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Haven Developments have flipped the script on a mid-rise proposal of theirs at 955 Weston Road, in Toronto's Mount Dennis neighbourhood, resubmitting the proposal to the City in January with a host of major changes. The initial proposal from 2021 contemplated the development of two 11-storey residential buildings, has since been reimagined with a focus on harnessing the potential of the area's recent designation as an MTSA — Major Transit Station Area — which recognizes the coming of improved transit infrastructure via the soon-to-open Eglinton Line 5, to gain approval for a substantial height increase.
Retaining Turner Fleischer Architects to preside over the redesign, the new proposal now puts forward a pair of towers standing 24 and 34 storeys, above a shared podium of 8 storeys that branches off into a volume of its own. With this dramatic height boost also comes an increase in the total unit count, rising over 62% from 617 to 1,003 new condo units.
The new proposal demonstrates a different approach to use of the site area, taking advantage of the extra floor space afforded by the increased height to make changes to the building’s overall footprint Rather than occupying the entire 13,337m² are of the site, the updated proposal employs a U-shaped footprint that accomplishes several things; the tower volumes are set back all the way to the site’s northeastern edge, minimizing their impact on the streetscape while allowing the 8-storey mid-rise component to front Weston Road with a more pedestrian-appropriate scale. With its reduced footprint, the proposal includes a conveyance of 1,470m² of area on the northwest corner of the site to the City as a new public park.
Assessing how the massing and exterior expression of the project has changed, the resubmission can very well be considered a new proposal. Traces of the original terraced massing are seen in the 8-storey street fronting volume, but the towers themselves are defined by both massing and materials that deviate considerably from the previous iteration.
The most palpable change, arguably, is the facade cladding on the west (primary) elevation of the towers. This facade is certainly the star of the renderings, appearing to reflect the light with warmth; while the architectural plans state the material is not yet defined, it is referenced as ‘Solid Material (ie masonry)’, which likely indicates precast concrete. From what we can see, the vertical lines of cladding project out from the elevation in an asymmetrical triangular prism shape, skewing to the left, then right on each successive floor.
The tops of the towers play further with the triangular motif, tapering the five uppermost floor-plates with a chamfered cutout from the southwest corner. Starting small, the cutout increases in size, ultimately creating the appearance of an angled surface on the flat elevation.
Meanwhile, on the tower’s east elevations, a more neutral treatment is given to the facades. Being situated on the edge of the rail corridor, these facades face directly towards the train tracks, and have therefore been given a more reserved expression. The only change is seen in the materiality, which substitutes the undefined masonry cladding for a brick panelling finish.
Changes were also made below grade, to reimagine the need for parking in a project that is situated within an emerging transit node. With higher transit service soon to be made available by the new LRT line, a new, connected GO Transit and UP Express station will offer further connections across the region. In this way, the previously proposed total of 436 vehicle parking spaces was re-evaluated, resulting in the number of spaces being reduced to 368. The freed-up space was then reallocated to accommodate a significant boost in bicycle parking spaces, from 629 to 1,004, ensuring that one space was provided for each unit.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, 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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| Related Companies: | Bousfields, Jablonsky, Ast and Partners, LEA Consulting, Turner Fleischer Architects |
