Finalized designs for Foster + Partners newest residential project in Canada were revealed in Toronto this week, at an event celebrating the launch of Lanterra’s 50 Scollard Street tower. Designed in collaboration with Toronto’s RAW Design and heritage consultants ERA Architects, the Yorkville condominium is billed as one of the city’s most luxurious properties, with prices reported as high as $2,500 to $2,800 per square foot.
The 41-storey residential tower is located on the corner of Bay and Scollard Streets in Yorkville, Toronto. The new development enhances the connection between the Jesse Ketchum Park to its west and the larger Yorkville Green Corridor to the south by creating a new public plaza at the corner of Bay and Scollard Streets, where a heritage building currently stands. The proposal seeks to relocate the entire building to the south-eastern corner of the site, thereby freeing up space in front of the residential tower.
The form of the tower also steps back dramatically, adding volume to the landscaped plaza, which features a sculptural tree hedge – the space can be used as a performance area for staged events, screenings and projections, to host farmers’ markets, for festivals and open-air dining events. Shops and restaurants within the heritage building and tower, including the restaurant on the third floor, provide active social spaces for both residents and public, making a positive contribution to the surrounding urban realm.
Nigel Dancey, Head of Studio, Foster + Partners: “The building has truly evolved from its context, a timeless addition to the Toronto skyline. The massing was sculpted to minimize the shadow falling on the adjacent park and school yard, while maintaining a purity of geometry and structural expression.”
"We worked...with the city and the local residents to evolve a design that resonated with the historic character of the district"
- Nigel Dancey, Foster + Partners
Setting itself apart from the usual ‘green glass tower’, the building has been inspired by the colours and textures of the surrounding urban fabric, giving the tower a materiality that relates to the unique character of the borough. The pure geometry and structural expression provide a timeless quality, creating a harmonious relationship between the tower and the heritage area of Yorkville – a new addition that makes a positive contribution to the community.
“Public engagement was an integral part of the design process, where we worked hand-in-hand with the city and the local residents to evolve a design that resonated with the historic character of the district, while being very much ‘of its own time’,” added Dancey.
The building reveals expansive private terraces as it steps back at upper levels, and a majority of residential units feature dual aspect views to the Don Valley Parklands to the east and over Yorkville to the west. Expansive layouts, full height windows and Juliet balconies, all come together harmoniously to provide a luxurious living experience.
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