In the Star today, Hume gave it an 'A'.......
The Star Condo Critic: Hume
CASA CONDOMINIO RESIDENZA, 33 CHARLES ST. E.:
Aside from its ridiculous name, this is an unusually elegant structure. Toronto has no shortage of glass towers, of course, but even before it's fully finished, this one stands out, and not just because it's 45 storeys tall, though that certainly doesn't hurt. What makes it so architecturally compelling is the utter simplicity of the design and the attention to detail.
Some might complain that the building doesn't fit in with its neighbours, but which ones? The street is already a bit of a mish-mash, so there's little to be done in that regard. On the other hand, the new condo does present a compelling case for the tower on a podium model that Toronto planners seem to love so much. This time around, the tower sits atop a large five storey glass box that comes out right to the sidewalk. Because the services have been located on the east side of the building accessible by a laneway, there's nothing to interrupt the purity of the front facade.
The tower, which has balconies that run the full length on all four sides, rises uninterrupted from top to bottom. It is capped with a flat roof-like structure that provides an emphatic sense of termination to the building. Many modern towers, of course, just seem to stop, as if the builders had run out of materials. This condo reminds us of the potential of the roof; it doesn't have to be peaked to be interesting.
GRADE: A