As part of an effort to get Toronto residents engaged in the future of the city's waterfront, the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation is launching an Innovative Design Competition where global design firms will publicly display their concept designs for the public. Five design teams have been short-listed for the competition, and will exhibit their plans for our waterfront from today until May 26, 2006 at various shopping centres across the city.

The competition, which launched last night at the BCE Place Allen Lambert Galleria, brings together designers from seven different countries and over a dozen design firms, each trying to create a vision of the waterfront that will be aesthetically pleasing, economically productive, and ecologically sound. Outgoing TWRC chairman Robert Fung, at the launch last night, said the new project "has the capacity to take us to the forefront in our international evolution, to the role Canada plays in the world."

Thirty-eight design teams from 15 countries submitted proposals for the competition. The five short-listed design concepts each are expected to include the completion of current waterfront projects like the Martin Goodman Trail, and incorporate sustainable technologies that will foster habitat and water quality improvements.

Short-listed design firms include Foster and Partners with Atelier Dreiseitl (renown for their work on the Beijing International Airport), WASAW (a design partnership with a 2.5D design sensibility), Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects & Martinez Lapena-Torres Architects (behind such historical renovations such as the Park Guell by Antonio Gaudi), West 8 & du Toit Allsopp Hillier (a design partnership with roots in Toronto), and P.O.R.T (a multidisciplinary team from three different countries).

Torontonians are invited to see and comment on the design concepts at exhibits at BCE Place, Harbourfront Centre, Eaton Centre, Sherway Gardens, Fairview Mall, and Scarborough Town Centre until May 26. The winner of the competition is expected to be announced by the end of May, with construction to begin this fall.