This apartment building on Richmond Street in Toronto is certainly different. I do like the colours used on it. Such an improvement over many uniform glass condo tower blocks. With all the cut-ins and cut-outs, and cantilevered sections, I do wonder how energy-efficient it is, and just how useful windows are looking into these internal spaces.

The Thompkins CoOp on Albert/Preston also has some deeply recessed windows (about 16′ in from the building exterior), some of which are further sandwiched between service walls. I don’t think they add much to the livability of the interior spaces. This building also has elements that remind me of the new Export Development Canada office building on O’Connor at Slater. Sometimes being innovative or different is good; some other times it just comes off trying too hard. I don’t yet find the Export building very rewarding; but the Royal Bank building at 90 Sparks, which has similar “see through” elements works very well to let the sun shine down onto the street and to reduce the mass of the building.

The recessed balconies with colourful surrounding walls reminds me of the proposed condo for the corner of Booth/Somerset here in Ottawa, as shown a few posts ago, which proposes the balcony walls be implemented in bright Chinatown red.

The Toronto building looks interesting from a distance, I intend to check it out on my next Toronto visit to see just how friendly it is “on the street”.

Here are some other photos, taken from http://www.pugawards.com/live/content/60-richmond-east-housing-co-operative. The source story tells more about the building.

The original National Post story is at http://network.nationalpost.com/NP/blogs/toronto/archive/2010/03/12/on-richmond-street-a-revolution-in-11-storeys.aspx