The Enigma Lofts will have 86 loft-style suites and townhouses in a nine-storey building near Bloor Street and Lansdowne Avenue.
ENIGMA LOFTS
Location: Bloordale, Toronto
BUILDER/DEVELOPER Aragon Properties
SIZE 422- to 1,600 square feet
PRICE $231,900 to $999,900
SALES CENTRE 138 St. Helens Ave., south of Bloor Street. Open daily, except Friday, from noon to 6 p.m.
CONTACT Phone 416-516-1551 or visit aragon.ca
Vancouver-based Aragon Properties has brought its West Coast design principals to a new development in Toronto's west-end – and Toronto-based Quadrangle Architects has provided a suitably brash look for the low-rise boutique building.
Enigma Lofts will distribute 86 loft-style suites and townhomes throughout a nine-storey building with a kinked S-shaped design near Bloor Street and Lansdowne Avenue.
"We're trying to take what we think is good West Coast design and put it in a part of Toronto that would benefit from it," says Aragon Properties president, Lenny Moy, who notes a quarter of the mixed-use complex has sold since the October launch.
"People like that the architecture is very unique."
The site's urban surroundings – situated at 138 St. Helens Ave. across from private homes and abutting a public park to the south and industrial operations to the north – largely dictated how Quadrangle designed the building's form.
"It's next to MacGregor Park, so we wanted to put as much of the residential [units] backing onto that as possible," says Mr. Moy. "We also wanted to create a courtyard effect whereby we have a lot of the building facing the courtyard if they're not facing the park."
Further dramatizing the building's aesthetics, chevrons fashioned from cement-fibre panels will envelop the exterior.
"Generally people … use that type of material for accent, but we decided to add it throughout the building to create the effect of a chevron in a modern look," Mr. Moy explains.
"To create even more interesting architecture, we fanned out each of the floors from bottom to top."
These features translate into a large number of one-of-a-kind models, including studios to three-bedroom suites, plus two or three-storey residences with street-level access. "Of about 80 odd units we have, we have 40 different floor plans," Mr. Moy states.
In addition, few suites will have identical outlooks whether looking in or out.
"We have angled windows to blend in with the chevron design – and there are not many buildings with angled windows – so that's a unique design feature that gives it a bit of an optical illusion that the walls are at an angle," adds Mr. Moy.
"It's a well-established neighbourhood without a lot of new development, so anything above four or five storeys would have good views."
Standard finishes will consist of nine to ten-foot ceilings, engineered hardwood floors and the developer's signature reclaimed brick feature walls. "We look for a certain type of brick with a patina of an old loft," adds Mr. Moy.
The balance of the complex will house a gym and theatre with a walkout to a rooftop terrace, as well as 20,000 square-foot space for studios and offices in a three-storey wing.
Parking will be $32,000 and lockers $5,000. Monthly fees will be 45 and 33 cents per square foot for suites and townhouses respectively.
Occupancy is slated for the summer of 2016.