Design Story.

The Well

Location: Toronto
Client: RioCan REIT
Expertise: Architecture; Lighting; Landscape Architecture
Completion: 2024
Size: 3 million sq ft

One of the largest and most exciting mixed use redevelopments in North America, The Well has transformed 7.8 acres into a sustainable, vehicle-free neighborhood with seven buildings mixing offices and residences with retail, galleries, bars and restaurants.

The Well is a vibrant new community in the heart of Toronto, designed to connect people with the city's dynamic urban life. This unique neighbourhood caters to all ages, offering pedestrian-friendly walkways, shops, offices, and residences that seamlessly blend together to enhance everyday living.

It features seven towers linked by a central retail spine. This spine, forming the podium's first three levels, supports up to 46-storey residential and office towers. The podium's central row is covered by an innovative glazed canopy, open on all sides for natural ventilation and an ‘open to the fresh air’, atmosphere.

It is now seeing more than 85,000 urbanites flow through the development every day to shop, work, eat and play, becoming a place reimagined for exploration, culinary adventures and new experiences.

“The Well is an incredible achievement in Canadian real estate. It is emblematic of our ability to deliver unitholder value while simultaneously engaging in responsible community building. Our team’s vision, focus, and commitment to excellence has made The Well the most anticipated project in the country. We are excited to see the momentum continue to build in the coming weeks and months with the cascading opening of our impressive roster of retail and food service tenants.”

Jonathan Gitlin, President, and CEO, RioCan

The new retail elements of the development, designed by BDP, create a unique environment in North America, drawing inspiration from urban models more commonly seen in Europe. The architectural character is strongly influenced by the neighbouring King Street West and Wellington West area. The design pays homage to the historical significance of its location, weaving elements of Toronto's industrial and publishing past into its modern architecture.

The use of wood, brick, and terra cotta-coloured steel throughout the development reflects the industrial heritage of King West, creating a design language that bridges the past and future. This integration of historic references into a forward-looking urban space exemplifies a thoughtful blend of tradition and modernity, honouring the area's rich history while providing a contemporary setting for retail and social activities

The design brings an open street retail concept to Toronto, all under a beautiful, glazed canopy. 35,000 sq ft of quadmesh structure acts as an enormous umbrella, protecting 10,000 daily visitors from rain and snow in a naturally lit and ventilated environment, creating an inimitable shopping experience in the city.

It creates a distinctive urban feel with contemporary architecture, creating a memorable place for all, balancing foot traffic across three public levels and creating strong, engaging destinations.

“The Well brings an extraordinary dynamism through its diversity of uses and high urban density. The retail spaces create a vibrancy and character – a uniqueness that reflects its original context in Toronto. The Well is not a typical shopping mall, it is a new cultural quarter that knits a community together and brings a people-centred approach to a multicultural city. We are so happy to see it operational and we look forward to seeing it bring a new, active dimension to Toronto.”

Adrian Price, Principal, BDP

0visitors

a day

6million litre

thermal storage tank

0residents

1.2million sq ft

of office space

0sq ft

of retail space

1.5million sq ft

of residential

The retail spaces add vibrancy and character, creating a uniqueness that reflects Toronto's context. The Well is not just another shopping mall; it is a new cultural quarter that weaves a community together, embracing a people-centred approach in one of the world’s most multicultural cities.

The canopy is designed to be much more than a practical shelter from the elements. It transforms the retail arcade into a striking example of modern architectural excellence, seamlessly blending functionality and elegance. It symbolises The Well's integration of residential, office, and retail spaces into a dynamic 'micro-city,' providing a one-of-a-kind experience in North America.

By beautifully complementing the historic character of the surrounding area, the design exemplifies how architecture can be both innovative and deeply connected to its context, making The Well a landmark in Toronto’s urban landscape.

A LEED Platinum scheme, the lighting delivers the most efficient solution possible, where localised accent is key, and no energy is wasted. The maximum percentage of uplights were located strictly within building perimeters to minimise light spill. With 1750 apartments above, this also minimises spill light into apartments.

Sited between a dense array of tall buildings, all daylight is heavily filtered and reflected through the alleyways down onto the concourse level. The lighting is designed to complement the surrounding palette of brick and terracotta materials and create a warm cool contrast against the patches of daylight.

The food market on the lower ground floor dramatically transforms between lunch and evening dining. A bright crisp ambience at lunch hour washes high output indirect light to the ceilings to create an active dynamic atmosphere for diners. This detail gradually dims throughout the day and turns off by night leaving an array of spots to provide warm pools of light to tables and dining concessions.

The Well Landscape P2007252_BD_N155_large.jpg

Landscape architecture by BDP and CCxA, reimagines the neighbourhood by re-establishing long-lost connections through a variety of public spaces that harmonise with the area's scale and character. A spacious promenade, adorned with double rows of trees, lush planting areas, and public terraces, restores the green corridor between the two existing squares, replacing the current parking lots that dominate the space.

The streets are transformed into pedestrian-friendly, tree-lined avenues, featuring broad, elevated crosswalks made of stone pavers. A new ramp on the east side of the Puente de Luz footbridge connects to a boardwalk running along Front Street. Meanwhile, the Draper Street Garden, nestled on a vacant lot between historic empire-style cottages, offers a serene, hidden threshold to the Spine.

Cookies

The Well