IBI Group Recognized for Leadership in Urban Mobility
– Global design and technology firm receives awards for buildings and infrastructure projects –
TORONTO, ON (April 9, 2019) – A global design and technology firm with more than 2,600 employees, IBI Group’s expertise in designing smart, connected cities and communities has been a core competency of the firm for the last 40 years. Providing a range of services related to the integrated and sustainable movement of people, goods and information, several prominent architecture and urban design projects in the mobility sector recently received awards. These awards highlight the outstanding contributions of IBI Group’s global architects, urban designers, planners and engineers.
As part of the Toronto Transit Commission’s six-station, $3.2 billion Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension (TYSSE), IBI Group was engaged as architect of record for Pioneer Village and Finch West Stations, working in collaboration with Will Alsop. IBI Group, along with the full design team, was recognized with an Architectural Merit: Cast-In-Place Award at the 2018 Ontario Concrete Awards for its outstanding work on Pioneer Village Station. The design incorporates a notable amount of exposed architectural concrete including a double-curved ceiling slab, iconic rock wall and massive sloped elliptical columns. Destined to become a civic landmark, the station is defined by a fluid, continuous connection from surface level down to the platform, embodying playfulness, free-flowing movement and warm light.
The Mississauga Transitway, an 18-km Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor located in the Greater Toronto Area, has been recognized with a number of accolades, including an Award of Merit for Design Excellence in Infrastructure from the American Institute of Architects New York and American Society of Landscape Architects New York (AIANY + ASLANY) Transportation + Infrastructure Design Excellence Awards. The stations’ designs were commended for their prominent identity and context-sensitive design approach, acting as a catalyst for the urban intensification, civic improvement, and economic growth of the city. As Design Architect of the eight MiWay stations along the east segment and two GO Transit stations comprising the west segment, IBI Group has also been recognized with a 2018 Ontario Public Works Association (OPWA) Project of the Year Award. Additionally, the transitway received a Healthy by Design Award and an Award of Merit at the 2018 Mississauga Urban Design Awards.
IBI Group’s Los Angeles Civic Center Master Plan won the 2018 Citation Design Award in the Unbuilt Category at the Southern California Development Forum Design Awards for its focus on connectivity and accessibility. “Our master development plan presented a holistic vision for a vibrant mixed-use community, uniting municipal, cultural, retail and residential facilities in the heart of downtown LA,” said Associate Director and Lead Architect on the project, Kirk Shimazu. By better utilizing city-owned properties and ensuring a vibrant public realm, the envisioned development will turn an underused 9-to-5 district into a thriving 24/7 mixed-use destination.
In the UK, IBI Group, alongside Mott MacDonald, were recognized by the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) with a Creating Better Places Award for the Frodsham Street Pedestrian Priority Scheme in Chester. Originally a narrow, secondary retail street mainly used as a movement corridor, IBI Group transformed the area into a shared space for pedestrians and vehicles to navigate comfortably and enjoy. New seating is positioned to communicate to drivers that the whole width of the street is for pedestrians, creating previously lacking social areas and opportunities for rest. Additionally, the street features a tactile strip guiding blind and partially-sighted users to a car-free zone. The project was also recognized at the Transport Practitioners Meeting (TPM) 2018 winning the Urban Transport Design Award.
A selection of global award wins from IBI Group’s Buildings and Infrastructure sectors, the firm received additional awards and accolades in 2018 for its global projects and integrated services in architecture, interior design, planning, engineering and technology. For more information, please visit 5imeili.net.
For more information or to speak with an IBI Group professional, please contact Cassidy McDonald at cassidy.mcdonald@5imeili.net or 613-849-8761.