CrystalBlu Condominiums, the first Toronto project by Bazis International, is seeing finishing touches applied to its exterior at the moment, with the ceiling above the entrance being completed, and the columns being clad. The Roy Varacalli-designed building features unique blue glass crystals inset into roughly chiselled-out holes in the podium's smooth stone cladding.

There is trouble with some of the crystals. Many new buildings suffer some vandalism while under construction, and this happy face stick-figure seems about as benign as vandalism gets (and it will be easy to remove)...

but these two crystals will present a bit more trouble to fix, as both have been hit and cracked. Can the glass inserts be replaced from behind, or will the grout have to be chiselled out from the front?

While the crystals have not garnered universal acceptance on UrbanToronto, we only want the best for Balmuto Street, and that means a CrystalBlu free of deficiencies where it meets the sidewalk. We hope the building's unique namesake decorations will be repaired without marring the stone into which they have been inserted, and that they will no longer be targeted by vandals as the building occupies.