Approval of Design Concept, Budget and Work
Schedule for Phase One Renovations to Toronto City Hall
The Special Committee to Review the Final Report of the Toronto Transition Team:
(1)submits the communication (May 29, 1998) from the City Clerk; and the report (May 25, 1998) from the
Commissioner of Corporate Services without recommendation, noting, for the information of Council, the urgency
of making a decision by the June 3, 1998, Council meeting; and noting the additional budget requirements
requested in the aforementioned report respecting the Phase One renovations at Toronto City Hall; and
(2)recommends that City Council give consideration to this matter after the scheduled presentation by the
architects at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 4, 1998.
The Special Committee to Review the Final Report of the Toronto Transition Team submits the following
communication (May 29, 1998) from the City Clerk:
The Sub-Committee for the Relocation of All Members of Council to City Hall on May 26, 1998, had before it the
following report/communication:
-(May 25, 1998) from the Commissioner of Corporate Services, respecting the Approval of Design concept, Budget and
Work Schedule for Phase One Renovations to Toronto City Hall; and
-(May 22, 1998) from Councillor Dick O=Brien, Markland-Centennial, respecting City Hall Renovations - Councillors=
Offices Questionnaire.
On Motion by Councillor Moscoe, the Committee:
(1)adopted Recommendations Nos. (1), (2) and (4) embodied in the report (May 25, 1998) from the Commissioner of
Corporate Services;
(2)recommended to the Special Committee to Review the Final Report of the Toronto Transition Team the adoption of
Recommendation Nos. 3(i) and 3(iii) embodied in the report (May 25, 1998) from the Commissioner of Corporate
Services;
(3)recommended to the Special Committee to Review the Final Report of the Toronto Transition Team that a Lottery take
place on June 3, 1998, at City Council after the Architect=s presentation scheduled for 2:00 p.m.;
(4)recommended to the Special Committee to Review the Final Report of the Toronto Transition Team that should
Council agree that those Councillors can remain in their offices at City Hall if they so choose, those Councillors who
choose to remain in their office be excluded from the lottery;
(5)requested that after the outcome of the Lottery, Councillors be given 24 hours to contact the Commissioner of
Corporate Services regarding their decision on:
(i)flexible partitions between staff workstations, as outlined in Recommendation No. 3(i) embodied in the report (May 25,
1998) from the Commissioner of Corporate Services; or
(ii)a fully enclosed office for the Executive Assistant, as outlined in Recommendation No. 3(iii) embodied in the report
(May 25, 1998) from the Commissioner of Corporate Services;
and requested the Commissioner of Corporate Services to report thereon to the next Sub-Committee meeting to be held on
June 10, 1998; and
(6)received the communication (May 22, 1998) from Councillor Dick O=Brien, Markland-Centennial, addressed to the
Project Manager, City Hall Relocation Project Team.
(Report dated May 25, 1998, from the
Commissioner of Corporate Services, addressed to the
Sub-Committee for the Relocation of All Members of Council to City Hall.)
Purpose:
To present the final design concept plans for the Phase One renovations to Toronto City Hall and budget package and work
schedule necessary to complete the project by the end of the year, for City Council=s approval.
Source of Funds:
City Council approved $5.2 million for the Phase One renovations to City Hall. As indicated on the budget schedule
attached in Appendix A, the design concept recommended in this report can be implemented within the $5.2 million
approved budget and $1.14 million from the Operations Maintenance, Equity Program and Access Improvements for City
Owned Buildings Accounts.
If City Council decides on options for Councillors= office layouts beyond the scope of approved budgets, additional funds
will be required up to $314,000.00.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that:
(1)the budget for the Phase One renovations to Toronto City Hall attached in Appendix A be approved;
(2)the design concept for the key components of the Phase One renovations to Toronto City Hall, as described in Section
3 of this report and shown on the attached drawings in Appendix B, be approved;
(3)City Council approve one of the three options for the Councillors= offices, as indicated below:
(i)Councillor=s Office Option No. 1 which includes flexible partitions between staff workstations, as shown on Drawing
No. 1 in Appendix C, with no additional funds required; or
(ii)Councillor=s Office Option No. 2 which includes a three-quarter height drywall partition between staff workstations, as
shown on Drawing No. 2 in Appendix C, with additional funds in the amount of $86,000.00; or
(iii)Councillor=s Office Option No. 3 which includes a fully enclosed office for the Executive Assistant, as shown on
Drawing No. 3 in Appendix C, with additional funds in the amount of $314,000.00.
(4)the work schedule for the Phase One renovations to Toronto City Hall attached in Appendix D be approved.
Background:
At its meeting on February 3 and 4, 1998, City Council approved Toronto City Hall as the seat of government for the new
city. City Council approved Phase One of the renovations to City Hall to consolidate Councillors= offices and City Council
operations at City Hall by the end of 1998, with a budget of $5.2 million.
The Sub-Committee for the Relocation of All Members to City Hall was established by City Council to report to the
Special Committee to Review the Final Report of the Toronto Transition Team and City Council on the renovation plans
and budget for this project. It was also given the task of liaising with the Project Team to ensure that the project adequately
addresses the needs of Councillors.
Discussion:
(1)Scope of Phase One Renovations:
Recognizing that creating a fully functional seat of government at Toronto City Hall is a multi-year project, City Council
approved the first phase of renovations to City Hall necessary to accommodate Councillors= offices, City Council and
committee meetings, and key administrative staff at City Hall by the end of 1998.
The key elements of the Phase 1 renovations to Toronto City Hall include:
(i)Council Chamber Upgrades:
(a)increasing Councillors= seating capacity to accommodate full City Council operations;
(b)installing new audio-visual and enhanced electronic voting systems; and
(c)installing multi-media projection facilities, including full in-house broadcast capability.
(ii)Second Floor Renovations:
(a)accommodating 57 Councillors= offices by adding 34 new offices and refurbishing 23 existing offices;
(b)improving the Mayor=s offices; and
(c)upgrading committee and public meeting rooms, including adding new larger rooms and improving audio-visual
systems.
(iii)Pedestrian Links and Washrooms:
(a)building two fully accessible pedestrian links to provide better connections between the Council Chamber and the east
and west office towers; and
(b)installing additional fully accessible washrooms near the Council Chamber.
(2)Consultation With Stakeholders:
Over the last few months, the Project Team and Project Architect, the architectural firm of Kuwabara, Payne, McKenna,
Blumberg (KPMB) have submitted reports and made presentations on the project to both the Relocation Sub-Committee
and Special Committee and held associated workshop sessions with committee members to provide opportunities for
discussion and resolution of issues.
Meetings have also taken place with numerous key stakeholders such as the Mayor, City Councillors, the Chief
Administrative Officer, Commissioners, the City Clerk and other relevant City staff concerning the Council Chamber and
second floor renovations. The plans as proposed are supported. In addition, there has been ongoing consultation with
Heritage Toronto staff who are satisfied with the proposed renovation plans, including the design of the pedestrian links.
Two open houses were held with Councillors= office staff (Executive, Constituency and Administrative Assistants) to
obtain their comments on the design options for Councillors= office layouts. A questionnaire was also sent to all
Councillors concerning the allocation and design of Councillors= offices. Representing a 70 percent return rate, a total of
39 Councillors responded to the questionnaire survey, as follows:
(a)72 percent agreed that a lottery system to allocate Councillors= offices at City Hall should be held;
(b)64 percent agreed that Councillors in existing offices at City Hall should be permitted to retain their present offices;
(c)54 percent agreed that the standard design elements (i.e., flexible partitions between staff workstations) included in the
$5.2 million approved renovation budget would be acceptable for their offices;
(d)among the 20 Councillors (51 percent) who stated that they want something different for their outer office area:
(i)13 would like a fully enclosed office area for their Executive Assistant (not necessarily sound-proofed);
(ii)another 7 replied that they would like 3/4 height drywall partitions for staff workstations, the relocation of existing
walls to provide better space distribution, or more flexibility in design and colours; and
(iii)only 12 would support an increase in the approved budget for these purposes.
In summary, the Councillors were divided on their requests. Therefore, this report recommends that City Council decide
on the options for the design of Councillors= offices. Once Council approves one of the proposed schemes, the City Clerk
will hold a draw to allocate the Councillors= offices. Staff will then work with individual Councillors to finalize their
office layout.
The Project Team and Project Architect also assessed the accessibility issues related to the Council Chamber, committee
and public meeting rooms and public washrooms to ensure that the accessibility needs of staff and the public are met, as
well as ensuring compliance with the Ontario Building Code. Although staff have made every effort to involve the new
Toronto Joint Committee of People with Disabilities in reviewing the project plans to ensure that the accessibility issues
are adequately addressed, we are still waiting for the committee to be established and meet. Changes to the plans will be
made accordingly.
(3)Phase One Design Concept:
As described earlier, the Phase One renovations can be divided into three distinct project components, namely the Council
Chamber renovations and upgrades, the second floor renovations and the construction of pedestrian links between the
Council Chamber and east and west office towers. The Project Team and Project Architect have developed a design
concept for each of these components as described below.
(a)Council Chamber:
As shown on Drawing Nos. 1 and 2 in Appendix B, the Council Chamber will incorporate the following design elements:
(a)a new podium seating area for the Mayor;
(b)a new expanded seating configuration to accommodate 57 Councillors, including new desks and chairs;
(c)a new seating area for the City Clerk and associated Council support staff;
(d)a new seating arrangement for the Chief Administrative Officer and six Commissioners, facing the Councillors and
public gallery;
(e)installation of new audio-visual and enhanced electronic voting systems;
(f)installation of multi-media projection facilities, including full in-house broadcast capability;
(g)a fully accessible public deputation area; and
(h)enhanced lighting for the Council Chamber floor area and perimeter.
(b)Second Floor:
Renovations to the second floor, as illustrated on Drawing No. 3 in Appendix B, will include the following design
elements:
(i)Councillors= Offices:
The Project Architect used a Astreet@ design concept as the theme for the Councillors= offices, which includes:
-an outer rim of 57 Councillors= offices of approximately the same size, including the addition of 34 new offices and
refurbishing of 23 existing offices;
-Ashop front@ treatment for each office entrance through the use of special signage, lighting and seating elements;
-unifying design features for office interiors through the use of similar lighting, paint colour, and carpet treatments and
workstation layouts;
-four small meeting rooms (10 to 12 people) at strategic locations in the vicinity of Councillors= offices; and
-strategically located reception workstations.
Given the input from the Councillors and their staff on office layout designs, three options have been developed for the
design of workstations for Executive, Constituency, and Administrative Assistants, as follows, including Option 1 which is
already incorporated in the approved budget and Options 2 and 3 which require approval of additional funds.
Recommendation No. (3) of the report, therefore, sets out options for City Council to decide on:
Option 1 (Drawing No. 1 in Appendix C)
-an open concept work area with flexible three-quarter height flexible partitions between workstations.
Option 2 (Drawing No. 2 in Appendix C)
-a three-quarter height drywall partition between workstations.
Option 3 (Drawing No.3 in Appendix C)
-a full-height enclosed office for the Executive Assistant.
(ii)Mayor=s Offices:
-expanded Mayor=s office areas to accommodate the Mayor=s additional functions in the new city.
(iii)Committee/Public Meeting Rooms:
-four strategically located committee/public meeting rooms, with improved table and seating arrangements and upgraded
audio-visual systems.
This plan assumes that meeting rooms at Metro Hall will continue to be used in the short term. Planning for additional
meeting rooms on the ground floor of City Hall, as well as for other uses on he ground floor will begin shortly, once the
Phase One renovations are underway, so that appropriate funding can be requested for the 1999 budgets.
(iv)City Clerk=s Office Area:
-five offices for City Clerk=s senior and support staff; and
-unifying design features for office interiors with paint colours, carpet treatments and enhanced lighting and workstation
layouts.
(c)Pedestrian Links:
As shown on Drawing Nos. 4, 5 and 6 in Appendix B, two elevated, enclosed pedestrian links will be constructed to
provide accessible connections between the Council Chamber and third floor mezzanines which lead into the main elevator
banks of the east and west office towers. This scheme also incorporates additional, accessible public washrooms for use by
visitors to the Council Chamber and Members= Lounge.
(d)Other Matters:
Work is proceeding on a number of other matters as discussed below, which are not included in the Phase One design
concept approval process. Separate reports will be forwarded on these matters in the near future.
(i)Offices for Chief Administrative Officer and Commissioners:
Staff and outside consultants are currently working on staffing needs of the new organizational structure. A preliminary
concept plan is being developed of Awho goes where@, including the civic centres. In the meantime by the end of the year,
the Chief Administrative Officer will be relocated to City Hall, as well as moving all the Commissioners and their offices
into the east and west office towers at City Hall in the close proximity to their departmental staff.
(ii)Security:
A separate building security study will be undertaken shortly to determine the security needs at City Hall, including the
underground parking garage. At the completion of the study later this year, I will report on the study findings, together with
recommendations on any security improvements necessary for City Hall and the budget implications.
(iii)Press Gallery Needs:
Staff have met with members of the City Hall and Metro Hall press galleries to ensure that the renovation plans meet the
media=s audio-visual and broadcast requirements related to the Council Chamber, committee rooms and press gallery
office space.
(iv)Day Care and Fitness Centres:
The day care and fitness centres at both City Hall and Metro Hall will be consulted regarding staff relocations so the
appropriate reallocation of spaces can be accommodated.
(v)Urban Affairs Library:
The relocation of the Urban Affairs Library from Metro Hall to support the new City Council at City Hall is being studied
and moving costs will need to be included in the 1999 budget. A separate report will be prepared on this matter.
As work on the City Hall renovation project progresses, other items will be identified and have to be dealt with, but it is
essential that City Council now approves the design concept plans for Phase One as presented in this report so that the
necessary construction work can be completed by the end of the year.
(4)Budget Schedule:
The budget schedule attached in Appendix A provides a breakdown of the cost estimates associated with the various
components of the Phase One City Hall renovations, revised to reflect major changes resulting from recent program
changes, additional needs identified by stakeholders, and emerging design refinements. For example, the Council Chamber
costs were increased to better accommodate all Councillors and senior staff, create a better public deputation area and
provide an adequate barrier between the Council Chamber floor and public gallery seating areas. The IT costs were
increased to accommodate additional needs identified by the City Clerk and Councillors and are the result of further
modifications to the Councillors= seating areas. Additional costs are also attributable to elevating the two pedestrian links
for better accessibility and adding washrooms on a new third floor mezzanine level.
As already stated, the revised costs related to the design concept recommended in this report can be accommodated within
a budget package consisting of the $5.2 million approved budget and $1.14 million from the Operations Maintenance,
Equity Program and Access Improvements for City Owned Buildings Accounts.
(5)Work Schedule:
The attached work schedule for the Phase One renovations to City Hall (Appendix D) provides a breakdown of the major
activities related to the various project components. The Project Team and Project Architect have worked closely to
develop a properly phased and well coordinated project schedule that includes the design phase, demolition work, tender
bidding and award processes, and construction work necessary to complete the project by the end of the year.
Conclusions:
The Phase One City Hall renovations project is proceeding as scheduled. Staff moves from second floor offices at City
Hall have been completed and demolition work on the floor is underway. City Council, at its June 3 and 4, 1998 meeting,
must approve the design concept plans, budget package and work schedule for the project so that the necessary construction
work can begin on schedule and be completed in time, by the end of the year. Also required is approval of one of three
design options for Councillors= offices, with the necessary funding.
Contact Name:
Cathie Macdonald, Project Executive, phone 392-0449, fax 392-0029 (cs98077.wpd)
List of Appendices:
Appendix A - Budget Schedule for Phase One City Hall Renovations;
Appendix B - Phase One City Hall Renovations: Design Concept Drawings;
Appendix C - Phase One City Hall Renovations: Options for Councillors= Offices; and
Appendix D - Work Schedule For Phase One City Hall Renovations.
The Special Committee to Review the Final Report of the Toronto Transition Team submits the following
communication (May 22, 1998) from Councillor Dick O=
The concern was raised by political staff that the two options which were presented on the questionnaire (with a cost of
$1,500.00 per partition wall vs. Full height sound proof walls at a cost of $7,500.00) should be augmented with a third
choice - a less expensive, non-sound-proof option for offices within each Councillors= office suite. It is my understanding
that you indicated you would advise the Councillors that they could choose this third option, and it could then be
hand-written on the questionnaire.
However, no further notification of this third option appears to have been brought forward to all Councillors. As a result,
only those offices with staff in attendance at the Aopen house@ meeting held on May 20, 1998, would be aware of the
discussions surrounding this third option, and the direction that this third option could be added to the questionnaire.
I am concerned that the results of your questionnaire will be tainted because this third option has not been fully brought
forward by staff in time for the questionnaire to be revised. Faced with a choice of walls at a cost of $1,500.00, compared
to a cost of $7,500.00, may sway Councillors to vote in favour of the cheaper option without being aware that there may be
an option which will be somewhere in between these two prices.
I therefore request that you place this letter on the agenda of the Relocation Sub-Committee agenda of May 26, 1998, so
that all Councillors can be made aware of my concern which may be shared by others.
The following Members of Council appeared before the Special Committee to Review the Final Report of the Toronto
Transition Team, in connection with the foregoing matter:
-Councillor Blake F. Kinahan, Lakeshore-Queensway.
