Located across from the ROM in trendy Yorkville, Metropia, Bazis, and Plaza's Exhibit Residences continues its ascent into the sky as construction progresses in the summer heat. The much-anticipated 32-storey condo tower, designed by architect Rosario Varacalli, has surpassed the halfway point in its height, as concrete is being poured for the structural framing of the seventeenth and eighteenth floors. Meanwhile, supports are being put in place for the installation of the translucent glass cladding, the final effect of which still remains somewhat of a mystery as construction progresses.

View of Exhibit Residences as construction progresses, image courtesy of Jack Landau.

The design of Exhibit Residences features four rotated cubes stacked atop one another, with the bottom cube extended out at the rear to accommodate an above-ground parking garage. Construction on the concrete frame of the second cube is now complete, and the structure is being poured for the lower levels of the third cube.

A closer look at the upper floors of Exhibit, image courtesy of Jack Landau.

The glass curtain wall of the lower cube is now in place on each level, featuring floor-to-ceiling glazing and pronounced black mullions. Glazing is being installed on the ground level in what will be the main entrance lobby and a couple of retail spaces, where we see a double-height space clad entirely with glass.

A view of Exhibit, showing the glass curtain wall being installed on the levels of the lower cube, image courtesy of Jack Landau

Moving to the rear facade of the building, the structure of the parking garage is fully built out, with the support system for the curtain wall secured in place on each level. We have not seen any glazing tests carried out for the parking garage since construction began, but early renderings of the building suggest that the curtain wall will match the aesthetic of the glazing being used on the balconies at the front of the building. That being said, this section of the tower looks primed and ready for the cladding to go up soon, so expect to see progress in coming weeks.

View of the parking garage at the rear of the building, image courtesy of Jack Landau.

In our previous articles for Exhibit, there has been much discussion about the glazing being used on the balconies of the building, with numerous tests having been carried out in recent months. The most recent photos show the addition of four new panels to the earlier fritted glass panels already installed on lower floors of the building. The new panels feature a much finer enamel frit dot in varying densities ranging from more transparent to more opaque. All of the glazing tests we've witnessed so far add an air of mystery to the appearance of the final cladding, but regardless of the outcome, the white of the balcony glazing will create a stark contrast with the dark mullions of the curtain wall behind, and will serve to accentuate the sharp angles of the rotated cubes.

A closer view of the balcony cladding tests, image courtesy of Jack Landau.

Moving some distance a way from the building, one can start to notice Exhibit's relationship to the street and its surroundings that is becoming more evident as construction advances. The lower cube of the tower continues the streetwall along Bloor, while the built-in stepbacks and fragmented massing of the building minimize the impact of its height and ensure it does not overwhelm at street level. The push, pull, and rotation of its stacked cubes seems to respond to the projecting volumes of the ROM, creating an interesting relationship between the two unique structures.

A view looking east down Bloor Street, showing Exhibit Residences within its context, image courtesy of Jack Landau.

Exhibit continues to rise at a rapid pace, as the tower races to its full height and pulls closer to the installation of its final cladding. Expect more changes in the coming weeks as the building claims it spot amongst the Toronto skyline.

Additional information and renderings of a complete Exhibit Residences can be found in our dataBase file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out Exhibit's associated Forum threads, or leave a comment in the section provided at the bottom of this page.