Mixed-Use Mid-Rise - Architecture and Interiors
Toronto, Canada | Planning and Approvals

Developer: North Drive
Visualization: Adhoc Studio

One Roxborough West is a contextually responsive new project; a progressive building located in the intimate Summerhill community—at the confluence of tree-lined residential neighbourhoods and an iconic high street.  Reflect Architecture in partnership with North Drive Developments have conceived the project in all aspects—its architecture, interior design, visual identity, and branding—with a deep appreciation for the Summerhill neighbourhood and an approach rooted in the unique qualities of the site and context.

The duality of high street and home is a concept that underpins the project and recurs as a formal and material design strategy. The building façade responds contextually to its surroundings; a sleek, tidy envelope addresses the urban interface with Yonge Street. At grade, a two-storey podium reinforces the existing, well-defined street wall and small-scale retail character of the high street. Narrow retail bays are framed in warm, textured red brick creating a consistent tactile and visual language, familiar to the neighbourhood shops that line the Summerhill corridor.

The tower is subdivided in two-storey segments with prominent horizontal bands to visually de-mass the architecture. As the façade turns to address the tree-lined, low-rise neighbourhood to the west, depth and layering are introduced with planted and perforated screening elements that create a natural buffer and interplay between the existing tree canopy and new vertical gardens. A diverse material palette balances honest and contemporary influences establishing contrasting pairings that emphasize texture and scale. Contextual red brick along Yonge Street is juxtaposed with a more restrained, contemporary masonry on the Roxborough Street frontage that signals the transition from high street retail to neighbourhood. Similarly, the smooth, metallic finish that defines the two storey bands is offset by perforated screen panels that dissolve with the introduction of deciduous planting as the façade depth transitions to the west.

Accessible from a discreet Roxborough Street lobby entrance, a handful of residences offer the convenience of an amenity-rich urban neighbourhood in suites that offer carefully considered, function-forward living. Spaces are designed to facilitate the individuality of the purchaser, while responding to the needs of a contemporary lifestyle blending seamlessly with a timeless architectural aesthetic.