Ace Hotel Toronto stands as testament to the quiet but regenerative power that thoughtful architecture and design can have on its environment. Set in the heart of Toronto’s historic Garment District – a neighborhood fueled by innovation and industry at the start of the 20th century – the building’s character and material palette recall the robustness of the surrounding brick-and-beam factories and warehouses.

As it pays homage to what came before, Ace Hotel Toronto is simultaneously attuned to what is yet to come; the building is a civic space, crafted as a home for creative thinkers from near and far, and represents a long-term investment in the city it serves. Forged from a close, years long collaboration between Shim-Sutcliffe Architects and Atelier Ace, the building utilizes materials valued for their intrinsic strength, integrity and tactility, employing the simple and functional to craft something spectacular. The material choices also evoke a particularly Canadian feeling, marking Ace’s first home in the country. Although a new building, the design of Ace Hotel Toronto captures a layered sense of time in order to feel effortlessly at home among its surroundings and, in doing so, obfuscates its own age.

One wonders if the structure has stood for one year or 100 years. The project marks a youthful resurrection of the storied area it inhabits – once a manufacturing center that grew into an important artistic hub – inviting neighbors and newcomers to share space, conversation, a meal, a night or simply something new. It’s a welcoming place where life happens.