One York
MENKES DEVELOPMENTs, TORONTO
Located in Toronto’s South Core, One York stands as a mixed-use complex seamlessly blending offices, retail spaces, and residences. This integrated development boasts a range of top-tier amenities, including a connected roof garden, wellness center, and a sophisticated food hall and bar.
Distinguished as one of the pioneering office towers outside Toronto’s conventional financial district within the South Core, KDA adopted a strategic approach to the One York project by aiming to establish a distinct brandmark, clear identity, and effective wayfinding system.
This approach had a dual purpose: firstly, creating a prominent and eye-catching display of One York’s address facing the Gardiner Expressway, thus immediately establishing the property as a prominent and noteworthy addition to Toronto’s landscape. Secondly, the signage and wayfinding strategy was closely integrated with the architectural design, seamlessly directing the public, office occupants, and residents throughout the 35-story office tower, three levels of retail, five levels of parking and the PATH connection leading to Toronto’s Union Station.
Crafting a Master Plan
KDA’s master plan strategy focused on addressing crucial aspects of anchor office and retail identification, which played a pivotal role in securing tenant leases. A considerable number of these signs necessitated intricate variances, encompassing placement, size, and quantity considerations. KDA meticulously crafted a compelling justification to support these requests, grounded in the project’s scale and architectural design. The process of resolving these issues and obtaining approvals from City staff was adeptly managed by KDA, contributing significantly to the overall success of the development.
Designing the Brandmark
KDA undertook the creation of One York’s prominent brandmark, which involved transforming the building’s address into its brand name. The brandmark is showcased prominently atop the podium at a commanding scale. This placement ensured visibility from all angles for pedestrians and provided a captivating view for the approximately 140,000 daily commuters on the Gardiner Expressway. The design of the podium’s curtain-wall was skillfully crafted by Sweeny &Co Architects.
Navigation for Five Parking Levels
The wayfinding and messaging strategy for the parking garage catered to both vehicular and pedestrian navigation needs across the entire property, spanning the retail podium, office tower, and residential towers. KDA also created a unique overhead parking directional fixture plan that combined digital directional arrows from a parking guidance system, ensuring smooth traffic flow and adherence to different operational needs throughout the day.
Additionally, an environmental graphics program was implemented to enhance pedestrian wayfinding within the parking levels, directing individuals to specific program elements within this multi-functional space.