Many of our readers will be familiar with Ten York. Its dramatic location in Toronto's burgeoning South Core area and its unique hatched rooftop lighting feature have quickly become familiar parts of the downtown skyline.

Ten York on the Toronto skyline at dusk, one third of the way from the right edge, image by UT Forum contributor torontoboy

UrbanToronto recently had the opportunity to tour one of the building’s penthouse units, a recently completed “Innovation Suite,” representing Tridel’s vision for the future of condominium living. 

Living and dining space, featuring ten-foot ceilings, image courtesy of KG&A and Tridel

The suite was designed as an experiment, to see how smart-home technology could be seamlessly integrated into a luxurious living space within a multi-residential building.

Home entertainment area featuring ultra-short throw projector, image courtesy of KG&A and Tridel

The embedded technology manages to remain mostly invisible throughout most of the suite’s roughly 2,600 ft². All of the kitchen appliances are “smart”—as are the blinds, TVs, mirrors, showers, and even toilets—but their operation is simple, and smart features are optional. At first glance, the only hint that there is more to it than meets the eye are the few digital control panels scattered throughout. Most features can be controlled either through these panels, by a mobile app, or via voice commands. 

A system of speakers and microphones embedded in the ceiling allow voice commands to be given from any room. So, say you need to preheat the oven without getting out of bed: simply give the command, and the smart system will take care of it for you.

Kitchen space featuring smart-appliances, image courtesy of KG&A and Tridel

You can also program certain pre-set “scenes” to switch between at will. Our tour began with a dramatic demonstration of of a “welcome” scene. At a word, all of the lights were undimmed, music began to play, and the blinds rose to reveal views of the harbour and downtown east.

Another highlight of the tour was the smart-toilet demonstration in the powder room. This toilet—apparently the very same model used by Drake in his new house—can do it all. Walk towards it and the lid rises automatically as music begins to play. Want to raise the seat? Tap the floor with your foot and it too will be lifted for you. The toilet is designed to be entirely hands-free, so flushing is automatic, and the seat and lid will close by themselves when you are done.

This powder room features a smart-toilet complete with a heated seat and bidet functions, image courtesy of KG&A and Tridel

The toilet seat and bathroom floor are both heated, ensuring that you need never touch a cold surface. It can also function as a bidet, complete with a massage mode.

But the purest integration of technology and design is in the master bedroom. It contains an electric fireplace, a large walk-in closet with a steamer compartment, and an ensuite bathroom featuring a rain shower and bath with embedded speakers; all laid out in a surprisingly compact floor plan. This all works because of a clever trick which relies on both technology and creative design.

The master walk-in closet features wooden cabinets and a steamer compartment, image courtesy of KG&A and Tridel

Separating the bedroom itself from closet and bathroom is a wall of frosted glass. But this is no ordinary glass. At the touch of a button (or with a voice command) this glass can switch from opaque to transparent and back. When transparent, light from the bathroom’s large windows can penetrate further into the room; when opaque, the room is divided into discrete spaces, allowing for privacy.

Master suite with glass set to transparent, image courtesy of KG&A and Tridel

Master suite with glass set to opaque, image courtesy of KG&A and Tridel

Watching the glass change back and forth, or seeing the blinds rise dramatically on command, it is easy to be convinced by Tridel’s vision for the future of smart living. It is comfortable and sleek, and when it works it is almost seamless. Relying so heavily as it does on new technology, bugs are still being ironed out: voice commands had to be repeated on occasion, and the master shower would not turn on at all, having disconnected from the network somehow. Had someone wanted to disrobe and turn the shower on manually from inside it, the water would have flowed!

Master bathroom featuring "wet room" with tub and shower, image courtesy of KG&A and Tridel

Naturally, these kinds of little kinks should soon be ironed out, and indeed, some of the features we saw are already available in Tridel’s newer buildings—including smart systems which can be controlled from a central panel or via smartphone—though the level of integration seen in the “Innovation Suite” will not be common for some time still. When that more advanced technology does arrive, it is unclear what price it may be offered at.

Most of the wired appliances featured in this penthouse demonstration unit for testing were donated by the following sponsors: Rogers, Epson, Jennair, Kohler, Vario Glass, Schluter, Whirlpool, and Leviton. Other sponsors include California Closets, Caesarstone, Stone Tile, Ciot, Reversomatic, Citywide Door & Hardware, Irpinia Kitchens, Centura Tile, Condo Kandy, New Age Granite & Marble, Professional Carpentry, and Your Home Audio & Visual.

For now, Tridel has made a strong argument for integrated technology’s place in the home. It remains to be seen whether the trends they anticipate will come to define the way we live.

You can learn more about Ten York from our Database file for the project, linked below. If you'd like to, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.

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