E
Ed007Toronto
Guest
If you are talking about the second floor unit on the southeast corner then they are pulling down the shades. There's a hottie living there that I've been trying to check out on my nightly walks.
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billy corgan19982
Guest
pervert 
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Ed007Toronto
Guest
Hey its not like I'm climbing up a ladder. The unit is so close to the street you can't help but look.
BTW, don't say anything to my wife
BTW, don't say anything to my wife
S
SD2
Guest
Does she do anything interesting in front of the window?
B
building babel
Guest
If you guys don't stop this, I'm complaining to the guy who runs the forum and the mods.
Wait! You are the guy who runs the forum and the mods!
Wait! You are the guy who runs the forum and the mods!
A
AlvinofDiaspar
Guest
babel:
Not all the mods
AoD
Not all the mods
AoD
A
andreapalladio
Guest
The right Louis XV chair can look right at home in a contemporary room.
A
adma
Guest
Imagine a guy like this living there
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Darkstar416
Guest
I don't think it's been mentioned yet, but this project also reminds me of that gallery that has recently been built at 22 Grange St...
A
AlvinofDiaspar
Guest
Darkstar:
That's Pachter House by Teeple Architects.
AoD
That's Pachter House by Teeple Architects.
AoD
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unimaginative2
Guest
Oh! I've passed by that place a number of times and have just loved it. What's the story behind it?
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interchange42
Guest
Charles Pachter is one of Canada's best known painters. Several stamps, including the one of our fluttering flag, feature his artwork. The place on Grange is his pad.
42
42
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Bogtrotter
Guest
..also called the Moose Factory gallery- visits by appointment only.
Y
yyzer
Guest
COLLEGE STREET
Compact project will offer exclusivity in heart of city
Mar 17, 2007 04:30 AM
Shelly Sanders Greer
Special to the Star
A six-storey condominium, inspired by a prestigious New York development, is coming to Toronto's College St. Created by Jim Neilas, managing director of Neilas Inc., N-BLOX will house just eight suites within its building-block-style walls.
"When I approached Quadrangle Architects, I told them my goal was not to get as many units on the property as possible, but to design as nice a building as I could,'' says Neilas.
For Roland Rom Colthoff, principle at Quadrangle Architects Ltd., this was an unusual and challenging proposal.
"Planners say we should strive to achieve residential buildings with four to six storeys yet there are no incentives,'' Colthoff says. "So cities have a hard time finding developers taking on this smaller size because of the difficulty in making a profit.''
Undaunted by the task at hand, Neilas went ahead with his plans but says that building low was an uphill "battle.''
"The lot is just 50 feet by 110 feet and the thinking is that if you don't go high, you can't sell prestige or luxury,'' he explains.
"When I took investors and brokers to see the property their instinct was for me to buy adjoining properties to build a larger condo. Why would I want to buy and demolish what works so well, like the Grappa Restaurant, which will be right beside N-BLOX?''
In the end, Neilas is getting what he wanted – a stylish, compact condo that offers exclusivity in the heart of Toronto. Colthoff says "this is a design strategy that should be replicated.''
He describes the exterior as a "simple expanse of glass, stone and zinc cladding.'' The effect will look like "a gathering of picture frames with each frame as an expression of the unit behind its walls.''
Residents get one parking space and will access this through a gate on College St., designed by an artist. Elevators will then take them directly to the doors of their individual suites. Every unit will have north and south-facing windows and the sizes range from 1,200 to 2,000 square feet. Prices start in the low $700,000s and go to $1.5 million.
Kitchens will be from Snaidero of Italy; there will be oak strip flooring, heated bathroom floors, fireplaces, individual furnace and air conditioning, Miele appliances, and an energy-efficient ventless washer/dryer.
There will be landscaped outdoor decks and terraces, as well as a common garden crafted of wood, stone and metal with two barbecue stations, lighting and a trellis-covered area. The two top units will have elevator access to this terrace.
In order to conserve space, there is a small lobby at the side of the building and no hallways. The lack of common areas will mean lower maintenance fees, which are still being determined.
N-BLOX will be located at 799 College St. and Neilas expects to break ground in October, with occupancy scheduled for the fall of 2008. To receive information as it becomes available, call 416-506-1435.
Compact project will offer exclusivity in heart of city
Mar 17, 2007 04:30 AM
Shelly Sanders Greer
Special to the Star
A six-storey condominium, inspired by a prestigious New York development, is coming to Toronto's College St. Created by Jim Neilas, managing director of Neilas Inc., N-BLOX will house just eight suites within its building-block-style walls.
"When I approached Quadrangle Architects, I told them my goal was not to get as many units on the property as possible, but to design as nice a building as I could,'' says Neilas.
For Roland Rom Colthoff, principle at Quadrangle Architects Ltd., this was an unusual and challenging proposal.
"Planners say we should strive to achieve residential buildings with four to six storeys yet there are no incentives,'' Colthoff says. "So cities have a hard time finding developers taking on this smaller size because of the difficulty in making a profit.''
Undaunted by the task at hand, Neilas went ahead with his plans but says that building low was an uphill "battle.''
"The lot is just 50 feet by 110 feet and the thinking is that if you don't go high, you can't sell prestige or luxury,'' he explains.
"When I took investors and brokers to see the property their instinct was for me to buy adjoining properties to build a larger condo. Why would I want to buy and demolish what works so well, like the Grappa Restaurant, which will be right beside N-BLOX?''
In the end, Neilas is getting what he wanted – a stylish, compact condo that offers exclusivity in the heart of Toronto. Colthoff says "this is a design strategy that should be replicated.''
He describes the exterior as a "simple expanse of glass, stone and zinc cladding.'' The effect will look like "a gathering of picture frames with each frame as an expression of the unit behind its walls.''
Residents get one parking space and will access this through a gate on College St., designed by an artist. Elevators will then take them directly to the doors of their individual suites. Every unit will have north and south-facing windows and the sizes range from 1,200 to 2,000 square feet. Prices start in the low $700,000s and go to $1.5 million.
Kitchens will be from Snaidero of Italy; there will be oak strip flooring, heated bathroom floors, fireplaces, individual furnace and air conditioning, Miele appliances, and an energy-efficient ventless washer/dryer.
There will be landscaped outdoor decks and terraces, as well as a common garden crafted of wood, stone and metal with two barbecue stations, lighting and a trellis-covered area. The two top units will have elevator access to this terrace.
In order to conserve space, there is a small lobby at the side of the building and no hallways. The lack of common areas will mean lower maintenance fees, which are still being determined.
N-BLOX will be located at 799 College St. and Neilas expects to break ground in October, with occupancy scheduled for the fall of 2008. To receive information as it becomes available, call 416-506-1435.
A
AlvinofDiaspar
Guest
And the Post:
Design with a built-in philosophy
ROBERT OUELLETTE, National Post
Published: Saturday, March 17, 2007
In the world of architecture it is often said that great clients allow for great architects. While notable practitioners may publicly argue otherwise, in their private moments they thank their good fortune for clients who pay to bring well-designed buildings to life. Ask Frank Gehry.
The developer behind a provocative new project on College Street West is just such a client to architect Roland Rom Colthoff. Together, their design vision for a small urban site in a popular downtown neighbourhood may just change our expectations of what a Toronto home should look like.
Jim Neilas is a financier who funds building projects through his company, Waterview Capital. Realizing he would soon be in the market for a new home, Neilas explored Toronto's available housing stock and upcoming condo projects searching for a building he liked -- fruitlessly it turned out.
"Generally," Neilas concludes, "people in this city don't believe in good architecture."
"Everywhere I looked I found buildings that were not built for living as much as they were built for sales brochures."
Neilas -- who trained as a lawyer but went into the financial world -- had wanted to become a developer of well-considered, modern buildings. Here, he thought, was his opportunity.
That is how Neilas Inc. started. "The philosophy behind this company," says the developer, "is to build for people who enjoy living, who take the time to consider how they will actually inhabit the space they choose to live in."
The proposed eight-unit College Street project, named N-Blox, is proof of sorts of those ideas.
In developer terms, the site is miniscule. Measuring just 50 feet wide and 110 feet long it is a challenge to any developer. Neilas decided to take on the difficult site and while doing that build the home he longed for.
Challenging sites and supportive clients bring out the best in architects. Rom Colthoff of Quadrangle Architects responded to the task.
"Jim is influenced by complex, modern projects he has seen in New York and elsewhere," reflects the architect.
"He wants to build living environments that are pleasurable and many of his references were from European architects practising abroad -- such as Herzog & de Meuron's 40 Bond Street project."
One of Neilas' requests was for two-storey-height units with internal stairs. This model, he argued, acknowledges Toronto's typical two-storey housing. He also wanted the building to respond to some unique site conditions that other architects probably would just ignore.
For example, there were windows on an adjoining property wall that meant a standard boxwalled solution would not work. What is a creative response to the demands of a client's vision and an awkward site condition? Use a steel framework to give the building a setback on the lower floors away from those windows and cantilever the upper ones.
As well, because of its "Main Street" frontage, zoning demands a setback at the fourth floor level. That requirement adds another step in the building's overall envelope.
Architect Rom Colthoff describes the resulting building as spatially complex and "Tetrislike." More than that, and as a nod to Neilas, he says the condominium design represents "the design aspirations of an ambitious client."
What is remarkable about this proposed building is not only the client-architect relationship - though that clearly helps -- but their joint commitment to a "form follows function" belief in design.
That approach creates a well-composed building that is unique to a specific place and time.
The various oddities of Toronto's Little Italy neighbourhood that are the result of thousands of small changes over the years provide a complimentary backdrop to a building that also acknowledges there are many different ways people can choose to inhabit a home.
There is another thing to like about this building. Architect Rom Colthoff says that he sees Toronto's housing stock getting better as a whole.
"Design does go a long way to distinguish buildings in a crowded marketplace." It also shows that good design can make under appreciated sites attractive to developers.
After many years of accepting the complacent design standards of the status quo, Torontonians may well be on their way to becoming the clients every architect hopes for.
- Robert Ouellette publishes the daily blogwww.readingtoronto.com. He is the president of Forum Bureau, a strategic consulting and Internet firm in Toronto.
© National Post 2007
AoD
Design with a built-in philosophy
ROBERT OUELLETTE, National Post
Published: Saturday, March 17, 2007
In the world of architecture it is often said that great clients allow for great architects. While notable practitioners may publicly argue otherwise, in their private moments they thank their good fortune for clients who pay to bring well-designed buildings to life. Ask Frank Gehry.
The developer behind a provocative new project on College Street West is just such a client to architect Roland Rom Colthoff. Together, their design vision for a small urban site in a popular downtown neighbourhood may just change our expectations of what a Toronto home should look like.
Jim Neilas is a financier who funds building projects through his company, Waterview Capital. Realizing he would soon be in the market for a new home, Neilas explored Toronto's available housing stock and upcoming condo projects searching for a building he liked -- fruitlessly it turned out.
"Generally," Neilas concludes, "people in this city don't believe in good architecture."
"Everywhere I looked I found buildings that were not built for living as much as they were built for sales brochures."
Neilas -- who trained as a lawyer but went into the financial world -- had wanted to become a developer of well-considered, modern buildings. Here, he thought, was his opportunity.
That is how Neilas Inc. started. "The philosophy behind this company," says the developer, "is to build for people who enjoy living, who take the time to consider how they will actually inhabit the space they choose to live in."
The proposed eight-unit College Street project, named N-Blox, is proof of sorts of those ideas.
In developer terms, the site is miniscule. Measuring just 50 feet wide and 110 feet long it is a challenge to any developer. Neilas decided to take on the difficult site and while doing that build the home he longed for.
Challenging sites and supportive clients bring out the best in architects. Rom Colthoff of Quadrangle Architects responded to the task.
"Jim is influenced by complex, modern projects he has seen in New York and elsewhere," reflects the architect.
"He wants to build living environments that are pleasurable and many of his references were from European architects practising abroad -- such as Herzog & de Meuron's 40 Bond Street project."
One of Neilas' requests was for two-storey-height units with internal stairs. This model, he argued, acknowledges Toronto's typical two-storey housing. He also wanted the building to respond to some unique site conditions that other architects probably would just ignore.
For example, there were windows on an adjoining property wall that meant a standard boxwalled solution would not work. What is a creative response to the demands of a client's vision and an awkward site condition? Use a steel framework to give the building a setback on the lower floors away from those windows and cantilever the upper ones.
As well, because of its "Main Street" frontage, zoning demands a setback at the fourth floor level. That requirement adds another step in the building's overall envelope.
Architect Rom Colthoff describes the resulting building as spatially complex and "Tetrislike." More than that, and as a nod to Neilas, he says the condominium design represents "the design aspirations of an ambitious client."
What is remarkable about this proposed building is not only the client-architect relationship - though that clearly helps -- but their joint commitment to a "form follows function" belief in design.
That approach creates a well-composed building that is unique to a specific place and time.
The various oddities of Toronto's Little Italy neighbourhood that are the result of thousands of small changes over the years provide a complimentary backdrop to a building that also acknowledges there are many different ways people can choose to inhabit a home.
There is another thing to like about this building. Architect Rom Colthoff says that he sees Toronto's housing stock getting better as a whole.
"Design does go a long way to distinguish buildings in a crowded marketplace." It also shows that good design can make under appreciated sites attractive to developers.
After many years of accepting the complacent design standards of the status quo, Torontonians may well be on their way to becoming the clients every architect hopes for.
- Robert Ouellette publishes the daily blogwww.readingtoronto.com. He is the president of Forum Bureau, a strategic consulting and Internet firm in Toronto.
© National Post 2007
AoD