It has been just over three months since our last update on Great Gulf's Monde Condominiums, a 44-storey condominium tower on Toronto's Queens Quay East, just east of Lower Sherbourne Street. Designed by Israeli-Canadian-American architect Moshe Safdie in partnership with local architects Quadrangle, the project has made a fair bit of progress in the last several weeks, with the tower now approaching its final 150-metre height.

Monde viewed from the southwest, image by Jack Landau

At the time of our last update in early July, limestone-coloured precast concrete panels were being applied to the project's ten-storey podium, punched windows were being finished with dark blue reflective glazing, and the first panels of curtainwall cladding were being installed on the tower component. In the weeks since, cladding installation has progressed significantly, while the tower is now just shy of topping out at 44 storeys.

Monde viewed from the west on Lower Sherbourne, image by Craig White

With cladding now sealing off over half of the tower, new images of the site are providing a better look at the building envelope. The sleek curtainwall system's reflective glazing is broken apart by a series of projecting balconies, most still awaiting the installation of railings that will finalize their look. An interesting feature on these still-bare balconies is the incorporation of unit ventilation into the underside of the concrete slabs, which allows for a cleaner exterior free of ventilation louvres. In the coming months, the installation of two-toned glazing—a simulated acid-etch solid frit and clear glazing with a minimal frit pattern—will bring the exterior even closer to the aesthetic depicted in pre-construction renderings.

Curtainwall glazing and projecting balconies at Monde, image by Jack Landau

On the tower's larger south-facing balconies, painters have begun applying white paint to the undersides of balconies—with very long poles—emphasizing the tower's horizontal white banding and giving the residents' private outdoor living spaces a cleaner look.

Balcony underpainting at Monde, image by Jack Landau

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.