One Delisle

Studio Gang’s first project in Canada, One Delisle is a new residential tower that considers how to sustainably grow cities. Located at an important node in Toronto and anchoring the corner of a full-block development, it provides much-needed density on a compact footprint, growing its neighborhood upward to meet urban challenges and benefit the city, while remaining sensitive to its context amid new open park space. Bringing an abundance of comfortable outdoor space to city living, the tower is tuned to Toronto’s climate and lifestyle. Its distinctive façade comprises a series of eight-story, hooded modules, which nest together as they spiral up the building. With balconies set within them, and generous terraces atop, the modules provide shade and wind protection, creating vibrant indoor-outdoor environments that can be used well into the shoulder seasons, while also lending the tower a more human scale. Their angled, alternating geometry allows for variously sized and shaped floor plates, resulting in unique conditions within the living spaces, bringing a diversity of residential options to the mixed-use neighborhood. Responsive to the surrounding streetscape, the tower is rectilinear at its base to fit within the city grid yet tapers into a cylindrical shape as it rises to expand views, capture more sunlight, and minimize shadows on the street. A setback podium allowing for widened, landscaped sidewalks, together with new small-scale retail that blends in with existing two-story buildings in the neighborhood, creates a pleasant pedestrian experience. Improving urban connectivity, the design also links the important node at Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue while forming a new edge to the soon to be refreshed Delisle Park.