Marlin Spring Updates Lake Shore and Windermere Proposal | UrbanToronto
Plans to build a pair of condo towers on a wedge-shaped site along the shores of Humber Bay in Toronto’s Swansea area have been reworked and resubmitted to the City. Earlier this month, re-zoning applications were submitted to redevelop the properties at 1978 through 2002 Lake Shore Boulevard West, the final plot of vacant land that could be redeveloped in the area south of the Gardiner Expressway.
The irregularly shaped, 4,505m² property has extensive frontage 181 metres-long on Lake Shore Boulevard West, a major arterial street. Public parks and recreational trails are strung along the waterfront directly south of the site. The proposed development represents an opportunity to fill in a missing piece of the urban fabric along Toronto’s western waterfront and provide better integration between the site and the surrounding public realm.
Area Development Context, image from City of Toronto Development & Brook McIlroy
Plans for the Graziani and Corazza Architects-designed project were initially proposed by Marlin Spring Developments in 2017 after they bought the site from Build Toronto. The first design was for towers of 21 and 26 storeys and 607 residential units. UrbanToronto last reported on the project in October, 2018 as the project evolved somewhat.
Looking northeast to the previous 2018 design, image by Graziani + Corazza Architects for Marlin Spring Developments
The consulting team has continue to explore alternative design approaches to incorporate the City’s comments and feedback gathered from community members. A refined 2020 submission seen above involved two 21-storey towers situated on a 7-storey podium element.
This latest submission reflects further comments and provides a tower and podium form with revised tower shapes, orientation and sizes, representing an improvement in the relationship of the proposed building to the public realm and surrounding built form. The curved forms of the towers are inspired by the waves of the nearby lake, while creating a new landmark to anchor the gateway site.
Looking northwest to the latest version of the proposal, image by Graziani + Corazza Architects for Marlin Spring Developments
The GFA of the proposed development has slightly increased to 46,722 m² of residential gross floor area and 139 m² of retail space at grade. The revised the tower floor-plates have more regular shapes and have been reduced by 21%, from 950m² to 750m². This approach will create more slender built forms and minimize the impacts on the view corridors.The height of the west tower remains 65 metres, while the east tower has increased from 65 metres to 122 metres. The different heights provide a transition from the height peak created by the Mirabella twin towers across Windermere Avenue to the east, down to strata height. The tower separation has increased 43% from 35 metres to 50 metres, resulting in a more permeable tower and podium form when viewed from the north and south.
North elevation, image by Graziani + Corazza Architects for Marlin Spring Developments
The sculpted towers provide visual interest from afar and the curvilinear podium addreses its immediate streetscape. The facades are clad with glazing and ribbon balconies with clear and fritted glass, accompanied by vertical curved metal fins at a regular interval. According to the documents, “from various vantage points, the fins create a more solid feel providing an anchoring base for the towers … and open up as one gets closer for a more transparent and lighter design, relating to the public realm.”
Ground floor plan, image by Graziani + Corazza Architects for Marlin Spring Developments
The base building height has been reduced from 7 storeys to 5, which will improve the view corridor and the relationship of the new building to the public realm. It is similar to the podium height of the Mirabella twin towers on the east side of the Windermere Avenue, providing consistency of the street wall and framing Windermere Avenue.
The ground floor maintains two residential lobbies, one each serving the east and west towers, as well as residential indoor amenity spaces. The southeast portion of the ground floor is dedicated to retail use and will activate the corner of the site further through a café patio space.
6th floor plan, image by Graziani + Corazza Architects for Marlin Spring Developments
A 200m² POPS (Privately-Owned Publicly accessible Space) at the northwest corner of Lake Shore Boulevard West and Windermere Avenue will provide flexible seating areas, decorative paving, and planting beds with new trees. Residential amenity space has been increased in the new scheme, providing 1,223m² of indoor amenity space and 1,451m² outdoors, the latter being an exterior terrace between the two towers situated on the 6th floor/roof of the base building.
The new project includes 611 dwellings units (increased from 556) offered in a mix of 44 studios (7%), 257 one-bedrooms (42%), 216 two-bedrooms (35%), 89 three-bedrooms (15%), and 4 four-bedrooms (1%).
A three-level underground garage would accommodate 262 vehicles (down from 284), and 612 bicycles (increased from 558) bicycles– to promote active transportation.
The TTC serves the area on The Queensway, a short walk north from along Windermere Avenue from the east end of the proposal, with the 501 streetcar, and 77 and 80 buses.
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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