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Construction presses on at the site of Great Gulf's Monde Condominiums, a 44-storey condominium tower now rising above Queens Quay East in Toronto's emerging East Bayfront district. Designed by Israeli-Canadian-American architect Moshe Safdie in partnership with local architects Quadrangle, the project breaks away from the established norms of Toronto condominium design with a playful ziggurat-inspired massing with a PostModern precast envelope.
The building's ten-storey podium is being clad in limestone-coloured precast concrete panels, and punched windows with dark blue reflective glazing which are framed in narrow black mullions. Most of the precast cladding has been installed for the podium levels, while window installation follows closely behind, sealing off the interior so drywall and other finishes can be installed.
Most recently, installation has begun for the first elements of the tower's exterior. While the recessed units within the podium are being fitted out with a windowwall cladding system containing ventilation for the individual units, the tower's main cladding is a sleeker curtainwall system with reflective glazing, and unit ventilation seamlessly incorporated into the slab below the balconies.
Another element in Monde's exterior expression now being revealed is the tower's balcony cladding. Balconies at Monde are being finished in a two-toned arrangement with glass panels bearing a simulated acid-etch solid frit complemented by clear glazing sections with a minimal fit pattern meant to protect against bird strikes.
Now standing at a height of 27 storeys, Monde has become the tallest building among the primarily mid-rise built form of the East Bayfront, though this will change as construction gets underway on the residential component at Daniels Waterfront to the west on Queens Quay. With a height of 156 metres, the tallest tower at Daniels Waterfront will slightly surpass Monde's eventual 150-metre height to become the tallest building in the East Bayfront.
Additional information and renderings of Monde can be found in our Database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Visit the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.
