KING Toronto

KING Toronto

King Toronto Condo by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) Architect - Habitat 2.0. Developed by  Westbank Corp and Allied Properties REIT and will be located at 485-539 King Street West.

Ian Gillespie invites us to think and talk about beauty. Beauty has become a term that seems to have migrated from  its original significance and meaning.  It has formed an integral part of discussions around today’s environment, which is primarily dominated by  by cosmetics, celebrity and consumerism.

Forget skinny skyscrapers — Bjarke Ingels Group would like to bring an incredible condo complex to Toronto resembling an image of a mountain. Big King Toronto Condo proposed for the city’s Fashion District, between King Street West and Wellington Street. This modern day development would rise to create five apartment-filled “peaks”. The development, unofficially known as “Habitat 2.0,” would be covered in trees and, as Bjarke Ingels told the Globe and Mail, will create an effect akin to “a Mediterranean mountain town.”

Landmark for Toronto

The resulting balance between these two, is a reflection of Toronto’s current state of rapid redevelopment. It represents the union of old and new, an open community in an intimate setting, calming green scenery within a bustling urban context.

Many of Toronto’s newer developments come under criticism for their bland, repetitive design of glass towers with concrete podiums. Big King Toronto Condo a new development at 489 to 539 King St. West is looking to change that.

Modelled after a mountain range, the Bjarke-Ingels design features a terraced, pixelated ziggurat with peaks. The inner-courtyard, which basically functions as a valley, would be used as a common space for pedestrians and public events.

The daring design has been working through a series of changes at the behest of several parties, including the community and the city.

The development is good news for the city, rather than just for those looking to purchase a unit. This is because the architects hope to use the buildings as a fixture in the community.

The plan is for the inner courtyard to serve as an event space, with a park and mixed retail use along the base of the building. The openings into courtyard allows more sunlight into the area, rather than being blocked by tall towers.