The province has awarded a contract for the new Ontario Science Centre to a firm known for designing the CN Tower.
WZMH Architects was awarded a contract for preliminary work on the science centre that the Ford government is planning to build at Ontario Place.
The company will be responsible for planning, design and conformance compliance services, according to bid documents published on Tuesday.
WZMH Architects was launched in 1961, its website says. It's been based in Toronto since its foundation.
In the decades since it helped design the CN Tower, WZMH Architects has designed several other recognizable buildings in Toronto’s downtown, including the Royal Bank Plaza and EY Tower skyscrapers.
The company has designed various international projects as well, having contributed to projects built in China, Abu Dhabi, Egypt, Poland, the United States and other countries.
Documents published by Infrastructure Ontario soliciting bidders for a new science centre described the province's desire for a "unique architectural and energy efficient flagship facility" at Ontario Place. They also warned of the impact of space constraints on the new science centre’s offerings, saying that "a required reduction in the size of the building/square footage” would result in the “rationalization of the current activities."
The bid documents included an underground parking garage. Plans for the garage have, however, changed since the tender was first issued.
As part of November’s “new deal” with Toronto to help solve the provincial capital’s budget woes, Premier Doug Ford agreed to move to the contentious parking facility offsite.
“Maybe that’s not the best place to go, where we had it,” Ford said at the time. “So let’s move it. Let’s flip it over to Exhibition Stadium (and) have more open space towards the lake.”
It’s not clear how Ford’s deal with Toronto will affect the parking garage work in the tender. Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma and Infrastructure Ontario did not respond to an immediate request for clarification on Tuesday.
The contract awarded to WZMH Architects marks the first of several stages involved in the science centre’s move to Ontario Place.
In early December, Infrastructure Ontario announced it plans to issue a request for quotes for the actual construction of the new science centre this spring, with a request for proposals following in late fall or winter. The provincial agency hopes shovels will break ground between October and December 2025.
The province’s recently released business case said the total cost of building the new centre, including rehabilitating the heritage pods and new exhibits, is $386 million.
