Fan Condominium

A recent collaboration between Urbanscape Architects and Modex Wood led to the transformation of a Tridel-developed condominium unit in North York. Completed in 2019, the concrete building rises 33 floors, and on one side face an unobstructed view of downtown Toronto with Lake Ontario before the horizon line. Nestled on the 29 floor, the carefully renovated unit features custom-fitted millwork in white oak. This architect-designed millwork is accented with dark Stone Tile-supplied porcelain, and together, they wrap around the apartment, sculpting a lifestyle and directing an improved circulation from one space to the next. The apartment’s east wing, a new kitchen opens to the living room with floor-high windows on two sides and a tailor-made entertainment unit. The window, on one side, leads to a balcony which is shared with a dining room that circulates the place back to the kitchen. The renovations have also included the addition of a study across from the mini foyer; a strategic placement for a home office. On the west wing, a cluster of two bedrooms—one with an ensuite—and a powder room complete the newly configured home. A contemporary architectural intervention, the transformed apartment is designed to offer an improved dwelling for its owners and a precedent for future condominium renovation projects.

The challenges that accompanied this renovation project revolved around coordination with the existing systems and conditions of an active, occupied high-rise building. The work had to be meticulously executed within the parameters set by the management company that maintains the base building. The initial design was altered at certain moments; challenges were turned into creative opportunities; and in the end, the architectural transformation was delivered on-time and on-budget.