Amidst Toronto's sea of glass, steel, and back-painted spandrel, a very different high-rise aesthetic is taking shape on Sherbourne south of Bloor. At 592 Sherbourne Street, Mod Developments, OP Trust, and Tricon Capital's The Selby introduces a conspicuously brick-clad tower to the eastern edge of the growing Bloor-Yonge corridor. 

A worm's eye view of The Selby, image by UT Forum contributor Benito

Designed by Chicago-based bKL Architecture, the 441-unit project is now well on its way to an eventual height of 50 storeys, with the richly coloured red brick panel cladding gradually climbing the tower's slender concrete shell.

Looking up, image by UT Forum contributor skycandy

The precast cladding is being installed in panels of brick embedded in concrete, the largest of which are being installed across the deep cut that characterizes the tower's southeast corner. While the individual panels remain easily discernible, the latter stages of construction will see crews refine the installation, creating a smoother façade.

A closer look at the cladding installation, image by UT Forum contributor skycandy

Along the lower levels, glazing is also now being installed, accentuating the geometry of punched windows—another relative rarity for Toronto's new-build towers—across the body of what will eventually be a 544-foot tower. 

The east elevation, image by UT Forum contributor skycandy

On Sherbourne Street, The Selby will be fronted by a restored historic mansion that became a hotel and was once home to a young Ernest Hemingway. To make room for the tower (while creating a more urban street-fronting presence), the home was moved several metres closer to the sidewalk in 2015. Animating the street, a retail space is planned at the base. 

Looking southwest, image via UT Forum contributor stjames2queenwest

Additional information and renderings for The Selby can be found in the project's Database file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment at the bottom of this page. 

Related Companies:  CCxA, Kramer Design Associates Limited, McIntosh Perry, Peter McCann Architectural Models Inc., Tricon Residential