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A purpose-built rental tower now under construction on Spadina Avenue just south of King is part of a resurgence in new buildings of this type in Toronto, a wave characterized by the condo-style amenities that are now being built with rental developments. At 57 Spadina Avenue, The Taylor is fast climbing towards its eventual 36-storey height, the project—developed by Tricon in partnership with MOD Developments—with cladding now being applied is quickly revealing its design by Diamond Schmitt Architects and Graziani + Corazza Architects.
We've been keeping an eye on construction since the first activity was spotted back in mid-2018. Approaching three years into the construction process, the site has undergone shoring, excavation, forming of the tower base—to include a grocery store and two levels of commercial office space—and significant progress on the residential levels above. Forming of the tower has reached the 19th floor, climbing noticeably since our previous update in October, when forming had progressed as far as level 12. Above the coming 21st floor, the tower's west elevation will step back once again, marking the beginning of the final slender tower volume that will continue to the full 121-metre height.
Cladding installation has been making swift progress in recent months, advancing to enclose the lower half of the building. Precast panels with brick facing in a dark tri-colour mix now form a grid across the majority of the podium levels, a finish that will extend along a central section of the tower above. The brick panels frame window wall sections that mix clear windows with grey spandrel glass and grey aluminum mullions. The glazing now extends as high as the podium's sixth floor.
Additional finishes soon to appear include slab edge covers, clear glass balcony guards, while stone finishes will be applied at grade.
Aiming to welcome its first residents in January, 2022, the project is bringing 286 rental units to an in-demand hub of high-rise density surrounding King and Spadina. Anchoring the new residences to the street, the building's 1,589 m² of retail space across the two lower levels is to include The Market By Longos, an urban concept grocery store. 2,561 m² of office space will be housed above the retail base, bringing additional employment space to the block.
You can learn more 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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