CN Tower Gateway Toronto: Innovative Mixed-Use Urban Revitalization

Dean Kahremanis was invited to serve as lead design architect and advisor for the Harvard Graduate School of Design's Advanced Management Development Program (AMDP) in Real Estate Design Competition. The Architecture & Real Estate Development Team Design Competition Project focused on a site located adjacent to the CN Tower in Downtown Toronto, Canada. Through this role, Dean provided strategic design guidance, blending architectural innovation with real estate development principles to address the unique challenges and opportunities presented by the prominent urban location. This collaboration fostered a multidisciplinary approach, cultivating solutions that respect contextual significance while pushing the boundaries of sustainable and impactful urban design.

This Harvard GSD-inspired mixed-use development redefines sustainable skyscraper innovation, cantilevering over active rail tracks to forge green roof parks and vibrant Front Street West retail spaces. Expandable towers seamlessly integrate office, residential, and public realms, revitalizing underutilized zones into connected, human-scale urban hubs that amplify energy efficiency and preserve CN Tower views—elevating Downtown Toronto urban design to new heights.

Design & development team:

  • Mikael Arne Fogemann, Executive Director - Nordic Real Estate, Denmark

  • Dean Kahremanis, Principal Design Architect - Parabola A+D, Northville, Michigan

  • Dan Lovell, SIOR, LEED AP, Senior VP - Graham & Co, Birmingham, Alabama

  • Miles Mathieu, VP of Strategy - HCS, Paris, Texas

  • Jonathan Mutch, President & Founder - Rehabitat Inc., Montreal (Qc) Canada

  • Edwin D. Tatum, CEO - TatumTek Modular, Dallas, Texas

  • This unique opportunity required an intricate balance of urban design and infrastructure reconfiguration to foster a vibrant, interconnected urban landscape. The redevelopment efforts prioritized integration with the existing city fabric, ensuring continuity and cohesion.

    The key to this vision involved principles of sustainable development and adaptive reuse, which informed strategic urban planning decisions throughout the process. Innovative architectural solutions and thoughtfully designed public spaces were central to crafting an environment that not only reflects the dynamic energy of Downtown Toronto and the CN Tower but also enhances the overall quality of life for its inhabitants.

  • Creating projecting horizontal cantilevered floors on each level reduced the overall height of the building to maximize views to the adjacent CN Tower. This design strategy not only preserves sightlines but also enhances the architectural presence by emphasizing horizontal planes. By extending floors outward, each level gains outdoor terrace space, enriching the living experience while maintaining a slender building profile. The cantilevered floors act as shading devices, improving energy efficiency and occupant comfort. This approach balances aesthetic appeal with functional benefits, optimizing both view corridors and environmental responsiveness.

  • The relocation of the dated Toronto Convention Center along Front Street West offers an exciting opportunity for our mixed-use development project. Our site design concept encompasses the relocation of the Convention Center, while also incorporating a green roof adorned with trees and walking paths. One of the key design elements of this project involves the integration of the existing linear train tracks below grade. With the tracks out of view, we are able to create new natural park areas and sports fields above, maximizing the use of the available space. This innovative approach not only revitalizes the area but also ensures the efficient utilization of the site, promoting a harmonious coexistence of urban development and natural landscape.

  • When project research is complete, the subconscious mind incubates all of the design and development team data. The napkin sketch evolves out of prior analysis of the design program, and ability to evaluate site opportunities and constraints. Through a multidisciplinary team approach to creative problem solving, insights arrive through intuition. A napkin is a preferred tool to rapidly extract ideas and images from the brain for objective analysis. A simple napkin sketch involves intense hand/eye coordination. As the hand continuously sketches, the brain quickly processes line work and provides feedback to the hand. This feedback loop is instantaneous. Often, a simple napkin sketch holds all of the design program elements, that are translated in a graphic design concept.

  • Our design concept involved the relocation of the existing Convention Center, currently situated on Front Street West. This site holds a prime location as the entrance gateway to the iconic CN Tower.

    By cantilevering a new mixed-use building over the existing train tracks, we have adopted a strategic method to maximize the site's potential. This design not only optimizes available space but also thoughtfully mitigates the visual impact of the train tracks below. The result is an enhanced streetscape that elevates the area's aesthetic appeal and fosters a more dynamic and engaging urban environment.

  • As we studied pedestrian circulation, we decided to build parks and gathering spacers over the existing train tracks. Our site design concept created gathering spaces and public places, while eliminating views of the railroad tracks below.

  • The proposed new location for the Convention Center included roof parks and walkways that connected with an existing bridge to provide a walkable path from our proposed mixed use development to the waterfront.

  • Our initial design concept strategically utilizes cantilevering over the existing train tracks, effectively expanding the leasable square footage without encroaching on the ground-level infrastructure. This approach maximizes the building footprint by hovering above the active rail lines, creating valuable additional space for tenants. Simultaneously, the design incorporates a green roof park atop the cantilevered structure, offering an elevated outdoor amenity that enhances urban connectivity and promotes environmental sustainability. This dual-function solution balances increased development potential with community-focused green space integration.

  • Blending green spaces with neighboring parks and meticulously maintained sports fields creates a unified environment that enhances community engagement and promotes outdoor activity

Early conceptual design studies

  • Our initial design concept proposed a physical barrier between Front Street West and the CN Tower. Despite this, key elements from the original concept were preserved and refined in the final design solution:

    • Horizontal Cantilevered Office Space at Lower Level: This feature enhances the building’s interaction with the street, providing dynamic architectural interest while maximizing usable office space.

    • Parks Above Existing Railroad Tracks: Transforming underutilized infrastructure into green public spaces creates vibrant urban environments, promotes connectivity, and activates the area above the rail corridor.

    • Retail Shopping Along Front Street West: Incorporating retail elements fosters street-level activity, supports local commerce, and enhances pedestrian engagement.

    These elements collectively balance functional requirements with urban integration, transitioning from the initial concept’s separation toward a more cohesive and activated streetscape.

  • A building designed with the potential to expand upward in the future
    We thoroughly researched the costs and staging requirements necessary to expand the proposed building upward at a later date. While the concept is technically viable and structurally sound, our analysis revealed that it is not financially feasible given the current budget and market conditions.

  • Building a park that spans over existing train tracks, we successfully resolved a significant challenge for the City of Toronto. By designing versatile public gathering spaces that allow people to connect with nature, host festivals, and hold sporting events, we brought new life and value to an area that was previously considered unusable and neglected.

  • Enhancing pedestrian connectivity at street level along Front Street West has been achieved through the integration of upscale retail spaces within the lower levels of the new development. These carefully designed retail areas not only activate the street frontage but also create a welcoming environment for shoppers and visitors. Above the second floor of the proposed mixed-use towers, thoughtfully designed outdoor roof parks feature grass, trees, and walkways. These green spaces provide a natural respite, mitigating the urban intensity and fostering a seamless connection with nature in the downtown setting.

A design breakthrough

What if the proposed tower could be constructed as two separate buildings? How would this decision benefit the City of Toronto and the developer?

The space created between the two proposed towers establishes a clear gateway from Front Street West to the CN Tower, enhancing connectivity and urban experience. Horizontal cantilevered projections rising upward offer increased leasable area and additional corner units, effectively expanding usable space without enlarging the building footprint at ground level.

Incorporating a mixed-use program that includes retail, office, and multifamily residential units helps mitigate financial risk by diversifying income streams. Phased construction—completing one tower before the second—further reduces financial exposure for the developer.

A landscaped park with grass and trees situated above existing train tracks not only enriches the public realm but also qualifies for meaningful tax incentives as part of a planned unit development agreement. The resulting views of green space and the CN Tower significantly enhance rental value and overall asset worth.

New retail shops and restaurants along Front Street West are anticipated to boost pedestrian traffic, creating an attractive environment for building occupants and surrounding community alike. This combination of thoughtful architectural strategies and urban design improvements supports both economic viability and place-making.