The coolest residential designs of 2016

It’s time to look back at the coolest residential designs that popped up in 2016 in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and surrounding areas.

What do we mean by the “coolest,” you ask? The developments on this list stood out to us, each one for its own reason. Whether the developer and architect were pushing the limits of design, bringing something to Ontario that we’ve never seen before, or finding a way to cater to specific buyers, there are numerous reasons for ending upon this list, and we’ll explain our reasoning for each one. (The list is in no particular order)

Matchedash Lofts in Orillia by Oakleigh     

Geoffrey Campbell’s mother was an architect, his father a weekend warrior. Geoffrey was buying homes and renovating them while he was in college. Now he’s the managing partner of Oakleigh and recently launched Matchedash Lofts in Orillia.

What we love about Matchedash Lofts is that Oakleigh is respecting the heritage of Orillia’s downtown. The condo is designed to resemble historical warehouses that have been retrofitted. The truth is, this will be a brand new building and its design has won over locals and investors from the GTA.

The Studio at The Metalworks in Guelph by Fusion Homes

Bankhouse

The Metalworks is Fusion Homes’ master-planned condo community in Guelph. The Studio is the second phase. We like the clean contemporary look that Fusion is bringing to Guelph, but what really won us over was the wide array of options for homebuyers.

There are four collections of homes - Maker, Designer, Craftsman, and Artisan - each with a variety of suites in all sizes and layouts. There are suites for singles and couples looking for their first home, larger suites for families, and luxury suites for those in search of opulence.

M City in Mississauga by Rogers Real Estate Development

Mississauga already has a couple curvy towers, and thanks to Rogers, there will be a few more. Rogers announced 10 towers coming to Mississauga, the first of which will rise 51 storeys and feature a repetitive floor rotation. CORE Architects is to thank for the design.

M City made the list mostly because of the sheer size of the announcement. The initial rendering shows a number of interesting towers. Whether they’ll all look like this once they’re approved is still to be determined.

The Mack in Vaughan by Marlin Spring

Working with RN Design, Marlin Spring brought The Mack to Vaughan this year. The project was so successful that they’ve already broken ground.

The 200 modern townhomes near Major Mackenzie and Highway 400 will be a breath of fresh air for Vaughan. When you think of low-rise homes in Vaughan, you most likely picture traditional brick homes. Marlin Spring is mixing it up with their modern geometric designs and contrasting colour palettes.

FORM in Toronto by Tridel

Located at Queen and McCaul, FORM complements the unique OCAD University building. Tridel is one of the largest condo developers in the GTA and they have unveiled some very impressive renderings of the condos on the waterfront at Bayside Toronto, but there’s something different about FORM.

FORM stands out because of the interesting panelling and the abandoning of the typical podium-tower combination. FORM seems to widen as the storeys increase, which we think will have a softer impact on street level while still standing out as an iconic building for downtown Toronto.

Arc Condos in Mississauga by Daniels

Here’s another Mississauga condo worthy of a head turn. When Daniels unveiled Arc Condos, there was a very strong response from locals, brokers, and basically everyone in the GTA interested in buying a new condo at the time.

As the latest addition to the Daniels Erin Mills master-plan, Arc Condos is in a walkable location with plenty of amenities nearby. The curved dramatic look and grand public realm at ground level will change the Eglinton and Erin Mills intersection in an amazing way.

BIG’s King West Design in Toronto

This is a very ambitious proposal for a stretch of King West, just west of Spadina on the south side of the street. The building will step back like a ziggurat with 12’ by 12’ modules that pivot 45 degrees.

The application is still in early phases and with the City of Toronto, so hopefully we see what becomes of this proposal in 2017. Do you think the design will be scaled back to a safer look or will Toronto follow through with an interesting and bold building for the downtown core?

This is just a handful of the amazing residential designs that were unveiled in 2016. We can’t wait to see what comes to light in 2017!