Courtesy TheMarkNews.com

Toronto is a growing city. With the new emphasis on urban intensification, it seems like a new condo tower goes up every other week. Some of these projects are magnificent. Others, not so much. Here is a rundown of some of the best and some of the worst condominium developments in the city.

THE GOOD

1. The Loretto

For this project, the former Loretto Abbey School in the Annex; a designated heritage property; was converted and townhomes were added onto the back. It’s a high-quality renovation that is nicely set back from the street, allowing the area to maintain its integrity.

2. Parkside

Part of Toronto’s planned waterfront redevelopment, this large-scale, mixed-use residential and commercial project is slated for completion in 2011 and appears to be a winner. The design by Moshe Safdie includes plant-covered roofs and stepped gardens on the set-back tower, lending a sense of space to the high-rise block.

3. Fashion House

Despite its unfortunate name, this 12-storey building is an exciting addition to the King West neighbourood. Amenities include floor-to-ceiling windows and a ninth floor exterior terrace. Super-hip developer Peter Freed is sensitive to scale and design quality; many of downtown’s most livable projects are his.

4. 1 St. Thomas

Designed by the world-renowned American architect Robert Stern, this building is one of Toronto’s most luxurious. It’s a tall, limestone building with a distinctly Manhattan feel, specifically designed in the art deco style to reflect the area just south of Yorkville. Quality comes at a price, though, with units starting at $1 million.

5. The Arc

This cruise ship of a building sits long and low at the top of Bayview Avenue, directly above the subway line. Its unusual horizontal shape, solid-looking construction, and curved glass balconies make it that rare thing: a suburban condo with style.

THE BAD

1. Westside Gallery Lofts

Although the developers acquiesced somewhat by providing low-cost live/work spaces for artists on the first three floors of this 18-storey building, the project caused so much indignation amongst area residents that they formed a group, Active 18, to try to steer the development in a more neighbourhood friendly direction.

2. Noble Court Lofts

This low-rise, former industrial building with original post and beam details, exposed brick, and huge windows is nice enough, but residents were shocked this past fall when it was announced that Metrolinx plans to run 400 diesel-powered trains behind the building each day.

3. Cityplace

While the close proximity of the buildings is good, and developer Concord Adex has an ambitious public art program and is developing plenty of green space (including Douglas Coupland’s neat new park) and amenities, the mass of glass curtain walls and small-sized units leaves me wondering how the towers will look in 25 years.

THE UGLY

1. The L Tower

Designed by Daniel Libeskind, the original plan for this building had the unfortunate look of a large boot squashing the Hummingbird centre. The design has been modified, but it still doesn’t sing. One can only hope that the inside of the building will be of a higher quality than the messy-looking interior of Libeskind’s ROM renovation.

2. College Park II

The problem with many of the city’s condo projects is that they are neither great nor awful; just banal, uninteresting, low-quality monoliths. This project is a good example. Could the two towers, with so many units and so little surrounding green space, become the tenements of the future?

3. King’s Court

Thankfully, the developers retained the facade of the former Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, but that doesn’t save the cheap-looking condo that surrounds it. The building’s red brick is an unfortunate choice, set against the bank’s yellow stone. At least the building’s scale is appropriate for the area.

4. Windermere By The Lake

This project is the west end’s sore thumb. Rather than doing one thing well, the developer tried to fuse together a sleek glass tower with tiny, traditionally styled townhomes at its base. The awkward combination makes them both look silly.

The Mark is Canada’s online forum for news commentary and debate.

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