In Toronto's Leslieville neighbourhood, construction is progressing at the site of Streetcar Developments' adjacent The Carlaw and The Taylor condominium projects. Designed by TACT Architecture, the 12-storey Carlaw and 7-storey Taylor will add 320 and 96 units respectively to the area, for a combined total of 416 new homes. When we last checked in on the two projects back in January, The Carlaw was topped off and almost fully clad, while The Taylor's underground levels were still being constructed. 

The Carlaw and the blank wall marking the height that The Taylor will rise, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Benito

Since our last visit, blue-tinted window wall accented with white spandrels and ironspot slate-gray bricks have sealed off almost all of The Carlaw from the elements, while The Taylor recently reached a major milestone, with concrete on the building now rising a second storey above street level.

Concrete forms above grade at The Taylor, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Benito

Now that the ground floor of the development is being formed, it won't be too much longer until The Taylor rises flush against the unfinished concrete wall seen on the east side of The Carlaw, covering it up. To prevent a monotonous pedestrian experience here, the buildings have been articulated into multiple volumes and multiple cladding types, with The Taylor to be finished in a modern material called Öko Skin, an advanced concrete cladding that is produced in the width of brick, but with the appearance and warmth of wood.

Concrete rising at The Taylor, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Benito

In addition to condominium suites, both The Carlaw and The Taylor offer urban townhouses that reflect the modern design of the development, while providing contextual buffers between the high-density site and the established low-rise neighbourhood to the north and east. In the shot below, we look at the townhouses at The Carlaw, which while clad in a different material, still gives us a decent illustration of the level of finishes to expect at The Taylor's townhouses.

Urban towns at The Carlaw, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Benito

Residents of both developments will have access to a selection of shared amenity spaces appointed by Seven Haus Design, including a 20,000 square foot indoor venue and outdoor courtyard, capable of hosting programmed activities and social events including film festivals, farmer's markets, Nuit Blanche performances, or even cooking classes and wine tastings. 

Rendering of The Carlaw (L) and The Taylor (R), image courtesy of Streetcar Developments

In addition to amenity offerings just for residents, The Carlaw will also serve as the new home of Crow's Theatre, which upon opening will become the largest performing arts space in Toronto east of the Don Valley Parkway. Along with some retail offerings, the two projects will help enliven the sidewalks of this quickly revitalizing part of town.

Additional information, including renderings and floor plans of what the finished buildings and suites will look like, can be found in our dataBase files, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment in the space provided at the bottom of this page.