Reserve Properties and Westdale Properties pulled out all the stops today for the launch of their new joint venture condominium project at the northeast corner of Broadway and Redpath avenues in Midtown Toronto. Cheekily named 'Untitled Toronto', the development site is pretty much equidistant from the corners of Yonge & Eglinton and Mount Pleasant & Eglinton where Crosstown LRT stations are now under construction and due to open in late 2021. The launch, which blanketed the massive screens of Yonge Dundas Square with videos featuring Grammy-winning recording star and producer Pharrell Williams, was to unveil his involvement in the design of the development.

Pharrell Williams blankets Yonge Dundas screens at the Untitled Toronto launch, image by Jack Landau

Besides his musical creations, Williams is also a multi-talented designer, and working with both the architects, IBI Group, and the interior designers, U31, Williams is putting his ethos into practice in the design of a multi-unit residential development for the first time. Williams' involvement covers everything from the materiality of the architectural facades—which will ripple uniquely on each of Untitled's elevations in response to Williams' hit 'Gust of Wind'—to the interior programming of the amenities and common areas, and will also factor into the furnishing choices for individual spaces.

A statement by Williams reads “The opportunity to apply my ideas and viewpoint to the new medium of physical structures has been amazing. Everyone at the table had a collective willingness to be open, to be pushed, to be prodded and poked, to get to that uncomfortable place of question mark, and to find out what was on the other side. The result is untitled and I’m very grateful and appreciative to have been a part of the process.”

On hand to welcome people to the event were Shelley and Shane Fenton of Reserve Properties, and Mitchell Cohen and Ron Kimmel of Westdale Properties. Pharrell Williams wasn't physically present, but his image dwarfed all others, being presented on several screens around the square.

Shane Fenton, Chief Operating Officer of Reserve Properties fleshed out the thinking behind the Untitled project, saying “…the whole process was less about adding items and instead focusing on reducing and stripping away to get us to the essential core elements of the design. Pharrell pushed us towards designing spaces that felt universal. Instead of dictating a lifestyle onto our purchasers and residents, we aimed to create harmonious spaces that could serve as the backdrop to their lives. That lens was applied throughout the entire building until we ended up with something that felt both timeless and singular.”

In Williams' statement, he expands upon the name: “To live your life untitled means not having to live up to something or perform beyond a standard. For the standard to literally just be this beautiful matrix that allows people to create their own world. How could we as designers ensure the essentials were really thought out and expertly crafted, but delivered in a way that left everything else up to the imagination of the person occupying the space.”

Untitled follows the now sold-out Line 5 condos as the next partnership between Reserve and Westdale. It will bring 750 units in two towers and the shared podium, and 30,000 ft² of amenities for the residents to enjoy. A teaser image of Untitled is all that has been released so far, but more renderings and information is to come in the future.

A teaser image looking up between the Untitled Toronto towers, image courtesy of Reserve Properties and Westdale Properties

The development site, combining several properties along the north side of Broadway Avenue east of Redpath, will actually include a third tower. Right at the corner, a purpose-built rental building will rise. It will total 413 rental units, 121 of which are replacement units for the properties on the site now, to be built at the same size as the current units, and offered first to the people currently living in them at rates commensurate to what they are presently paying. As well, as more good news in a time when it is becoming increasingly difficult for some people to find accommodation in Toronto, 50 of the units in the new building have been secured through Section 37 and Section 11 agreements with the City as affordable housing, helping promote the blend of income levels that mark the Toronto's best neighbourhoods, and which allow it to remain a livable, vibrant, and caring city. 

You can learn more about Untitled Toronto by visiting the project's Database file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread or leave a comment in the field below.

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