A team of architects, city officials and developer Dundee Kilmer Developments L.P. executives broke ground on Block 11, the first market condominium building of the Canary District to be constructed. Following the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan Am Games, during which the condo will be used as part of the Athletes’ Village, it will transition to a residence rebranded as the Canary District Condominiums.
Part of a 35-acre neighbourhood in the city’s West Don Lands, the sustainable, mixed use neighbourhood will feature eight buildings including market condominiums, affordable housing, George Brown College student residences, a YMCA, and retail.
“The dynamic urban lifestyle that the Canary District will offer is reflected in its first buildings, carefully crafted to offer refuge to busy professionals, growing families, and empty-nesters alike, within a lasting community where people want to live, want to work, and want to invest their time and their money,” said Dundee Kilmer Developments L.P. president Jason Lester.
Designed by KPMB Architects with interiors by Munge Leung, the 369-unit building is being constructed to achieve LEED Gold certification, while incorporating local materials throughout.
The building’s exteriors are defined by stone, metal and glass—also reflected in the treatment of its interiors—while the building’s exterior provides an excellent social amenity space complemented by a serene flowing water feature. With its showpiece two-storey glass lobby pavilions and amenities such as a party room, billiard room and dining room for residents and their guests, the buzz already swirling about the Canary District Condominiums should surprise no one.
To connect the Canary District with the neighbouring Distillery District, materials such as masonry are being used at street-level, while a contemporary and modern design aesthetic has prevailed to exemplify the area’s status as Toronto’s most cutting-edge new community. The community’s overall design maximizes green spaces throughout and meets LEED Gold criteria, while honouring requirements of Toronto’s Mandatory Green Building standard.