On September 17th, 2020, Canderel was awarded the BILD Best New Community (Built) Award for The Residences of College Park community in downtown Toronto.
The Residences of College Park
The Residences of College Park is a master planned community centrally located in downtown Toronto, seconds from some of the best shopping, dining and entertainment in Canada (including the Eaton Centre, Yonge Street and Yorkville) and well placed in relation to transit and top educational institutions. The community is made up of four high rise residential towers close to a 1.9-acre park, College Park. College Park is a tranquil escape tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the surrounding streets. The park design process was part of a place-making initiative that involved adjacent businesses, residents and other stakeholders. It is the second largest park in downtown Toronto after Allan Gardens. As an urban oasis, it features gardens, green space, sculptures, a water fountain, outdoor seating, a playground and reflecting pool. The signature piece, is a 5-metre wide circular path that becomes an ice trail in winter, named after Canadian Olympic and World skating champion Barbara Ann Scott. Canderel acquired over 8.5 acres of land to complete this community. With development launching in 2002 and finishing in 2019 following the completion of YC Condos, this community has added a total of 2856 condominium units to Toronto and over 225,000 square feet of retail space.
Pillar 1 & 2 – College Park I and II
The Residences of College Park Iand Residences of College Park II are situated at Bay and College, one of Toronto’s busiest intersections. They command an enviable location in the very heart of Toronto, Canada’s most cosmopolitan and affluent city. The Residences of College Park I and II launched in 2002 and 2004 respectively. Inspired by the heritage of Art Deco buildings in the area, the vision translated into 51 and 45 storey towers clad in limestone and granite, with a row of gracious townhomes at the base, totalling 1222 units. At the time, Residences of College Park II was the fastest selling project in the city. Canderel and Tricon Capital partnered on this development.
Pillar 3 – Aura at College Park
Aura at College Park, the infamous 80 storey tower, is the tallest residential building in Canada and the 25th tallest residential building in the world with a total of 995 suites. The granite and glass-clad podium is home to 180,000 square feet of amenities, shopping, restaurants, and services including Aura Fitness, a 42,000-square-foot fitness facility, retailers Marshalls and Bed, Bath & Beyond and three restaurants serving an array of delicious cuisine. Aura also holds a record in sales for a single tower, achieving over 700 sales in one month. Considering it was launched in 2008 during the financial crises, these record sales are testament to Aura’s landmark design, quality and a well executed sales and marketing campaign. Aura was developed as a partnership between Canderel and KingSett Capital.
Pillar 4 – YC Condos
YC Condos, launched in 2014, is located at the corner of bustling Yonge and College. Standing 66 stories, YC is another architectural icon for the city. After breaking sales records at Aura, Canderel wanted to continue to push the envelope. The building’s glamorous geometric architecture and luxurious amenities re-energize the skyline. The pièce de résistance is Aqua 66: the highest infinity pool in the Western hemisphere. Situated on the 66th floor, the top floor of the building, the 4,415 square foot facility has a 60-foot pool. It is an architectural and design marvel. After our residents’ swim they can lounge on the floating platform and let the lush greenery and stone sculptures frame the magnificent breathtaking South views from this island in the sky. The only pools that compare are The Ritz Carlton in Shanghai Pudong, The W Hotel in Guangzhou, and The Marina Bay Sands in Singapore: all contributing to YC Condos’ world class architecture. The uniqueness of YC Condos resulted in the sale of all 639 suites before construction began. In addition, YC Condos was granted the 2015 BILD Award for High-Rise Project of the Year. Graziani Corazza Architects Inc. were the architects on record for all 4 pillars of the College Park neighborhood. YC Condos was also developed as a partnership between Canderel and KingSett Capital.
777 Bay Office Tower
Adding to this growing community, in 2006, Canderel acquired 777 Bay St., a 30-storey a Class A, LEED Certified, 915,000 s.f. office tower with over 900 parking stalls and 70,000 sq.ft. of retail space. This acquisition perfectly matched Canderel’s vision of having a mixed-use community in the heart of the City. Including 777 Bay, this masterplan community totals over 4 million s.f. for a total investment value that exceeds $1.5 billion. Canderel, Bimcor and TD Greystone are currently partnered on this project.
BILD
BILD, the Building Industry and Land Development Association, represent over 1,500 company members made up of land developers, home builders and renovators, in the Greater Toronto Area.
The Best New Community (BUILT)
Every year, the Building Industry and Land Development Association presents the BILD Awards. This annual award competition serves to recognize notable projects and developers, in the GTA, for their work in relation to various project aspects, including but not limited to design, construction and sales & marketing. Launched in 1980, this year marked the 40th edition of the awards.
The Best New Community (Built) is awarded to the creators of an already built community. The contenders for the years award were:
- College Park by Canderel
- Concord City Place by Concord Adex Inc.
- e Condos by Metropia and RioCan Real Estate Investment
- Ten York by Tridel
We are thrilled that The Residences of College Park was awarded the Best New Community (Built) award, especially when up against such steep competition.
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