Artscape Launchpad / Daniels Waterfront – City of Arts

132 Queens Quay East
Toronto, Ontario

Artscape Launchpad

Type: New construction

Size: 1,320,000 sf

Project Cost: $TBD

Development Partners:
—The Daniels Corporation
—WJ Properties
—Artscape
—George Brown College
—OCAD University
—City of Toronto
Status: In development, projected opening 2018

City of the Arts is being called a visionary ‘livework-play-learn-create’ master-planned community at Toronto’s emerging East Bayfront neighbourhood along the waterfront. It will include residential, office, retail, academic (George Brown College, OCAD University), arts and cultural components. The Creative Industries Hub facility will be a focal point and house a cluster of arts organizations, including the Artscape Daniels Launchpad. Construction is in two phases and will include two condo towers. The first is a 48-storey 516-unit tower called Lighthouse Tower, with more than 900 suites and two offices towers with 325,000 square feet of office space.
 
Complexity / Collaboration

This is a large development which includes many partners. Daniels is the lead party and will relocate its head office to the office towers, sending a mes- sage to prospective tenants.

User Interaction / Partnership Framework 

Daniels is looking to attract companies in media, arts, film and music production, with the idea that businesses rooted in arts and entertainment will find the space attractive, particularly given the Creative Industries Hub. Artscape will operate Launchpad using a membership model for access to its main facilities and creative production stu- dios, including a multi-disciplinary co-working environment with equipment, technology, programs and services to help members grow their incomes and launch new businesses.

Cost / Funding

Artscape Launchpad has raised $21.4 million in funding, including $14 million in capital funding, $4.5 million in community bonds and $3 million in program and start-up funding. Capital contributors include the Daniels Foundation ($5.75 mil- lion), the Government of Canada through Canadian Heritage ($3.5 million), the Ontario Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science ($3 million), TD Bank and a network of philanthropic donors. Program funding contributors include the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario and the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Daniels will contribute $3 million toward public art.

Artscape

 

Risk

This development includes a wide variety of users that benefit from having space dedicated to art- ists and creative professionals, now understood to be at the heart of the creative economy which contributes huge value and helps drive Ontario’s economic growth.

Unique Features

Launchpad will be a new model of creative space, that is part incubator, part co-working facility and centre for entrepreneurship, which combines programs, services and facilities. According to Artscape, it will be the only centre of its kind in the world, a game-changer for artists and designers and boost to the creative economy.

Artscape