Tall & Urban News

Located at the northeast edge of Toronto’s downtown, The Selby is a 50-story residential rental building located one block south of the Sherbourne subway station. Designed by Chicago-based bKL Architecture, the façade is clad in red masonry, distinguishing itself among the surrounding steel-and-glass high-rise towers, while complementing the adjacent restored heritage mansion.

In order to optimize the massing and acquire more floor area for essential building functions, the tower rises 165 meters and features a notched form in its southeast corner corresponding to the height of the adjacent 109-meter tower to the south. This notch in the structure’s massing was created by removing a 7.6-meter by 10.6-meter portion of the southeast corner of the building below the 38th floor.

The project was a collaborative effort between developer Tricon Capital Group, bKL Architecture, and Toronto-based Rafael + Bigauskas Architects serving as Architect of Record.

Along Selby Street, a series of more modestly scaled red brick single family homes provide a low-rise context with a rhythm of residential structures. The site is also home to the historic Gooderham Mansion. Working with ERA Architects Inc., the mansion was relocated a little more than three feet from the sidewalk and now houses amenity spaces for residents as well as a restaurant that will open to the public in April. While the adjacent 1883 mansion has shifted its location on the site, it maintains its sense of general location within Toronto’s streetscape.

With 502 residential units and five levels of below-grade parking, the building features 20,000 square feet (18,580 square meters) of indoor and outdoor amenities as well as 558 bicycle parking spaces. The podium of the tower includes four duplex townhomes.

The Selby was designed under the principles of the Toronto Green Building Standard, which through sustainable site and building design aims to ensure the built environment does not contribute to climate change, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and limits Toronto’s carbon footprint.

For more on this story go to bKL Architecture.