Architects take inspiration from all kinds of unusual sources; trees, fish, and ... a vase? According to its developer, Lanterra, 11 Wellesley on the Park was inspired by the iconic Aalto vase, a Finnish design classic since its debut in 1937. The building, a collaboration between architects KPMB and Page + Steele / IBI Group, will be 60 storeys of undulating white curves, with a series of wraparound terraces that step in from the nine-storey podium. There will be 630 units, ranging in size and price from the tiny 343 sq. ft. Bedford Park studio ($227,900) to the 878 sq. ft. Central Park 2.5 bedroom suite ($589,900). Interiors are by Toronto's Munge Leung, whose work is showing up all over town in projects like the Canary District and Canary Park condos. There are some good-looking amenities, like the teak-panelled spa and the gorgeous pool area (not to mention the increasingly-popular dog spa). With City Council's approval today of a 1.5-acre park at the project's base, 11 Wellesley promises to be a striking development surrounded by green space in the downtown core.
And if the cool Finnish-vase-inspired design and the urban parkland surroundings aren't already enough to make 11 Wellesley stand out, the project has a free augmented reality app; when you point your smartphone or tablet at a rendering, the building appears in 3D on your screen. You can wave your device around to view the structure from all angles; it's kind of shaky and might make you a little woozy, but it's still a cool party trick (note: probably works best with a tablet). What do you think of 11 Wellesley on the Park? And where do you stand on real-estate marketing toys like this AR app? Talk it out.
· Doing the deal with augmented reality [Toronto Star]
· New app's the talk of Toronto's real estate community [Montana Steele]
· Cultivating a park at 11 Wellesley [Toronto Star]
· Development du jour archives [Curbed Toronto]