High-rise condominiums continue to populate the Entertainment District, but the legacy of the area's historic warehouse buildings remains. All four corners of the Richmond and Duncan intersection are marked by historic warehouse buildings of various vintages and, to the immediate east, Aspen Ridge Homes’ Studio and Studio2 on Richmond is extending the impressive streetwall with a modern twist on the classic warehouse vernacular of the area.

Studio's Richmond Street frontage, image by Jack Landau

The development consists of 31- and 41-storey Quadrangle Architects-designed towers rising from 8-storey podiums. Over the past several weeks, precast concrete cladding has covered the exterior of much of Studio's podium as well as the southern mid-rise building fronting onto Nelson Street.

Precast podium cladding on Studio, image by Jack Landau

The muted tones of the precast cladding reflect the materials used on surrounding buildings, creating a continuation of the street's fabric as opposed to a glassy interruption. A slight variation in shades has been used for the precast which helps to break up and articulate the almost block-long north podium façade. When we last visited the site at the end of March, an extra lane of Richmond Street had been closed off to allow a mobile crane to install precast panels. With most of the podium's precast skin now in place, the lane has since reopened to traffic.

Looking west along Studio's Richmond Street frontage, image by Jack Landau

Five tower floors have risen above Studio's podium, as the tower continues to hasten its ascent to 31 storeys in height.

Tower floors rising at Studio, image by Jack Landau

On the Nelson Street side of the complex, forms for Studio2's first floor have risen above grade at Duncan Street, while the mid-rise building to the east on Nelson has topped out. Studio2 will be the taller of the two towers, topping its sibling to the north by ten floors at 41 storeys.

Studio and Studio2 on Richmond construction site, image by Jack Landau

Additional information including building facts, renderings and floorplans for Studio and Studio2 on Richmond can be found in our dataBase file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Head over to one of the associated Forum threads, or voice your opinion in the comments section provided at the bottom of this page.

Related Companies:  BDP Quadrangle