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Decades after a rental apartment building boom reshaped Toronto in the 1960s and 70s, many of the post-Corbusian buildings are now in need of repair and renewal. Bringing aging apartment towers up to the standards of modern tenants is the responsibility of property owners, with City initiatives such as the Tower Renewal Program adding financial assistance and expertise.
One property recently acquired by rental management firm Akelius Canada is a 1976-built, 17-storey structure at 730 St. Clarens Ave. near the intersection of Lansdowne and Dupont. The 49 metre-tall building of 275 rental apartments is now in the midst of a major restoration that, among other things, includes a fresh and playful new exterior design. Led by Archdesign Architects and managed in-house by Akelius, the project is being conducted in two phases with work expected to continue well into 2017.
Work on the site began exactly one month ago, with stucco façade repairs and surface prep work being conducted by Century Building Restoration along with initial work on restoration of the building's parking garage. The repainted exterior—now complete on both the south and west elevations—features a vibrant palette of colours meant to mesh with the tower's original design, a requirement set out by Akelius when planning the project with Archdesign.
In addition to the brightening of the exterior, the building envelope itself is also being modernized. High thermal rated windows and insulated air conditioning sleeves will be installed throughout the building as part of the project scope, to improve comfort and create measurable energy savings for tenants year-round.
Remaining exterior re-painting of the north and east elevations is currently on schedule to be completed by October 16th. The second phase of work—which includes the addition of an outdoor garden area on the podium level—is expected to commence next spring.
We will take another look when the work is complete, but in the meantime, you can get in on the conversation by visiting our associated Forum thread or by leaving a comment in the space provided on this page.
