Toronto Community Housing is holding a design competition to select an architectural firm that will partner with TCHC on the first new building to be erected in Regent Park. Five architectural firms, chosen from a pre-qualified list, have been asked to submit proposals that illustrate a commitment to design excellence and environmental sustainability. The building to be designed -- a tower in the northwest corner of Regent Park at Dundas and Sackville streets -- will be part of the first phase of the Regent Park Revitalization. The five firms are: Architects Alliance; Diamond & Schmitt Architects Inc.; Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg; Montgomery Sisam; and, Teeple Architects.

"We intend to hold architectural competitions throughout the revitalization of Regent Park," says Mark Guslits, Chief Development Officer for Toronto Community Housing. "These competitions promote excellence in design and architecture and allow an array of firms to come forward and display their creativity and expertise."

The five companies are required to submit designs by June 21, 2005. A five-person jury will judge the designs on June 24, after which a winner will be announced. All five designs will go on public display for a week after the competition.

Toronto Community Housing has retained Architect Joe Lobko as its professional advisor for the competition. In addition, five people have agreed to serve on the jury: Ken Greenberg of Greenberg Consultants Inc.; Gregory Henriquez of the Vancouver firm of Henriquez Partners Architects; Brigitte Shim of Shim-Sutcliffe Architects; Katrina Miller of the Toronto Environmental Alliance and the Beautiful City Roundtable; and, a Regent Park resident who will be named at a later date.

The revitalization of Regent Park is the largest redevelopment of a social housing community in Canada. Located in east downtown, the 69-acre community is bordered by Parliament, Gerrard, River and Shuter streets. Redevelopment will proceed over the next 10-12 years in six phases, with Phase 1 scheduled to begin construction in 2006.