Toronto City Hall Renovations -

Design Options for Committee Room 1

The Special Committee to Review the Final Report of the Toronto Transition Team recommends the adoption of the recommendations of the Sub-Committee for the Relocation of all Members of Council to City Hall, embodied in the following communication (July 17, 1998) from the Interim Contact, Sub-Committee for the Relocation of All Members of Council to City Hall, subject to amending recommendation No. (2) by deleting therefrom the words "the Chair and" so that Recommendation No. (2) now read as follows:

"(2)that the Commissioner of Corporate Services assure that funds are found within the present budget.":

Recommendations:

The Sub-Committee - Relocation of All Members of Council to City Hall recommends:

(1)that Option A (Curved Horseshoe Option) design for the layout of Committee Room 1 located at Toronto City Hall, as shown in Appendix 1 of report (July 14, 1998) from the Commissioner of Corporate Services, be endorsed; and

(2)that the Chair and Commissioner of Corporate Services assure that funds are found within the present budget.

Background:

The Sub-Committee - Relocation of All Members of Council to City Hall on July 17, 1998, respecting Toronto City Hall Renovations - Design Options for Committee Room 1.

The Sub-Committee's recommendation is noted above.

(Report dated July 14, 1998, addressed to the Sub-Committee for the Relocation of All Members of Council to City Hall from the Commissioner of Corporate Services.)

Purpose:

To present two design options for Committee Room 1 which will be constructed as part of Phase 1 of the renovations to Toronto City Hall to accommodate in-camera meetings of City Council.

Source of Funds:

The additional costs (ranging from $7,000.00 to $15,000.00) required to implement Option A (Curved Horseshoe Option) will have to be provided through adjustments to other items budgeted for within the $5.2 million approved by City Council for the Phase 1 renovations to City Hall.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that one of the two design options for the layout of Committee Room 1 located at Toronto City Hall, as shown on the attached drawings in Appendix 1, be endorsed.

Council Reference/Background/History:

City Council, at its June 3 and 4, 1998 meeting, approved the design concept plans for the Phase 1 renovations to City Hall which included, among other things, renovations to the second floor to accommodate a large meeting room (Committee Room 1) to be used for in-camera meetings of City Council and meetings of the standing committees and other committees to be attended by the public.

Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:

Over the last several weeks, the Project Architect and Project Team have refined the design concept for Committee Room 1 and developed several layout options in response to the operational requirements identified by the City Clerk and the Chair of the Relocation Sub-Committee. The one issue still to be resolved is the design of the head table to accommodate the following:

(a)for in-camera City Council meetings -seating for the Mayor, the City Clerk and one City Clerk's support staff

(b)for committee meetings-seating for the committee chair, two City Clerk's support staff and a commissioner

Two final design options for Committee Room 1 are illustrated on the attached drawings. In OptionA (Curved Horseshoe Option), a curved head table is attached to the inner rows of Councillors' seating, while in Option B (Straight Horseshoe Option), the head table is an attached, straight rectangular table. The Project Team and Project Architect compared the strengths and weaknesses of the two options from an operational perspective as summarized in the attached chart. A third option with a separated, curved head table located at the base of the inner rows was also studied, but it is not one of the options recommended in this report because the resulting committee room layout is inefficient, has numerous design and operational problems and is more costly.

While both options highlighted in this report are acceptable from a design viewpoint, the Straight Horseshoe Option (Option B), as evident from the chart, achieves the functional requirements for City Council's in-camera meetings and committee meetings in a more satisfactory manner.

Conclusions:

The Project Architect together with the Project Team are currently finalizing the detailed layout of Committee Room 1 which will serve as the meeting room for in-camera meetings of City Council and as one of the meeting rooms for standing committees and other committee meetings. There is an urgent need to finalize a design for the head table for this committee room that best meets the operational needs of the various users, so that construction work can begin by mid-July and be completed by the end of the year. It is recommended that one of the two design options presented in this report be selected for this purpose.

Contact Name:

Cathie Macdonald, Project Executive and Interim Lead, Facilities and Real Estate: Phone 392-0449. fax 392-0029.