Wellington Market is a 70,000 sq. ft. hybrid food market located in The Well in downtown Toronto. With a central bar, it is fully licensed and consists of multiple kiosks leased to various vendors which include quick service restaurants with common dining area, casual restaurants, food and retail shops, and a 5,000 sq. ft. venue for community engagement, culinary workshops, and corporate meetings. With kiosks ranging from floral boutiques and bars to games cafés and international kitchens, Wellington Market delivers an expansive theatre of food, layered in sensory richness and architectural storytelling.
The woven wood ceiling above the central bar gathers and organizes the diverse market typologies under one over-arching idea. Gentle swells and waves in the ceiling are inspired by the nearby lake while mitigating challenges of low ceilings and HVAC. Vistas and horizons within the market draw users through the experience. A typology of low and open-frame market stalls allows for sight lines through the vast space. This confluence of market and performance informs the overall aesthetic.
The design is unique in that it leverages the rich industrial heritage of the characteristic waterfront neighbourhood of old Toronto to create new character, texture, and authentic experience critical for defining a new Hybrid Market.
The market systems, detailed and distinct, thread along a dynamic promenade whose sinuous geometry creates joyous exchange of patrons, underneath anchoring ceiling elements and custom light fixtures. The following range of market typologies ensure a dynamic interchange of diverse tenants over time:
The ‘Shoreline Edge’ is a repeating glazed and matt brick bay whose undulating shape emulates the nearby lake edge and the long-lost historic Lake Iroquois that brushes the site of the market. These stalls are defined by robust arches with solidity of textured masonry. In contrast, the ‘Eroded Shoreline’ is a repeating bay of stalls with Unistrut frames that open site lines and create a porosity to the rest of the market. The ‘Island’ is as its name implies more open in nature and uses Unistrut to define tenant areas while providing an opportunity for signage and products. ‘Rafts’ in the centre of the marketplace are open and flexible in nature, surrounded by patterned circulation areas. These are low and invoke a more traditional market feel. Quick Service Restaurants are large anchor tenants that require seating and kitchen space. The leasable area is defined while allowing large openings for a distinct aesthetic. Seating zones are sprinkled throughout – each relating to the corresponding, adjacent market stall typologies.
Wellington Market is designed to be Toronto’s go-to location for market fresh and artisan food, culinary exploration, and experiences – a vibrant, ever-changing landscape of food, retail, and community gathering that adapts to evolving vendor needs while preserving a cohesive identity in joyful, curated joyous chaos.
