Tag Archives: Young + Wright IBI Group Architects

Berczy condo construction reaches 5th floor

August 15 2012: Construction of The Berczy condo building viewed from the south at the intersection of Church Street and The Esplanade

August 15 2012: Construction has reached four levels at the south end of the complex …

… five floors in the building’s midsection …

… and two floors along Front Street, across from the iconic Flatiron Building

August 15 2012: Construction progress viewed from the northeast on Front Street

This artistic illustration from The Berczy website shows how the 13-storey building will look once construction is completed sometime early next year

Catching glances: While Toronto’s iconic Flatiron Building continues to attract strong interest from tourists exploring the St Lawrence Market neighbourhood, The Berczy condo building across the street seems to be catching more attention from locals — especially now that construction has climbed several levels above grade.

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Construction of 29-storey Motion on Bay rental apartment highrise passes the halfway point

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August 11 2012: Construction of the 29-storey Motion on Bay rental apartment building at Bay & Dundas Streets has reached 17 floors, with 12 more to go

Halfway there: If some of the emails I receive are a reliable indication, there’s a lot of people in Toronto who think that the Motion on Bay Street building currently under construction at Bay & Dundas Streets is going to be “yet another condo,” to borrow the words of one correspondent. After I published some construction photos on May 5, I received several private messages from people requesting information about availability and purchase prices for 1- and 2-bedroom “condos” in the building. (For some reason, a lot of people also assume I’m a condo sales rep.) With this update post, I’m already bracing for another series of similar inquiries.

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Florian condo and Four Seasons Toronto towers fast approaching podium finishes in Yorkville

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Exterior work on the new Four Seasons Hotel Toronto, seen here July 29 2012, is currently focussing on the base of the soaring 55-storey condo and hotel tower, as well as on the streetscape at the northwest corner of Bay Street and Yorkville Avenue.

August 6 2012: In the courtyard on the east side of the Four Seasons tower, a driveway of elaborately patterned paving stones is being installed in front of the porte cochère …

… while work is underway on the other half of the courtyard, where an urban garden will grace the street level in front of the 26-storey Four Seasons condo tower

Meanwhile, just one block to the north, work is nearly finished on the podium of The Florian condo tower on Davenport Road at the top of Bay Street, seen July 29 2012

Marble, glass and masonry accent provide strong angular accents to the long facade of The Florian’s podium, which gently follows the curve of Davenport Road

Exterior finishing touches, including glass panel installation on podium-level balconies, were underway during the August holiday weekend …

… while the revolving lobby entrance door and sheltered front driveway beneath the sharply pointed prow of the podium were in full view to passersby

Finishing touches: During the past three years, public attention on The Florian and the new Four Seasons Toronto condo towers in Yorkville has generally been focussed upward, as construction of the three highrise buildings climbed steadily higher. Now that wooden construction hoarding has been removed from the sidewalks outside both buildings, passersby are finally able to take a good look at architectural details closer to earth, including the exterior of the podiums and the streetscaping and landscaping elements of each project.

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Work reaches 6th floor at Motion on Bay Street

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May 5 2012: Construction workers were busy moving building forms today to prepare to build the 6th level of the Motion rental highrise

May 4 2012: The building will rise 29 storeys at the SW corner of Bay and Dundas Streets, and contain 463 units plus street-level retail shops

Form fitting: The Motion rental highrise at Bay & Dundas Streets reached a new level today, as crews repositioned building forms to prepare for construction of the 6th floor of what will ultimately be a 29-storey tower.

Toronto Police closed Bay Street to traffic for the length of the building site this afternoon while the construction crane hoisted forms from the building’s fifth level, and repositioned them directly above.

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Florian’s classy curves go with the Davenport flow

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The Florian’s long sweeping podium hugs the curve on Davenport Road

Ship shape: When I view The Florian from certain angles, I sometimes feel like I’m looking up at the prow of a tall, grand Cunard ocean liner, like the Queen Mary 2.

That’s the visual impact, on me, of the long, curved podium that draws to a sharp point at the east and west ends of the 25-storey luxury condominium complex currently under construction on Davenport Road, at the northern tip of Bay Street. It won’t be crossing any oceans, but from its berth along the big bend on busy Davenport Road, The Florian will overlook a steady stream of traffic flowing past. Away from the street, The Florian’s crescent-shaped site will be a sea of tranquillity, with lush secluded gardens and landscaped rooftop terraces.

And like a Cunard liner, The Florian will exude class and sophistication: though it’s more than 80% sold, suites are still available at prices ranging from $1 million to more than $3 million.

A project by Diamante Development Corporation, The Florian was designed in a joint venture by Toronto architects Young + Wright / IBI Group Architects and David Pontarini of Hariri Pontarini Architects.

Below is a rendering of the condo entrance, from The Florian website, along with a series of photos I shot recently. More renderings can be viewed at this link on the Hariri Pontarini website.