Toronto 55C: 55 Charles Condos | 167m | 50s | MOD Developments | a—A

You mean the kind of balcony that provides the best kind of large, livable, outdoor, space for residents?

I favour balconies that functional for residents (if you're going to have them.), but I don't think that's about endless length. It's more about width/depth actually. You need space to put a proper dining table out (seats 4) and still be able to get past it to water the plants on the other side!

A 10M long Balcony that's standard width, ~1.2M isn't all that functional.

But a 5M long Balcony at a depth of 2M is quite functional.
 
I've never been inside Casa II or III, but the Casa I balconies are fantastic.

I agree with you regarding depth, but:
  1. Deeper is more expensive and more difficult structurally so developers are less inclined to do them, especially when your plate size is also being restricted (you can sell indoor, you can't really sell outdoor);
  2. In the last couple years, the City has nobly taken it upon themselves to restrict the depth of balconies to 1.6m. I wish I could say why...
So while I'd love to do Vancouver / Burnaby balconies all day long, unfortunately, we just can't / don't do that kind of thing in Toronto.
 
Today.
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I wanted to like this one so badly - the podium has some nice moves, but the tower is so forgettable and cold. Like many aA buildings, it’s well detailed but lacks warmth or a sense of creativity. It feels very 2010s. Another icy tower for Charles in the classic Toronto style that everyone is tired of.

I know it’s hard to justify using anything other than window wall, but buildings like 55 mercer have shown us how much going that extra mile can do to make a building stand out amongst the clutter.
 
I wanted to like this one so badly - the podium has some nice moves, but the tower is so forgettable and cold. Like many aA buildings, it’s well detailed but lacks warmth or a sense of creativity. It feels very 2010s. Another icy tower for Charles in the classic Toronto style that everyone is tired of.

I know it’s hard to justify using anything other than window wall, but buildings like 55 mercer have shown us how much going that extra mile can do to make a building stand out amongst the clutter.
What is the "extra mile" that you are referring to at 55 Mercer? I believe it is also window wall....
 
What is the "extra mile" that you are referring to at 55 Mercer? I believe it is also window wall....

I brought up 55 Mercer as an example of how to do window wall right. The white and bronze top hat panels look great and cut through the clutter of the entertainment district. They give the building an identifiable expression and add some much needed solidity to the facade. The podium is warm and textural fitting in seamlessly to its surroundings.
 

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