EDITOR'S NOTE: This article ran briefly at the end of March 2016 with unofficial renderings. It has now been republished with modifications and official renderings.

Winnipeg's 5468796 Architecture is introducing a new architectural typology to Oakville's Bronte Village. Joining the cluster of residential buildings that line the waterfront, the recently redesigned Lake & East Condos offers a 20-storey building that strives to marry new urban density with the area's more intimate social fabric. When the project first came to light late in 2014, early concept drawings revealed a 14-storey building strongly evocative of the area's nautical heritage. Now, a refined design—which continues to take inspiration from the lake two blocks south—also strives to reflect the low-rise residential community to its north.

Lake & East Condominium Residences, image by 5468796 Architecture and courtesy of Symmetry Developments

Developed by Symmetry, Fortress RDI and Engine Developments, the project is located in Bronte Village, on the west side of Oakville, and east of Burlington. Founded as a fishing village in 1834, the community is now characterized by a small waterfront cluster of residential towers, which give way to surrounding single-family homes.

The site as it appears now, image retrieved via Google Maps

At the southeast corner of Lakeshore and East Street, 5468796's tower would join the area's high-rise buildings (replacing the single-storey Hasty Market convenience store that currently occupies the site). Framing the terraces, vines create a distinctive 'living wall' that immediately catches the eye. 

A closer look at the anodized aluminum envelope and the terrace plantings, image by 5468796 Architecture, courtesy of Symmetry Developments

According to 5468796's Sasa Radulovic, the 20-storey tower's envelope "will be a pre-finished anodized aluminum profile," which will be manufactured by a "custom fabricator in Winnipeg that is able to produce a very highly finished cladding systems in solid 1/8” to 1/4” thick aluminum."

An outdoor room is created by the aluminum facade that traces the site, image by 5468796 Architecture and courtesy of Symmetry Developments

The building is also angled to maximize sunlight and avoid blocking views from the residences to the south, while landscaping along the length of the tower transposes the horizontal typology of residential yards across a vertical 'living wall' structure. It's a gesture that playfully re-interprets the social and architectural context of the surrounding community. 

The structure of single-family living informs the design of the tower, image courtesy of 5467896 Architecture

At ground level, a deftly curated public realm is also evident. With a rectilinear aluminum facade tracing the site boundary around the tower, a sense of privacy and enclosure is created in the public square that fronts the building. Blurring the boundary between the public and private, the space is designed to foster an uncommonly intimate urban ambiance. 

The local typology is translated onto the tower, image courtesy of 5467896 Architecture

Broken up into three smaller structures (shown in blue, below), the tower's podium also aims to "reflect the 1-2 storey buildings characteristic of Oakville commercial landscape to the west of the site," Radulovic explains.

The ground floor plan, image courtesy of 5468796 Architecture

Each of the three podium structures will also feature retail, with 700 m² of total retail area spread out across the podium's ground level and mezzanine.

The public realm at street level, image by 5468796 Architecture and courtesy of Symmetry Developments

According to documents submitted to the Town of Oakville, the 142 units are configured as 18 'investor' suites (55.7 m²), 41 one bedroom + den (65 m²), 21 two-bedroom (69.7 m²), 30 two-bedroom + den (79 m²), and 24 three-bedroom (88.3 m²) suites, alongside an additional 8 three-bedroom penthouses (92.9 m²). Compared to the Toronto market, the units—22% of which are three-bedroom suites—are relatively large.

A closer look at the terrace plantings, image by 5468796 Architecture and courtesy of Symmetry Developments

For Oakville, the project introduces a new level of ambition to the architectural landscape. Yet, 5468796's design changes the surroundings not by imposing radical new paradigms, but by finding innovative ways to acknowledge Bronte Village's existing character in a new urban context. And that's a radical new paradigm in its own right.

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We will keep you updated as details of the project continue to emerge. In the meantime, make sure to check out our associated dataBase file for more information, including earlier renderings. Want to share your thoughts about the design? Feel free to leave a comment in the space below this page, or join in the ongoing discussion on our Forum.