Since we last checked in on construction progress of Backstage On The Esplanade, the condominium has reached a significant milestone, with the tower topped off, and the Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects-designed development by Cityzen Development Group, Fernbrook Homes, and Castlepoint Numa, now rises to its final height of 36 storeys in the downtown Toronto skyline. With cladding also nearly fully installed, the majority of exterior work on the project has wrapped up, leaving us with a strong impression of how the completed tower's exterior will look, with balcony glazing to be the last major component still to go.

Backstage On The Esplanade and its neighbors viewed from the west, image by Marcus Mitanis

Above, Backstage On The Esplanade is seen beside its taller neighbor to the north—Daniel Libeskind's L Tower— with the two 21st century skyscrapers framing the older "flatiron building"  at 25 The Esplanade behind them. While Backstage's dark—almost black—window wall cladding serves as a distinguishing feature, the white spandrel accents complement the neighboring L Tower, giving a sense of cohesion to the two very different buildings.

        A view from the southwest, image by UrbanToronto forum contributor Red Mars

From another angle, the sleek dark glazing is more clearly visible, while the playful spandrel pattern along the south wall (seen above) lends the tower a subtle but distinct note of character in the skyline.

The north wall, meanwhile, is gently curved, offering a panoramic vista to northern-facing units, allowing residents to see around the L Tower. In turn, Backstage's slender sides pull the tower back from L Tower residents views, making it much easier to see around too. The closeup view from the L Tower (below) also underlines the strong contrast between the dark window wall cladding and the light spandrel accents. 

Backstage On The Esplanade, viewed from L Tower, image by UrbanToronto forum contributor japrologue

When completed later this year, Backstage On The Esplanade will bring 284 units to the increasingly vibrant southeast of downtown Toronto, bringing new density to what is fast becoming a dynamic and exciting part of the city. In the meantime, we will provide regular updates as construction continues.

Want to find out more about Backstage On The Esplanade? Additional details including building facts, renderings, and floor plans 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 add your voice to the comments section provided at the bottom of this page.