Finch West Station

Overview

Finch West Station is located under Keele Street, north of Finch Avenue West. The hydro corridor to the north of the station accommodates commuter parking for 358 vehicles, Passenger Pick-Up and Drop-Off with associated access roads from Keele Street.

Passengers approaching the station from this area cross the Four Winds Drive extension to enter the station through an automatic entrance on the east side of Keele Street. The automatic entrance, bus terminal, and secure bicycle parking are located under an elevated substation facility. The northern end of the substation box extends over the automatic entrance doors providing a canopy to this entrance. This extension is back lit to form a glowing panel to further highlight the entrance point to patrons from the parking lot and the passenger pick-up and drop-off.

The main entrance is located on the west side of Keele Street just north of the intersection with Finch Avenue West. The cool roof over this entrance and the green roof over the elevated substation box meet the Toronto Green Standard and the Green Roof Bylaw. Glazing is bird-friendly fritted glass, with occasional panels of coloured art glass, in clear anodized aluminum curtain wall framing. The parapet wall and façade above the glazing are clad with fibrous cement panels in a black and white graphic pattern.

Finch West Station incorporates:

• Cool roof and green roofs;
• Increased daylight levels to reduce electric lighting power usage;
•  LED lighting in pylon signs, and energy efficient lighting in illuminated wayfinding;
• Water efficient plumbing fixtures;
• Energy efficient HVAC system;
• Reduced storm water runoff into the municipal drainage system by utilizing green roof landscaping and soft landscaping areas adjacent to other building runoff areas;
• 100 secure and 13 short term bicycle parking spaces; and
• Landscaping with native and drought tolerant species.

Follow these links to the TTC Commission Reports and learn more about the conceptual design and features for Station:

• Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension Project - Finch West Station - Approval of Conceptual Design
• Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension Project - Finch West Station - Approval of Finishes and Artwork

Design Images

Exterior Bus Terminal

Interior Bus Terminal

Main Entrance Interior

Interior Concourse

Interior Platform

Public Art

Bruce McLean

Bruce McLean, based in London, United Kingdom, has been awarded the public art contract for Finch West Station. Mr. McLean is an internationally recognized artist, known for his performance art, as well as photography and sculpture. His work is currently featured in the Tate Gallery in London.

The Artist has worked very closely with the architectural design team to develop a concept of public art being fully integrated with the architecture and the structure so that it is woven into the very fabric of the station; physically supporting it to form a unified aesthetic language of design.

In the artist’s words…

The sculptures are intended to be part of the structure and fabric of the building and should in a way be invisible. The structures supporting the power substation are referencing Greek caryatids; the pillars supporting the underground roof reference 6,000 year old Minorcan pillars supporting underground houses based, I believe, on the structure of a palm tree and are, I also believe, the inspiration for the form of the barrel vault, so in effect it’s making use of the ancient in modern times.

The formal aspects of the artwork are comprised of strong sculptural concrete forms that are integrated into the supporting columns of the substation and entrance buildings, the bus canopy, and double-height columns below grade. Every visible aspect of the public space of this project is a blending of the boundaries between art and architecture.

Architect's Concept

One of the key design principles of Finch West Subway Station is to integrate architecture, engineering and art. A consortium of design and project management consultants consisting of SGA/IBI, Lea Consulting, HH Angus and Associates, Pivotal Projects and Janet Rosenberg and Associates in collaboration with Will Alsop and artist Bruce McLean, were challenged to create a station design that acted as a catalyst to a new exciting public realm.

The various at grade building components (bus terminal, transformer yard and main subway station entrance) were developed to create colourful, transparent pedestrian entrances topped with stripped volumes supported on a collection of sculpted art columns. These columns continue down to the platform level, linking this stop to the street in a two-storey, full height space adding to the drama of the interior public experience. The bus terminal continues these visceral effects outside onto the waiting areas with overlapping, sculpted canopies that wrap the raised substation. Responding to the dynamics of transit user movements and traffic, the canopies, terminals, entrances and supporting facilities are designed to work in concert, engaging the public life of the neighbourhood. The resulting concept blurs the purviews of the disciplines, yielding a concept that is both functional and visually exciting.