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We've be returning every so often to watch a six-storey boutique condo in Etobicoke grow. Not the skyscrapers that we typically spent a lot of time on, Westwood Condominiums is an example of the kind of building we expect to see popping up all over Toronto as the city intensifies. Not every neighbourhood is right for 42-storey towers, but there may be miles of new six-storey buildings added here as the Avenues policies gradually remakes TO.
Most of our photos of this Alterra Group building so far may have made it look like it's in a barren area. Winter will do that, but the greening up of the city this spring finally shows just how pleasant the surroundings actually are just across the street to the south.
With all of the concrete poured now, you can see where the stone wall will feature in the front of the building. All lit up at night in the rendering below, add the trees from above, and the building looks like it will make a pretty handsome addition to the street when it's all done.
Move around to the north side of the building though, and admittedly you will find yourself in one of those transitional zones in the city. Way back when this site was industrial, but for the last several years it has been just a parking lot. It faces a railway line. It's not the most traditional residential plot in town, but the EI Richmond design for Westwood is making the best of the property.
The building's L-shape creates a sheltered area for a raised recreation terrace at the back. Underneath that is three levels of parking for the building, which means that units facing the back have a landscaped deck to enjoy, and views go over the rails to the six points area beyond. Serious trainspotters of course will still get their fill if the walk up to the edge of the terrace.
The Westwood is beside another successful Alterra project, Network Lofts. Network was a residential conversion of a former Bell Telephone switching building which was built back when it took huge machines to handle Bell's needs. Now that digital equipment has taken over and miniaturized everything, residents are enjoying the high-ceilinged loft units instead. Westwood now builds on the residential conversion of Fieldway Road, and both buildings are a short walk from Islington Subway Station.
Want to find out more about Westwood Condos? Check out our dataBase entry for more info and renderings, or choose one of the associated Forum threads to get in on the discussion. Everything is linked below!
| Related Companies: | Alterra Group of Companies, Milborne Group |
