In 2004, Quadrangle partnered with long-time client Toronto Film Studios on a proposal to create FILMPORT, a complex with the calibre of facilities required for blockbuster films. The lakeshore site would be highly accessible, with outward-facing buildings housing offices, restaurants and a hotel. Within, a matrix of streets, lanes and squares would create “urban rooms” for filming. The completed Phase 1 studio lot (now Pinewood Studios Toronto) boasts the world’s largest purpose-built sound stage, enclosing 4,275 square metres of column-free space in a massive structure with a barrel-vaulted roof that has become an icon conveying Toronto’s production strength to the world. A total of seven sound stages, all with soundproofed concrete walls and truss grids for lighting and effects, are augmented by 10,000 square metres of painting, carpentry, wardrobe and production spaces. The multi-phase FILMPORT development is envisioned as a convergence district for creative industries – and a cultural destination in its own right.
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