In the heart of Toronto's King-Parliament district, the long underused intersection of Sherbourne Sheet and Front Street East is in the midst of a dramatic transformation. Currently, the two-tower 26-storey St. Lawrence Condos is under construction on the northwest corner, while on the southeast corner, the massive U-shaped 29-storey complex dubbed Time and Space Condos is going up. Adding to this mix, Menkes Developments proposed earlier this year a new tower at 33 Sherbourne on the northeast corner of the intersection, replacing the gas station and two heritage buildings currently existing on the site. 33 Sherbourne made its first appearance before the Design Review Panel at their latest session.

Rendering of 33 Sherbourne, image courtesy of Menkes.

Designed by Giannone Petricone Associates, the tower is proposed to rise 37 storeys and contain 439 condo units. Retail fills the two-storey podium, which incorporates the facades of the two heritage structures currently on the site. The form of the tower features rounded corners and protruding vertical fins in an effort to create an iconic building that would stand apart from its neighbours. The verticality is meant to relate to the vertical rhythm of the historic context.

Rendering looking north along Lower Sherbourne, image courtesy of Menkes.

The design team wanted to celebrate masonry construction, specifically brick, with the design of their building. Being located on one of the ten original blocks of the old Town of York, there is a heritage aspect to the design given its immediate context. The incorporation of brick is a nod to the building material that dominates the surrounding construction, and which also comprises the two retained heritage facades. Brick is included in the podium finishes on both the exterior and interior, and is expressed as vertical fins running the full height of the tower portion.

West elevation, image courtesy of Menkes.

At the podium level, the 'infill' portion spanning between the two heritage facades is proposed to have a very contemporary design that contrasts with the historic surroundings. However, the design of the contemporary 'pavilion' is still inspired by its historical context: the design team wants to place emphasis on the corner of the intersection, playing off the importance that historical buildings often gave to corners either by chamfering the building or by placing a landmark structure on them. The design of the podium is meant to highlight the corner, while cutting back the building to increase sidewalk space and visibility.

Rendering of the podium, image courtesy of Menkes.

Panel members were generally pleased with the project, but did ask for some rather significant modifications to the proposal that could influence its final look.

One of the most popular comments was that the building simply needed more brick. Since the design team expressed a desire to celebrate masonry in their design, the Panel said there simply was not enough to convey that message, particularly in the design of the podium. They said that there was a 'heaviness' missing at the corner that the designers had wanted to emphasize, which is a characteristic of many prominent heritage buildings. They also commented that the current contemporary retail unit was finished with metal panels, which perhaps would be better expressed with brick.

Rendering looking northeast, image courtesy of Menkes.

Regarding the tower, the Panel wanted to see more brick in the facade, both for aesthetic and sustainability reasons. The City was concerned with the apparent massing of the building, as the wrap-around balconies and protruding vertical fins made the tower seem much more bulky. The Panel actually suggested increasing the size of the vertical fins, but also setting them back into the balconies of the building to reduce the apparent massing, perhaps using them for structural purposes in addition to aesthetic accents. In terms of sustainability, the Panel commented that less glazing and more brick would help with thermal performance.

Panelists felt that the integration of the heritage components was done quite well, saying that it was "a successful way of incorporating heritage". One Panel member called the building "an essay on building better built form in a historical context".

South elevation, image courtesy of Menkes.

Panel Members also appreciated the unique appearance of the tower. Saying that the projects under construction around the site were rather bulky and a bit of an over-development, they stated that 33 Sherbourne was "a much more delicate proposal" that was "gentler and quite elegant" in its form. They appreciated the contrast and composition of the various components of the project, and the contrast to its surroundings.

Despite their praise, however, they did indicate that they felt the 37-storey tower was a bit too tall and should be reduced slightly. They also expressed concern over the setback from the east property line which only measures 10 metres - less than the City's standard 12.5 metres - that would hinder a future tower development on the adjacent site from achieving a 25-metre separation distance.

In the end, the Panel gave several suggestions to modify the design, but were overall encouraged by what they saw, voting unanimously in support of the project.

Rendering looking north along Lower Sherbourne, image courtesy of Menkes.

We will keep you updated as 33 Sherbourne works its way through the planning process, but in the meantime, you can join in on the discussion by checking out the associated Forum thread, or by leaving a comment in the space provided on this page.

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