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A corridor of skyscraping condominium towers on Charles Street East southeast of Bloor-Yonge subway station in the heart of Toronto is about to grow denser with the next addition to this high-rise canyon. On August 19, MOD Developments celebrated the ceremonial start of construction of 55C Bloor Yorkville Residences, just about a year after the project's launch.
With shoring rigs already active on the construction site, this week's ceremony marks an important step for the 48-storey, architectsAlliance-designed condominium: getting shovels in the ground within this timeline was particularly challenging in the current pandemic. Noorez Lalani, president of MOD Developments, stated “it was difficult for all Canadians and businesses in every industry, and it was no different for us at MOD. However, I'm extremely proud of how our team came together and juggled both their family life, along with such a time-sensitive project to ensure we started building on schedule for our customers. We are fortunate that the Province declared construction an essential service and that the City was committed to processing applications and permits as best as they could. We’ve reached this milestone with help from a lot of sources, including a terrific consultant team.”
A statement from Gary Switzer, CEO of MOD Developments, speaks of the project's design philosophy; “the design intent for 55C was to do a development that—in somewhat of a contradiction—stood out by being understated in its elegance, materiality and colour palette. In early discussions, we spoke in sartorial terms of how a building could be like bespoke tailoring.” Switzer went on to praise architectsAlliance principal Peter Clewes, who "rose to the occasion with his sophisticated massing of the podium and tower, his use of upgraded materials like porcelain panelling, curtain wall, and stainless steel, and his integration of a dark colour palette for the façade and balconies. While most of the surrounding newer buildings are primarily glass with white balconies, 55C will be unique in its dark tones and solid materiality.”
55C Bloor Yorkville Residences is projecting completion by Fall 2023, at which time it will bring 551 condominium units to the area, in a mix of studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom suites. Units, along with two floors of amenities spanning 20,000 ft², will all boast finishes designed by Cecconi Simone.
Additional information and images can be found in our Database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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