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When we last checked in on the 44-storey Bisha in November, it was only the 17-storey Bisha. After beginning to rise into Toronto's Entertainment District skyline towards the end of last year, the tower now stands at its full height on Blue Jays Way. Last week, the Wallman Architects-designed building marked its official topping-off, with a group of developers and designers—and an erstwhile nightclub impresario—joining the construction crew for a celebratory lunch.
A joint venture between Lifetime Developments and INK Entertainment, Bisha Hotel and Residences is in large part the brainchild of INK founder and 'club king' Charles Khabouth. Fittingly, the hybrid condo-hotel is being marketed as a sexed-up and club-inspired take on high-rise living, with interiors appointed by Studio Munge principal Alessandro Munge.
Following a luncheon in the third-floor amenity area, a tour of the 44th-floor restaurant space shows us the views from the top. Now under construction at Bisha, the club-restaurant concept has become a Khabouth trademark in Toronto, with venues like Spice Route, Byblos, Storys, and Trump Tower's America Restaurant, all part of INK's portfolio.
Bisha's opulent rooftop restaurant—complete with infinity pool, seen above—is designed to be a centrepiece of the project. The full-floor space will open out to a poolside lounge complete with cabanas and an outdoor bar. With a 2017 completion targeted, the area remains in a raw state, though views of the surrounding city already frame the space as a strongly urban setting.
While it won't be everyone's idea of a Tuesday night, the rooftop space promises to give Khabouth's experiential approach to fine dining a prominent home. Below the restaurant, Bisha's collection of one- and two-bedroom suites will cater to the young professionals that dominate the area.
Adding another dose of flair to the project, we tour a hotel suite appointed by none other than Lenny Kravitz (below). Despite not being known as an interior designer, the rock star—who now also runs Kravitz Design Inc.— promises that "it's going to be warm, it's going to be soulful," and it's going to be "elegant and sexy." The suite is raw for now, though we promise to return as Kravitz's interior takes shape.
Meanwhile, part of the building will also be occupied by a boutique hotel. Catering to tourists and party-goers, the ground level will be animated by a 24-hour cafe, as well as lounge-style bar in the hotel lobby, and a more casual restaurant on the second floor.
Rising from a six-storey podium that incorporates a three-storey heritage facade (dating to 1834) as part of a brick frontage, the tower above picks up on the colour of the brick with a row of copper-coloured vertical fins. Reminiscent of Wallman's design for The Yorkville Condos—another Lifetime project—the colour palette gives the the tower a slightly distinctive presence in the area's mostly grey-blue skyline.
We will keep you updated as construction continues to progress, with a more in-depth tour of the interiors planned in the coming weeks. In the meantime, check out our dataBase file for more information, linked below. Want to share your thoughts about the project? Leave a comment in the space provided on this page, or join in the ongoing conversation in our associated Forum thread.
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