Building Tour: The Port Lands

Join us for our biggest tour yet, as we get an exclusive behind-the-scenes peek to a once-in-a-lifetime transformation of Toronto’s Port Lands!

Put on your hard hat and lace up those safety boots, because our first under-construction tour is less than a month away! Join us for a tour of epic proportions as we take a walk through the Port Lands—an ambitious project that aims to improve quality of life, bring nature back to an underused industrial site and better protect our neighbourhoods from extreme weather conditions.

An example of Waterfront Toronto’s strategy of leading with landscape, the Port Lands project includes the creation of a new naturalised river valley for the Don River, 25 hectares of publicly accessible greenspace and parkland, habitat creation, the establishment of Villiers Island, and the development of new public spaces, roads, bridges, utilities, and water flow and sediment management structures. All of this with the aim of setting the stage for a new neighbourhood to grow. This is an opportunity you won’t want to miss!

Tour Guides

Shannon Baker, Project Director, Parks and Public Realm, Waterfront Toronto

Chris Glaisek, Chief Design Officer, Waterfront Toronto

Don Forbes, Project Director, Soil Remediation and Earthworks, Waterfront Toronto

PPE Required:  All tour attendees must have a hard hat, hi-vis orange safety vest, 6” or greater lace up safety boots, and safety glasses. Anyone attending without the required PPE will not be allowed to participate. No exceptions will be made. If you do not have one of the PPE items but would like to participate, please email us at tsa@torontosocietyofarchitects.ca as we have a limited number of items we can provide.

Accessibility Note: Please note that the tour route will take us through construction roads and other uneven terrain.

TSA Member Priority Access: This tour is free for TSA members using the promo code found in the latest bulletin. TSA members also receive early access to tickets on June 29 at 9:00 AM. Spots remaining will then be made available to non-members on July 13 at 9:00 AM. Not a member yet? You can join the TSA and get access to free and exclusive member programming and discounts by registering online using this link.

Project Description

Toronto’s Port Lands is considered one of the largest underdeveloped stretches of downtown waterfront in North America. Up until now we have been unable to make this industrial area a thriving part of our city because portions are at risk of flooding and the soil is contaminated.

Waterfront Toronto is creating two new outlets for the existing river so that floodwaters can run off into the inner harbour instead of damaging the surrounding neighbourhoods. This work involves digging a kilometer-long river valley, which ends in a new mouth for the Don River. The project is also cleaning up polluted land and building new roads, bridges, utilities and public trails. When this work is finally complete, Waterfront Toronto will have created 25 hectares of publicly accessible greenspace and parkland, starting a new chapter in our harbour’s history. This project is the beginning of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform the face of Toronto.

Learn more about this project. 

About the TSA Building Tours 

Designed for architects by architects, the TSA Building Tours offer unique behind-the-scenes access to recently completed or under construction buildings across the GTA. Led by the team behind their design, these tours provide an opportunity to hear the stories behind the architecture and learn about the challenges and successes in ideating and realising the vision for the building.

Thank You!

TSA Building Tours are made possible thanks to the generous support of STEIN + REGENCY.