London on the Esplanade – East & West
DEVELOPER
Cityzen Development Group
ARCHITECT
Burka Architects Inc.
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
NAK Design Group
GENERAL CONTRACTOR
Fernbrook Homes
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The London on the Esplanade project is located at the exact confluence of the modern Toronto financial district and the historic Old Town to the east. This two building project, therefore consists of two different styles of buildings. The 33 storey glass tower blends with the existing glass towers of the financial district, while the lower brick building and podium aim to embrace the existing historic warehouses to the east. The façade composition of the buildings borrows elements from their proximity but unites them with common geometry and materials. The retail and commercial elements in the 5 storey podium provide animation at street level and merges the ground plane seamlessly into the neighbourhood.
Comments
what an incredible building! this is exactly what the esplanade needed!
Christopher Hume of the Toronto Star said it best: "...it's abundantly clear that this project contributes positively to the neighbourhood. Indeed, it's one of the best things to happen to The Esplanade in some years."
Hume goes on to state that London uses quality material to ease the transition between the limestone of the Sony Centre and red brick of the Esplanade's heritage buildings. I'm a proud resident of 38 The Esplanade.
*The general contractor is Dominus Construction Group, sister company of Cityzen Development.
I live in the St.Lawrence Market area, and enjoy the backdrop this building provides for the neighbourhood. It's nor intrusive to the low to medium density character of the neighborhood nor does it draw too much attention to detract from the built heritage. It blends in seemlessly, integrating the new with the old. It doesn't hurt that the view from the northwest corner units is absolutely stunning. It will be interesting to see how the L-Tower fits in.
tacky steel girder mish mash
+ square windows on concrete snoozefest
+ coma-inducing tower
+ lifeless dark street level
= a heapin' helpin' of crap
It fits in well but also stands out with the positioning of the towers. Some of the finer details are great, like that entrance canopy and the revolving doors, which were a nice and unusual touch for a residential building.
For a development that embraces the city around it with its materials and form, it's strange that Cityzen, the developer, called it "London...". But I must commend Cityzen because they're making fine contributions to architecture in Toronto and the surrounding area. They're building the likes of L Tower, Pier 27, and the soon to be iconic Absolute Towers in Mississauga. They're an example to follow.
Decent.
Imagine it in January. That's all I'm saying.
How appropriate that the name of the architect is Burka and Associates.
You know if I could make a giant Burka I would cover this building up and hide it away from the viewing public.
My only disappointment wuth this building is at street level where on the Scott Street side and even on the Esplanade side itself the builder built huge cement sidewalks with no trees. On the Esplanade side there are a few spindly trees but not enough
That's right....NO TREES or any type of greenery on the Scott street side....it could use a bit of "softening"...the term "Esplanade" should suggest a lovely tree lined street close to the water but sadly this huge expanse of cement is what we get!
Why can't the city insist the builder plant lovely sustainable trees to line our downtown streets? It's not rocket science!
For the record, the city does have specific requirements with respect to landscaping and I'm sure Cityzen met the requirements. The streetscape has nothing to do with architecture.