Atelier Ace is opening its first Canadian property, Ace Hotel Toronto, in the heart of the city’s Fashion District next fall. Situated next door to the St. Andrew’s Market and Playground, Ace Hotel Toronto is designed by Shim-Sutcliffe Architects.
“Toronto is an expansive amalgam of cultures, languages, history, and future- forward ideas, and we couldn’t be more excited to call it home. Working with the deftly accomplished and visionary team at Shim-Sutcliffe to build a central gathering place for the city is an honor. We can’t wait to throw open our doors in one of the most multicultural cities in the world,” said Kelly Sawdon, Partner and Chief Brand Officer.
Shim-Sutcliffe Architects‘ design seeks inspiration directly from the neighborhood and its natural areas.
“We share core elemental values with Atelier Ace and worked together to build a civic space that feels warm and welcoming. A local place to gather, Ace Hotel Toronto is a contribution to the neighborhood and city itself, elevating Toronto’s rich history through form and materials, energized by its inhabitants and visitors,” write the architects.
In homage to the rich history of industrial buildings in the former warehouse neighborhood, the design features red brick and exposed board-formed concrete, left unadorned as a celebration of process.
Overlooking a public park, the hotel’s lobby will be an animated cultural hub—what Shim-Sutcliffe calls a “truly civic” space.
The public spaces of the hotel feature Douglas Fir, red Toronto brick, and steel—North American materials valued for their intrinsic strength, and tied to Toronto’s layered history and natural resources.
Architectural elements including exposed joints, knuckles and brick reflect a deep respect for form and material.
Ace Hotel Toronto expands the global presence of Ace in cities that include Kyoto (Spring 2020), Sydney (2021), Chicago, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, London, New York, Palm Springs, Portland and Seattle.
The Toronto hotel is developed in partnership with Zinc Developments and Alterra Group, and investors and partners ProWinko and Finer Space/B-Right Corporation.
