Dome

Close view of buildings base; It comprises residential and office high-rises with over 20 storeys, a terrace and an underground shopping concourse. The Toronto Dominion Centre is related in concept to the Federal Center in Chicago and Westmount Square in Montreal. Mies van der Rohe most carefully considered the design of the Toronto project; the other two were carried out by his office under his direction. Asymmetrical groupings of towers on a plaza, the buildings have remarkable similarities despite variations in function. This prototype approach was congenial to Mies van der Rohe, and in Chicago it was played off with the one-story post office pavilion. The clarity of detail and care in design of the walls make these typically Miesian buildings fit their urban settings well. In the Canadian projects, the underground shops, parking, and ties to transportation systems (in Montreal) were important urban considerations.