It is almost exactly three years ago now that "World's Biggest Bookstore" was torn down, just northwest of Yonge-Dundas Square in the heart of Toronto. Lifetime Developments bought the site on Edward Street for $51.5 million, and for a while had plans for an interim development of a restaurant row on the block, but that plan evolved soon enough into one for a condo/retail mixed-use tower. The result is the 30-storey Panda Condominiums designed by architectsAlliance and Turner Fleischer Architects, which has been evolving through the planning process since an initial 2014 submission to the city. Panda is now ready and being marketed.

Panda Condominiums, image courtesy of Lifetime Developments

The 2014 version started out 35 storeys and 122.3 metres tall, but was eventually trimmed to the current height of 30 storeys and 107.5 metres to the top of the mechanical penthouse. 

Podium at Panda Condominiums, image courtesy of Lifetime Developments

A comparison between the 2016 and 2017 versions of the project reveals a number of revisions, many related to the design of the tower's three-storey podium volume. The articulation seen on the west side of the 2016 version's podium has been removed in favour of a primarily charcoal brick finish with large punched windows. The Edward Street frontage has been significantly altered as well, with the new version featuring less glazing and more definition for the three projecting volumes that help to break up the podium's mass. 

2016 and 2017 iterations of Panda Condos, images via submission to City of Toronto/Lifetime Developments

The original plan's unit count has also been scaled back, reduced from 629 condominium units down to 579 units in a 2016 resubmission, and again down to 555 units in the most recent application from July. The revised unit count for the project now comes in a mix of 28 bachelor units, 275 one-bedroom units, 201 two-bedroom units, and 51 three-bedroom units.

Suite interior, Panda Condominiums, image courtesy of Lifetime Developments

We will return in the coming weeks with a closer look at Panda's amenities and suite interiors. In the meantime, additional information and images can be found in our database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.