Toronto-based WZMH Architects is considering another crack at a City of Greater Sudbury library/art gallery project, having previously worked on the Junction East Cultural Hub.
They are one of 67 plan-takers thus far for “professional architectural and engineering services” for the proposed Cultural Hub at Tom Davies Square library/art gallery.
The request for proposal’s question deadline was Feb. 6, and its closing date is Feb. 20.
The Cultural Hub at Tom Davies Square is a library/art gallery project proposed to take shape within the existing 200 Brady Street, which currently houses city hall, and the mostly vacant 199 Larch Street, an attached municipal building to 200 Brady Street’s immediate north.
A library would take up much of the lower three floors of 200 Brady Street, the art gallery would take up the bottom two floors of 199 Larch Street, and most municipal offices would shift from 200 Brady Street to the upper floors of 199 Larch Street.
The project is slated to open by the end of 2026.
Among the 67 plan takers thus far, WZMH is notable for being awarded a similar tender by the city on Oct. 15, 2020, for the Junction East Cultural Hub project, the city’s previously approved but later cancelled library/art gallery project.
At the time, they beat out 12 other bidders from a pool of 59 plan takers.
The Junction East Cultural Hub project was a four-storey, 104,000-square-foot building the city council of the day approved in June 2022, and which a newly elected city council scrapped in February 2023. This sent the project on a path which led to its latest proposed incarnation.
In May 2022, WZMH principal Nicola Casciato presented their incarnation of the Junction East Cultural Hub project to city council, including several conceptual drawings.
The company is known for designing large projects, including libraries, art galleries, museums and skyscrapers. Past projects have included the CN Tower and Canadian Space Agency.
WZMH isn’t the only past Junction East bidder to consider another crack at a city library/art gallery project with the Cultural Hub at Tom Davies Square. Six other Toronto-based architectural firms who bid on the previous project listed as plan-takers this time around.
These include ZAS Architects Inc., RDH Architects inc., Moriyama & Teshima, Kongats Architects, Diamond and Schmitt Architects Incorporated, and Cumulus Architects.
Northern Ontario plan-takers include Prospec Steel Fabrication Limited (Sudbury), Perry + Perry Architects Inc. (Sudbury), North Bay Construction Documents Depository (North Bay), Mitchell Jensen Architects (North Bay), Mitchell Jensen Architects (Lively), Luciw Boudreau Architecture (Sudbury), Danielson Architecture Office Inc. (Sudbury), Centreline Architecture (Sudbury), Bélanger Salach Architecture (Sudbury) and 3rdLine Studio (Sudbury).
Following a successful motion by Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann last month, the project will now include two options. The second option introduced through Landry-Altmann’s motion will include accessibility ramps leading all the way up to the fourth floor of 200 Brady St., as well as a ramp connection to the parking level and first two floors of 199 Larch St.
Both options will include schematic design and Class C cost estimates (preliminary design-stage estimates).
The city is scheduling its first city council update check-in and presentation “as soon as possible,” according to a recent request for proposal addendum, targeting the end of April, “to discuss the feasibility of pursuing the construction of ramps.”
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
