Shopping mall in Toronto. Retail & Design mixes the new and the existing

Hariri Pontarini Architects worked closely with St. Thomas Commercial Developments Inc. to design 7 St. Thomas, a building that harmonizes retail and commercial design through an inventive play of form and light, mixing Victorian and contemporary materials to create a unified work of art

Six historic townhouses are integrated into a three-storey podium, with a sinuous tower six floors above. The development houses retail stores at ground level and condominium office space in all, blending high design, ecological responsibility and civic value. "We see this project as a representative of the quality we see globally, in cities like London and New York, but built locally," said David Pontarini, founding partner of Hariri Pontarini Architects. "It is a testament to Patrick Quigley, President of Commercial Development at St. Thomas, to push the city into the boundaries of design in Toronto.  The design stems from a desire to integrate seamlessly into the existing fabric of the neighborhood and contribute to the urban environment

The building moves away from its surroundings to preserve the light and views of existing residential buildings. A square-like square on the corner of St. Thomas and along Sultan Street is a public attraction in the densely built area.   The podium envelops and incorporates the historic buildings, elegantly balancing proportions and using glass and stone to contrast and enhance the existing facades. The tower is wrapped in a veil of crumbly, undulating glass. Taking a step back from the Victorian base, the tower seems to float over

The heritage façades of the six terraced houses built in 1880 have been meticulously restored by ERA Architects, restoring the original charm of the masonry, windows, cladding, dormer windows and sloping roofs. The entrances to the street-oriented commercial spaces have been modified for inclusive accessibility, preserving the historic character of the buildings. Inside the reconstructed townhouses, individual office suites have been maintained as individual office suites in order to preserve the quality of space inside old houses and break down the lower levels into small multi-level commercial suites creating a fine-grained street-level experience

7 St.Thomas is among the first of its kind in Toronto, offering exclusive commercial properties. Shared common elements are refined and sophisticated. A marble-clad lobby, designed by Munge Studio with a pale white palette and chromium-plated black graphic accents expresses the horizontal fluidity of the architecture through vertical lacquered panels, unifying their undulating motion and modernity. A meeting room with state-of-the-art presentation technology and bathrooms on each floor are common areas for suite owners to share. The design enables sizeable suites to accommodate a wide range of businesses

The building contributes to the urban environment through various features including a high-performance partition wall with a ceramic frit that reduces heat transmission, large-capacity rainwater tanks that are part of the building's grey water system and low water consumption green terraces on the third and ninth floors. Capitalizing on its location in the middle of a growing residential district, its close proximity to multiple transit lines and the high acceptance of walking and cycling make 7 St.Thomas a functionally integrated development and model for urban sustainability