Nathan Phillip’s Square may be one of the most recognizable green roofs in all of Canada, and it is a key feature of the overall revitalization project for this iconic public space. The design team has already earned numerous awards for their work, and the latest award is one of the most prestigious honours that an architect can receive in the country.

Design firms Perkins+Will and PLANT Architect received a 2016 Governor Generals Medals in Architecture for their work on Toronto’s City Hall, where they opened up the square, improved the theatre stage, erected a snack bar, redesigned the peace garden, and converted unused closed off space to a public park (the podium green roof).

Andrew Frontini of Perkins+Will and Chris Pommer of Plant Architect, the lead architects for the Nathan Phillips Square Revitalization, discuss the Governor Generals Medal in Architecture award at a ceremony on Wednesday, September 21, 2016.

The green roof totals over 36,000 square feet in size, and was custom grown by LiveRoof Ontario, Inc. of Mount-Brydges, Ontario.  Flynn Canada installed the planted roof in the fall of 2009.  A walking tour map of the green roof complete with plant information is available on the City of Toronto’s website.

Andrew Frontini of Perkins + Will reviews key features in the original design and explains how the revitalization is a major landmark for modern architecture in this virtual tour hosted on Metro News Canada.