The insanely large, $400 million parking garage Premier Doug Ford has planned for Ontario Place could sport an equally insane LED screen measuring up to 700 square metres.
To put that size in perspective, the Toronto Raptors play on a court measuring about 436 square metres, while NHL ice rinks that the Toronto Maple Leafs play on measure roughly 1,579 square metres.
According to The Trillium, Infrastructure Ontario asked groups interested in a contract to build the parking garage to consider including the massive “digital media wall.” Moreover, the “digital media wall” would be among the largest of its kind in Canada and would rival the giant digital billboards at Toronto’s Sankofa Square (formerly Yonge Dundas Square).
The details came from documents the provincial government released to groups interested in the garage contract. The Ford government opened a request for proposals (RFP) for the project in early March, with prospective bidders having until 2 p.m. on Tuesday to submit proposals.
The RFP includes a list of ‘optional scope’ items for the parking centre, dubbed ‘Garage Mahal‘ by some. Alongside the massive media wall, the optional scope includes an OPP detachment, a helipad, additional landscaping, an Ontario Place sign, an Architectural Facade, additional EV charging stations, and bicycle parking. However, the optional scope was later updated to remove the OPP detachment and helipad. Instead, the province announced on April 24 it would add an OPP detachment, helicopter pad, police marine unit, and the OPP’s first mounted unit as part of a new administration and maintenance complex.
The ‘base scope’ of the project includes the garage itself, enhancements to Lake Shore Boulevard, realignment of the Martin Goodman Trail, a pick-up/drop-off area, a new bus driveway and drop-off area, EV charging stations, and site landscaping.
Digital screens are a growing trend amongst Toronto’s public buildings. If you take a walk in the recently renovated Union Station, you will see the sheer amount of digital billboards scattered amongst the station. But indoor screens are one thing, and a massive outdoor billboard to beam ads to everyone who can see the parking garage is another.
Image Credit: Therme Canada/Live Nation/Ontario government
Source: The Trillium
