Just saw this article. Like Yorkville said, I hope that 1 Bloor East didn't set the standard for condo prices in the area.
November 23, 2007
Aura tower vies for high-rise title
By DEREK RAYMAKER
From Friday's Globe and Mail
Aura could very well provoke the same lineup hysteria that One Bloor did.
Aura
LOCATION: Downtown Toronto
BUILDER/DEVELOPER: Canderel Stoneridge Equity Group Inc.
SIZE: 500 to more than 2,000 square feet
PRICE: from the low $300,000s
SALES CENTRE: Opening in spring, 2008
CONTACT:
www.collegeparkcondos.com
Canderel-Stoneridge Equity Group Inc. got into the towering-condo game last week when it unveiled Aura, a 75-storey glass residential building resembling a half-sheathed blade.
It came a week after the free-for-all that marked the launch of One Bloor, the 80-storey (though with lower ceilings) condominium to be built at Bloor and Yonge streets by Bazis International.
It is getting to be a challenge for developers to make a splash on the downtown high-rise scene with so many projects on the go, especially of the expensive, five-star variety. Aura has the advantage of being the third and final phase of the well-regarded Residences of College Park development, of which the first phase is now occupied and the second is well under construction.
Aura's soaring stature will cut a unique shape in the sky. Considering the number of renowned architects who had a hand in its development, the pressure was definitely on to unveil something stunning.
This was the first project to be submitted by its developers to an international peer-review process for architecture, according to Candarel's vice-president of sales and marketing, Riz Dhanji. The initial design by project leaders Graziani + Corazza Architects Inc. was turned down by city planners during its first trip to the plate in 2006.
The developer drafted architects René Menkès and Eberhard Zeidler to address the city's concerns, and in time they were joined by three other elite architects, including Bruce Kuwabara.
The major changes occurred not on the high-rise, but on the four-storey retail and commercial podium, which is now set back from the street more than previously, Mr. Dhanji says.
"We already set a precedent for quality with College Park phase one and two," he says. "This showcases how Canderel-Stoneridge is a unique builder."
Several of the architects attended a press conference last Friday at the condominium's unveiling to toast the review process, suggesting it is a way for more buildings to be fine-tuned for the good of the community.
It appears that when sales finally do get under way next spring, Aura could very well provoke the same lineup hysteria that One Bloor did last week. Already, more than 5,000 people have registered on its website for a first crack to purchase.
Special to The Globe and Mail