The JRC building is positioned diagonally across the site connecting it to the ‘Jardin Americano’ river-front and the Torre Sevilla market in a seamless continuous public space. Placing the building diagonally also creates a new public square on one side of the building and a private garden for the JRC community on the other. The floorplates of the research center step back as the building ascends, creating a series of terraces, shaded outdoor spaces for breakouts, relaxation, and informal meetings with views of the city.

The building includes flexible workspaces with a full-height perimeter glazed-façade – maximizing daylight and offering panoramic views towards historic landmarks such as World Heritage St Paul’s Cathedral, Old Bailey, St Brides and the Royal Courts of Justice. Fleet Street embeds strong environmental credentials geared to meet the benchmarks set out by Whole Life Carbon and Circular Economy principles to reduce the embodied carbon of the development.

The site includes several historic buildings which King Toronto wraps around like a new organic frame. Each building unit is set at the size of a room, rotated degrees from the street grid to increase exposure to light and air. The resulting urban volume is an alternative to the tower and podium typology prevalent in Toronto. It echoes some of Moshe Safdie&#;s most revolutionary ideas from Habitat in Montreal, but rather than a utopian experiment on an island, it is nested in the heart of the city.

The HQ&#;s south-facing façade is pushed back and oriented towards the main orbital motorway, attracting passersby and gaining visibility from passengers arriving from Amsterdam RAI trains or driving from Europaboulevard. The stepped-back façade also creates an entrance for the building itself, while serving as both passage for pedestrians and traffic barrier for residents in the Kop Zuidas community.

The façade design builds off of Gowanus’ rich industrial history by harmonizing the warm tones of weathering steel and red-pigmented concrete with the neighboring red brick warehouses. Evoking an industrial logic, the building’s organic slopes are composed of only straight elements creating a unique faceted form. Through its architecture, public waterfront and diverse mix of program, our proposal aims to strengthen the distinct characteristics of Gowanus into an iconic community oriented destination.