Toronto Urban Design Awards 2015
CORE Architects wins two awards for Design Excellence
Leading architecture firm, CORE Architects Inc., announces two award wins following the 2015 Toronto Urban Design Awards (TUDA) ceremony. With nearly 100 submissions entered into nine categories, CORE received two awards of excellence for mid-rise buildings in context for their multi-residential projects: Fashion House and Five Hundred Wellington.
Every other year, the City of Toronto holds the Urban Design Awards to award and celebrate some of the city’s best projects and practitioners in urban design, simultaneously acknowledging the significant contribution that architects, landscape architects, urban designers, artists, design students, and city builders make to the look and livability of the city. The award category mid-rise buildings in context acknowledge projects that have “achieved urban design excellence, and [are a] precedent-setting for a project of its type through its relationship to the public realm, pedestrian amenity, detailing and massing, and the natural environment”.
“We are thrilled to be recognized by the City of Toronto’s Urban Design Awards,” says Charles Gane, principal of CORE Architects Inc. “Fashion House and Five Hundred Wellington are true examples of mid-rise urban infill projects that create a strong sense of place and livability for the modern condo dweller.”
Jury’s comment on Fashion House:
This mid-rise condominium is modernist in its architectural language, but generally respects the existing street wall of 19th-Century brick warehouses. Its scale is appropriate and creates a strong sense of place – together with the skillful knitting together of a heritage building, restaurant entrances, and the condominium’s front door. The King West neighbourhood is becoming increasingly dense and full of pedestrian activity. This building improves the neighbourhood through its wide sidewalk and the walkways to the side and rear of the building, which establish a strong public realm.
About Fashion House
Fashion House, developed by Freed, seeks to recapture the eclectic and creative energy of the historic Fashion District and has become an iconic landmark for its neighbourhood. The project is a unique interface of developer, architect, community, and interior and fashion designers. Fashion House is a juxtaposition of business drivers with raw creativity within a community setting. It appeals to the younger demographic of condo buyers, who are very interested in modernist design principles and how both fashion and Architecture can come together and be more than just “packaging.”
Jury’s comment on Five Hundred Wellington:
On Wellington Street West, a series of industrial buildings and newer condominium additions have established a clear street wall and a strong sense of place. This building contributes to that larger effort while also adding some verve with its place of massing materials. The jury admires the small public plaza and boulevard in front of the building.
CORE Architects Inc. is known for designing modern condos, private homes, and leading design efforts in the rejuvenation of King West, one of Toronto’s fastest-growing neighbourhoods, CORE’s Principal, Charles Gane, was responsible for the design of both projects.
For more information, please visit CORE Architects and Toronto Urban Design Awards.
About Five Hundred Wellington
A major design directive of Five Hundred Wellington was to provide substantial outdoor living spaces on terraces and decks, with floor to ceiling glazing where possible. The overall effect is a condo that engages the street with a playful façade on Wellington and that also fits in well with the massing and materials of the warehouse district. The project was developed by Freed Developments.
The official TUDA announcement can be found here.
