Renzo Piano Building Workshop has revealed its first project in Canada: a Toronto courthouse elevated on columns to expose tall glazed walls and a 20-metre-high atrium.
Italian architect Piano and his firm will build the Toronto Courthouse in the Downtown area ? close to the city's current major courthouse, which was completed in 1967, and the Superior Court of Justice.
Commissioned by Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of the Attorney General, the new facility will provide a home for a number of law courts that are currently scattered across Toronto, with the aim to create a modern and efficient service for the residents of the city and surrounding province.
The building will be Renzo Piano Building Workshop's first development in Canada. It follows the studio's recent amalgamation of law courts in Paris, and recognisable projects like The Shard in London and The New York Times Building.
Located on 10 Armoury Street, the courthouse will comprise a large tower block featuring set backs and cutouts. The main volume will be raised on tall columns to create an open space for a public plaza on the ground level, mirroring the way that the nearby Nathan Phillips Square adjoins Toronto City Hall.
Newly released renderings show glass walls that appear to rise nearly four storeys from street level. These will front the building, encouraging passersby to enter the 20-metre-high atrium inside.
Internal walls wrapping the foyer will also be glazed to allow plenty of natural l...