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A striking new development may be coming to North York in the form of a 34-storey condo and affordable rental building designed by Montreal’s award-winning architecture an urban design firm ACDF Architecture. Promising to be a recognizable addition to the skyline at Highway 401 and Allen Road, Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment applications were submitted in mid-July on behalf of developer Urban Capital and are currently being reviewed by the City. If approved, the development would sit at 2 Tippett Road, south of Wilson Avenue, and would bring 417 new units to Toronto's Clanton Park neighbourhood.
The 4,454 m² site is irregular in shape given the abutting Tippett Road cul-de-sac to the east and the Highway 401 westbound to Allen Road northbound on-ramp to the south and west. The site is currently occupied by a 4-storey commercial office building surrounded by associated surface parking, currently 74% vacant. The proposal seeks to redevelop the site with a 34-storey residential building, comprised of a 6-storey base and a 28-storey tower element in a north-south orientation. The total GFA is 24,926 m² –all of which is residential space– resulting in a gross density of 5.6 FSI.
The site is a few minutes walk from Wilson subway station on University Line 1, and within the Provinicially mandated Major Transit Station Area around it where high density is encouraged. The building's neighbours to the north are all residential in nature and completed within the last decade, gradually transforming this area from commercial and light industrial uses.
ACDF teased this their first design in Toronto on Instagram as early as November, 2023, but did not disclose the site nor client. The firm has been the recipient of several national and international architecture awards, including the prestigious Governor General of Canada Medal in 2010 and 2012. Its portfolio includes dynamic residential buildings in Montreal, e.g. Link and Vivre, and most recently, the new T-A-St-Germain Library in Saint-Hyacinthe.
The proposed 2 Tippett footprint follows the shape of the site to accentuate a future linear park along Allen Road easement. The southern tip of the site at the end of Tippett Road is left free to connect the two pedestrian walkways planned by the city to create a ‘vegetation loop’ all around the project. The podium is sculpted by the site and extruded upwards to 6 storeys, respecting its neighbouring buildings. Its ground floor has been designed to maximize porosity in the residential lobby, which is intended have a dynamic presence on the surrounding landscaping.
“Inspired by neighbouring buildings, the project extends from podium to tower using curves as interpretation of flow and movement experienced by its proximity to the highway.” The proposed tower, whose floor plate is 777 m² GCA, has been designed by ACDF with a high degree of architectural detailing and would be clearly delineated from the base building through a substantial step-back on the west elevation. Grey brick with Corten steel accents are specified at grade level, while white precast concrete is specified above with stainless steel accents on balconies and around the windows.
Rounded balcony edges and rounded privacy panels create a textured façade against the structural grid — a design the architectural firm refers to as 'Squaring the circle'.
For this project, ACDF is proposing architectural strategies it has developed across its projects:
- Play on balconies: emphasize the residential look of the building with a textured facade to create an icon
- Use of contrasting of materials, colours: allow the facades to be different from each other
- Using a frame: accentuate the silhouette and control very well-defined edges
Overall, the proposal comprises 417 dwelling units [including 7 affordable units] in the following mix: 101 studios (24%), 200 one-bedroom (48%), 72 two-bedroom (17%), 43 three-bedroom (10%), and 1 four-bedroom unit. Currently, it is anticipated that the 410 market units would be condominium in tenure. The proposal includes an affordable housing contribution of 760 m², which is currently configured as seven 2-storey townhouse units at grade, with both external and internal access to the building and to its amenities. They would share three elevators for the 410 above-ground suites, making for a ratio of 137 suites per elevator, indicating potentially prolonged wait times.
Residents would have access to a total 924 m² of indoor amenity space, located on Levels 2 and 6. The proposed outdoor amenity space is a 748 m² terrace occupying the Level 5 roof, adjacent to the west face of the tower, directly accessible from the contiguous indoor amenity room. It includes a mix of seating and planting areas and an outdoor pool.
Four levels of underground parking would provide a total of 195 vehicle parking spaces (172 residential, 23 visitor). In addition, a total of 320 bicycle parking spaces are proposed, inclusive of 290 in the garage and 30 “short-term” at-grade.
The proposal includes several publicly accessible open spaces, including an extension of the Allen Road Pathway within the required 14.0 metre Ministry of Transportation highway setback; an east-west pedestrian mid-block connection running parallel to the north lot line; and a 443 m² privately owned, publicly accessible open space (‘POPS) at the southeast corner of the site. The enhancements are intended to significantly expand the public realm on and around the private site and will be landscaped with a mix of new perennial plantings, trees and hardscaped elements to create a pedestrianized “vegetation belt” around the proposed building footprint.
| Related Companies: | Arcadis, Bousfields, LEA Consulting, o2 Planning and Design, RWDI Climate and Performance Engineering |
