Now that Spring has finally sprung and winter is (hopefully:) a distant memory, we are gearing up for the launch of the terrace at The Yorkdale Condominium!
The terrace is several thousand square feet of stone, wood and charcoal stained pre-cast concrete. The colours of black, blue, gold and yellow are inspired by community art collection that hangs in the interior amenities spaces.
Soon a gas BBQ will be installed and residents can relax and enjoy the outdoor space that looks out onto the new linear park!
In this edition of Different By Design, we survey some of the world’s most interesting subway stations.
Subways and their stations are of course designed as tools of efficiency to keep cities and citizens moving throughout the day. Most stations in Toronto (with the exception of Museum and Pioneer Village) share the TTC’s 1960’s utilitarian aesthetic that would never be accused of being beautifully designed. On the other end of the spectrum, stations in Stockolm, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Naples, and even Pyongang burst with art, colour, texture and opulence.
Stockolm T-Centralen (shown above) and Solna (below) highlight a network of stations that are sometimes referred to as the world’s longest art gallery where more than 90 of the network’s 100 stations are eclectically designed with sculptures, rock formations, mosaics, paintings, installations, engravings and reliefs by over 150 different artists.
For the most ornate designs, one must visit Russia where both Moscow (Komsomolskaya Station, below first) and St. Petersburg (Avtovo Station, below second) compete for who is home to the most decadent designs.
Paris is home to the Arts Et Metiers Metro Station (below) at the Musee des Arts et Metiers (Arts and Trades Museum) that was designed in a steam punk style that pays homage to the genius of Jules Verne where one can feel like they are actually inside the machine.
Even the capital of North Korea, the typically dreary and drab Pyongyang is home to a subway network that features ornate designs such as the ironically named Prosperity Station (below).
For a more modern take, visit Naples and go to the Toledo Station which is one of the newer Metro Art Stations that the city has spearheaded. Designed around the themes of water and light due to the presence of water in the stratum and the tremendous depth of the station (50 metres) Toledo is awash in blue and white mosaic and makes one forget that they are heading to work!
We are excited to announce that the amenities areas at the newly completed Yorkdale Condominium will soon feature a curated collection of art from Lawrence Heights resident artists!
The permanent collection comes from a diverse field of artists who live within the community and is bound together using the colours blue, gold, black and white
The pieces are currently being custom framed and will be installed in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more photos once the art has been hung!
The specially commissioned collection is 20 pieces in total and the amazing artists are: Ashna Parbatie, Carla Brooks, Chris Riley, Yuri Malaev, Elena Korniakova, Christina Bonas, Herbie Blain, Kimberlle Mitchell, Leticia Wong, Mansour Faiziandost, Michael Korniakova, and Omar Solarzano.
We are gearing up for the official launch of The New Lawrence Heights! Here are a few sneak preview pictures from inside the Sales Office which will be opening this Spring!
Above is a detail shot of the model featuring the town homes fronting onto the new community park.
The kitchens and baths are luxuriously detailed and feature ample space to entertain and relax.
The finishes reflect the latest trends and feature a palette for everyone’s taste.
For more information or to register now, visit: http://newlawrenceheights.ca/
When one looks at Toronto’s skyline, the predominant feature (after the CN Tower) is the multitude of glass towers that populate the city. Historically, the majority of the towers were comprised of office buildings but in recent years, the residential towers, namely condos have drastically increased in number. The office towers are typically constructed out of steel and feature curtain wall exterior cladding (as shown above in the TD Centre), whereas the condos are usually poured concrete and clad in a product called window wall.
Curtain wall is a glazed wall system hung off a concrete slab using anchors and is self-supporting and gives a building’s exterior the seamless look of top to bottom glass. This often results in a sleek glass silhouette that is enhanced by the lack of balconies often found in residential towers. Toronto’s Four Seasons Hotel (designed by architectsAlliance and seen below) is noticeably clad in curtain wall, thus giving it a smooth and elegant exterior skin.
Curtain wall is often a more complex and expensive installation compared to window wall – the most common exterior cladding of Toronto’s condo towers. Window wall consists of installing glazing between a building’s concrete slabs, using the slabs as structural support and having a break between the glass, with slab covers used to conceal the concrete slab edge. Window walls are the preferred choice due to limited budgets and that they permit for more customization due to condos having operable windows and balcony doors. Installation also usually occurs from within the building itself as it is safer, more efficient and more cost effective. Our projects Spire and Market Wharf (also designed by architectsAlliance and seen below) are primarily clad using window wall.
More recently, residential towers are also being clad in precast concrete slabs with smaller windows (due to enhanced green standards that combat energy inefficiency) as well as a newer product called hybrid curtain wall that evokes a similar look to curtain wall without as high of a price tag. Our recently completed Yorkdale Condos (below) features both precast concrete cladding and window wall. Stay tuned in 2019 to see what our next Context building is going to be clad in!
The Interior Design Show (IDS) returned to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre this past weekend. Here are a few of our favourite booths!
If you missed this year, there is always next year! Stay tuned and check out https://www.interiordesignshow.com/en/home.html for more information.
2019 will bring the launch of the townhomes at The New Lawrence Heights! Building on the success of both phases of The Yorkdale Condominiums, the next phase will be released in the coming months. In preparation of the release, new marketing renderings have just been completed and are featured below.
For more information, visit: http://newlawrenceheights.ca/
Occupancies have commenced at The Yorkdale Condominiums! Residents are currently occupying on the 5th floor and things are going smoothly. The common areas (including lobby, gym, party room and guest suites) will be substantially complete before Christmas.
Occupancies are also taking place at the adjacent rental building and a model suite has just been installed for the community to see the new calibre of housing that is starting to come on line.
The Yorkdale Condominiums is getting closer to completion!
Pre-delivery Inspections (PDI’s) have now commenced and occupancies are scheduled for October!
Construction on Phase 2 is ongoing and shoring and excavation is complete. Form-work will commence shortly and we expect to be at grade in the Spring.
Stay tuned for more updates!
