The Monarch Group has announced its latest project at Humber Bay Shores: Lago At The Waterfront. Lago means lake in Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian, so this time the condo marketing gods have hit upon a name that shouldn't rile those who are sensitive to more overtly maritime references. While Lago the name celebrates the littoral location, Lago the slender 49-storey tower makes the most of the lake-and-city views by means of angling, wrap-around balconies.

Designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects, Lago is the commencement of the next Monarch location south of their multi-phase Waterview community. The 49 storey tower rises centrally on the site, extended at ground level by a 3 storey podium.

The podium is composed of masonry units, precast concrete, and glass materials that house a mix of residential and recreational components. The podium uses these materials to delineate a built form edge to the future public road and to also define pedestrian access points. The second floor houses a mix of amenity uses including a party room and guest suites.

The west portion of the podium will be accessed via a future laneway. It is here where both residents and visitors are greeted by an open motor court to facilitate pedestrian drop off and access to the main lobby. Access to the underground is also from this area along with building servicing. The service area is located to the south of the ramp as to allow all service activities to occur without being viewed or interrupted by the resident vehicles.

The main amenity spaces of the development are located to the west in an individual commercial building that fronts Lake Shore Boulevard. This building is 4 storeys in height and houses commercial uses at grade. A fitness area with full changerooms, swimming pool, and running track with yoga space are located above. The amenities can be accessed from the condominium either at grade, or via an enclosed walkway link in the p1 underground level, allowing residents to avoid venturing outdoors in the winter months should they choose. This amenity building will be shared between Lago and a future building to the east.

Architectural details verbatim, from Monarch's press release:

The cladding materials used for this phase of Waterview are similar to the previous phases in order to maintain a visual and aesthetic link within the community. The Lago tower is composed of a sleek simple square tower form which rises without any steps or breaks. The signature feature of the building is the composition of the balcony slabs and glass handrails on the Tower facade. The balconies borrow their geometry from the tower mass and are offset in groups as to generate a dynamic and intriguing building facade. The balconies contrast the rectilinear shape of the Tower and this layer of detail is amplified through the cast of shadow and light. The balconies also introduce a sense of horizontal movement around the Tower, which further accentuate its square shape and its verticality. Finally, the continuous wrap around balconies maximize on panoramic views of Lake Ontario while introducing a distinct and signature geometric form to the Etobicoke waterfront skyline. It is this dialogue between the architecture and the site that adds a dynamic layer to the Lago development.

Those interested may register for Lago here.

What do you think of the plan? Leave a comment here, or click the link below to join in the discussion at UrbanToronto's thread for the project.

This article was originally published in forum thread: Lago At The Waterfront (Humber Bay Shores, Monarch, 49s, Graziani + Corazza)