Loft project in fashion district full of innovative spaces
The Globe and Mail
When Freed Developments and Lash Development Corp. first acquired the corner lot at 455 Adelaide St. West, they didn’t quite know what to do with it. Then a team from Core Architects Inc. came up with a unique design: an L-shaped building with a variety of innovative spaces, including townhouses on the ground level and lofts above.
“There are a plethora of unique floor plans,” sales manager Craig Emond says of the project named 455 Adelaide West, and adds that many of them haven’t been seen in other projects. He notes that the developers also encourage buyers to help define and develop the unit layouts so they better suit their needs.
The 10-storey building will stretch north to Adelaide Street and toward Morrison Street to the east. It will house 93 lofts and 10 two-storey, modern townhouses that will be integrated into, rather than separated from, the main structure. One end of the townhouses will have floor-to-ceiling windows on both the first and second floors.
“Some of these townhomes have 11-foot ceilings on the ground level and 10-foot ceilings above,” Mr. Emond says. “I can assure you that’s never been done in the city.”
Located in the heart of the fashion district, the building will feature an exterior of large glass panels and sand-coloured pre-cast concrete.
The developers’ desire to merge architectural design with public space, landscaping and art will be best demonstrated by a Zen-influenced atrium, which will contain an orchard and a sculpture garden.
Inspired by St. Andrews Park across the street, the urban compound will have cast-in-place concrete walls that create a two-storey, outdoor space to guide guests from the north entrance to the main lobby. An elevated walkway will lead to a wooden bridge that will hover above a water feature.
Mr. Emond says it’s difficult for some buyers to conceptualize the project because it is unlike most conventional buildings.
But 35 suites and two townhouses have been sold in less than three months, to first-time and move-up buyers as well as empty-nesters.
The lofts at 455 Adelaide will range from one- and two-bedroom suites to penthouses featuring two terraces with more than 1,000 square feet of space. The townhouses will have large private gardens and range from 1,186 to 1,652 square feet.
Units will feature Cecconi Simone interiors with floor-to-ceiling windows and glass sliding bedroom doors. The floors will be pre-engineered hardwood or polished concrete, complemented by exposed concrete ceilings and columns with flared capitals.
The open-concept kitchens will have islands, granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances. Bathrooms will have deep soaker tubs, Corian vanities, and oversized shower stalls. Units will be prewired for the use of a range of communication and entertainment devices.
A monthly fee of 30 cents a square foot will cover the maintenance of all common elements, as well as building insurance, heat, water and air conditioning. There will be surveillance cameras in common areas and carbon monoxide detectors in all suites.
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