Architects and building designers beware, renowned architecture critic and veteran journalist Christopher Hume is reviving his condo critiques, exclusively for storeys.com.
M5VDeveloper: Lifetime Developments/TASArchitect: Core/Stephen Teeple ArchitectsCompletion: 2011Address: 375 King Street West
Grade: B+
M5V Condos is one of those condos that fits in well with its surroundings, it's all but invisible. Though it stands 35 storeys tall, at the all-important ground level it is as messy an accumulation of retail as anything in the neighbourhood.
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Located at 375 King St West, a block east of Spadina, it's a glass tower with a difference. In this case, that means colour.
Coloured glass isn't as rare as it once was, and for the most part, that's not a good thing. This time around, the architects, local firms Core and Stephen Teeple, have used it effectively. Rather than define the building, colour enlivens it.
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The architects have also managed to handle the massing so that it doesn't crowd the street, which was never intended for such tall towers.
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Ironically, perhaps, the result is a project that fills the space without overpowering it. In the best tradition of the fabric building, here is a condo happy to be ignored.
