA noted that “this year’s communities by defining the restoration and The Meadoway transforms revitalization plan for a 16-kilometre active hydro Scarborough’s Meado- corridor stretching from Rouge way, showing elements that were considered National Park through the and analyzed in deter- Don River Valley to Toronto’s mining the firm’s plan downtown from a little-visited for the restoration monocultural green space of and revitalization of Canada’s largest linear mowed grass into a biodiverse urban greenspace. The meadow with community and plan was recognized public realm improvements this week by the Canadian Society of and recreational, educational Landscape Architects and active transportation with a 2020 Award for opportunities. The plan also Excellence in Planning connects five municipal wards, and Analysis. 13 neighbourhoods and over PREPARED BY: PERKINS&WILL SOURCE: CANADIAN SOCIETY OF 60,000 households through LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS

has been spread to others that prevent such a spread,” POST-PANDEMIC to determine how to design says Haider. “With that event new spaces to limit disease history of [infected] individuals transmission. … based on that information, DESIGN “I think what the we can actually redesign, re-jig government should do as a the environment, space, and CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 first step is to understand congregation of individuals especially for families, were learn more about the virus, to how the disease has spread, to counteract what we believe brought about by targeted city determine both the best ways maybe using smartphone apps promoted the… spread of the policies that would need to be to stop its spread and how best to understand these social disease in the past.” broadened to bring in larger to design against the spread networks in time and space units in the future. of future diseases. He says it is and contexts to understand Haider says that right now, critical to examine the spatial how the diseases spread in more research is needed to context in which COVID-19 Canada, and then design spaces

FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020 NOVÆ RES URBIS TORONTO 4