Blueprint for their vision
Core Architects saw the desirable beneath the dilapidated buildings in the old King West neighbourhood
When three forward-thinking young architects — Babak Eslahjou, Charles Gane and Deni Poletti — formed their company in 1994, it took a leap of imagination to envision what Toronto’s gritty King West neighbourhood could become beyond a collection of rundown industrial buildings and seedy nightclubs.
The trio called their firm Core Architects Inc. and set up shop in a former factory in the Fashion District, at 317 Adelaide St. W. They moved sewing machines and ripped out the dropped ceiling to convert it to office space.
While the warehouse vibe suited an up-and-coming architectural firm dedicated to creativity and sustainability, it also offered inexpensive rent.
Since then, Core has played a key role in the transformation of the King-Spadina neighbourhood, from dilapidated to desirable
Its streets are populated by upscale retailers, trendy home decor stores, studios and galleries and urbane food and drink establishments. And its condos have raised the bar for architecture and helped elevate the area’s cool factor.
In the mid ’90s, Toronto mayor Barbara Hall and city council updated zoning regulations to permit old factories and warehouses to be converted into offices, shops, condos and restaurants; the move helped kick-start the King West revitalization.
Developer David Wex, of Urban Capital, had been looking for an old warehouse to renovate and recruited Core Architects.
When he couldn’t find one, “he decided to buy an empty lot and said ‘we will build our own warehouse’ ” recalls Eslahjou. The result was Camden Lofts, a nine-storey building with 48 units, the first new residential building in the King-Spadina community. It brought industrial features — such as exposed concrete ceilings and walls — and custom lighting to residential units.
“We made it look like a warehouse but modern, with a brick exterior and large windows. It was quite successful coming out of the gate,” Eslahjou says. “In the mid-’90s, you needed believers (in King West). Today, everybody sees what’s going on and aspires to be in this neighbourhood.”
He points out that some of those early believers bought into Camden Lofts at $220 a square foot; they now sell for close to $1,000.
Core became the go-to architecture firm for the area, developing and demonstrating skill for making industrial sites into desirable homes.
The company has designed more than 160 condos in the last 24 years, about a third of them in downtown Toronto and about 20 concentrated between Bathurst and John Sts.; more are in development.
Their work has earned 34 industry awards and they have also designed projects in Ottawa, Montreal and Calgary, in the U.S., Dubai and in the Caribbean. The firm’s retail and commercial space clients include Sony, Porsche, Mac Cosmetics and Armani.
One of Core’s longest working relationships in King West has been with the “King of King West,” Peter Freed of Freed Developments.
“Peter Freed allowed us to do what we wanted to do,” Eslahjou says of the half-dozen projects they’ve done together. “If a client allows you that freedom or shares the same vision, you can produce some amazing products.”
“They (Core) have made a big imprint,” Freed says. “We’ve done 1,000 to1,500 condo units with them. They have a contemporary esthetic yet are good at incorporating classical design. Their buildings are clean — they have impact and stand out among other buildings.”
That certainly is true of Fashion House, a recent Freed-Core collaboration. It pays homage to King West’s garment district past, combining new glass construction with the historic Silver plate building that houses a Keg restaurant. Striking red curtains face the exterior of the condo units towards the street.
Core’s work can be found in other parts of Toronto and the 905. Its most recent project, with developer Daniels Corporation, is DuEast Condominiums — the latest building in the revitalization project involving Regent Park.
“What we like so much about working with Core is that they always seem to nail the design intent, right up front,” says Jake Cohen, vicepresident of project implementation for Daniels. “After giving them two weeks to come up with a design for our NY2 project (in North York), they came back with a design that, to this day in its built form, is 98 per cent accurate to what was presented originally.” Cohen says what makes Core a great architecture firm is they understand the fine balance between design elements they believe are crucial, but they are flexible enough to meet and achieve the developers’ cost and detail requirements.
In Mississauga, Core designed the soaring M City condo towers — for Rogers Real Estate Investments Ltd. and Urban Capital Property Group — that will help form the city’s urban centre. Its unique geometry of twisting horizontal bands will serve as an area landmark.
MCity Phase1was honoured as one of the 10 best projects in the world recently in the International Highrise Architecture category at the International Property Awards.
Since its early days with three people, Core has grown to 85 employees. It will pull up stakes later this year from King West and relocate to a new 20,000-square-foot office space at Daniels Waterfront — City of the Arts. The mixed-use development at Lower Jarvis St. and Queens Quay E. forms the gateway to Toronto’s East Bayfront, with two residential towers and two office condominium towers, as well as shopping and dining.
“We are sort of a victim of our own doing,” Eslahjou says. “The area here where we have held our office for over 20 years, and where the majority of our portfolio is concentrated, has become too popular as a place to live and work. We are finding that rental prices are too expensive.”
Eslahjou says he and his Core colleagues are encouraged that the east downtown will become the new west. “We feel that the eastern part of town, especially the waterfront, will be the front line for a lot of development in the future.
“Just like our experience with King-Spadina, we will place ourselves in the heart of the future of the city for the next 20 years.”