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The staggered balconies of the Hyatt Centric and The 203 Residences on Jarvis have claimed their place on Downtown Toronto's skyline. Located at the northeast corner of Jarvis and Shuter streets, the project by Manga Hotels reached a key milestone this month with the removal of the construction crane.
UrbanToronto last covered this site in March, 2022 and provided a Daily Photo update last month. Located at 203 Jarvis Street, the 32-storey development designed by Arcadis — the Amsterdam-based global firm that acquired Toronto-based IBI Group in Fall 2022 — will welcome a mix of hotel and market-rate rental suites to the Garden District.
Significant progress was evident by November, 2022 as the tower grew to overshadow the adjacent 14-storey O2 Tower, completed in 2015. The south elevation's podium cladding, with its reflective copper-tinted pattern, had reached completion. Meanwhile, the installation of the reflective blue window glazing with its variable-width black frames across the hotel portion of the tower is well-advanced, marking a notable contrast to the O2 Tower's lighter cladding.
A view from February this year reveals the initial manifestations of the distinctive grid-like balcony pattern on the tower's upper residential portion. Diagonal support beams mark the transition between the tower's upper and lower sections, providing both structural integrity over a sheltered outdiir amenity area, along with some aesthetic allure. In the background to the left we see the completed Grid Condos from 2018, adding yet another layer of visual complexity to the area.
By April, the tower's presence in the east downtown skyline is difficult to ignore. Crews have installed eye-catching black exterior panels and windows up to the sixth storey of the residential portion, and installation on the seventh storey's east elevation has commenced. The building's construction hoist is positioned on the west side.
Northwest of the site, on the left of the photo below, we see the ascending Ivy Condos and its distinctively randomized white frames that articulate the facades with a contrasting cladding, adding further rhythms to the surroundings.
By July, construction had reached the mechanical penthouse while moist of the balconies on the first four floors of the residential portion not sport their contrasting white cladding that emphasizes their staggered arrangement. Further up, only a few more storeys remained to be clad. The captivating balcony pattern extends to this mechanical section, lending a cohesive look to the entire structure.
Viewed from the northwest on Jarvis Street, the intricate design of the mid-section comes into better focus. Unlike the south elevation, with its diagonal support beams, this angle reveals a cantilevered section with cladding that repeats the design from the podium levels. This detail reinforces the building's thematic continuity, harmonizing the different sections into a unified architectural statement.
By mid-August, the tower had reached a significant milestone — being officially topped off at 108.2 metres. A large red mobile crane is deployed to aid in the controlled descent of sections of the construction crane, necessitating road closures for safety. This ground-level view also offers an opportunity to appreciate the congruent cladding of the podium and mid-section of the tower.
Their distinct colours and patterns are brought into sharp contrast with the sleek black cladding and glazing ascending along the main body of the tower. Adding further visual interest, the white balconies, in different sunlit and shadowed orientations, extend outwards, most awaiting more cladding.
Now in late August, construction crews are preparing to encase the mechanical penthouse in similar cladding to the upper portion of the tower.
As the hotel and rental apartment tower nears completion — to offer 240 hotel suites and 179 rental units — its unique impact on the Garden District cityscape is becoming apparent.
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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UrbanToronto has a research service, UrbanToronto Pro, that provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Toronto Area—from proposal through to completion. We also offer Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.
| Related Companies: | Arcadis, Bousfields, Jablonsky, Ast and Partners, Land Art Design Landscape Architects Inc, Live Patrol Inc., MCW Consultants Ltd, SKYGRiD, Unilux HVAC Industries Inc. |
