The first visible sign of Frank Gehry's artistic vision for a major project in his hometown of Toronto has been installed.
A metal-and-glass panel was recently hung on the west side of Forma, a condominium tower underway on King Street where about 87% of the units have been sold, Mitchell Cohen, chief operating officer at Westdale Properties, one of the project's developers, told CoStar News during a building tour on Monday.
The aluminum portion of the panels is designed in a wave pattern, intended to reflect light in myriad ways depending on the season, weather and time of day. Most of the 820-foot-tall building is expected to be clad in these panels that also contain windows for the residential units.
The panels that form one of the signature design elements of the Forma project take a long journey to their final destination in Toronto's Entertainment District.
Each panel comes in different sizes but typically measures 6.5 feet by 9.7 feet and weighs about 800 pounds. The panels, crafted in Italy by Permasteelisa Group, are then transported to Germany, where the glass windows are fitted. From there, the panels are shipped by container vessel to Montreal and later trucked to Toronto. A total of 7,434 panels are slated to be installed.
Forma marks the first substantial project in Toronto for Gehry, who also designed a new facade for the Art Gallery of Ontario on Dundas Street.
The world-renowned architect was born in the city in 1929 before moving to Los Angeles, where his architectural practice remains.
Renderings of the completed Forma tower show how the panels will reflect light from all angles and change colors throughout the day. The Ontario College of Art & Design University is leasing the tower's lower floors.
The Forma project is expected to include a second tower next door, although the starting date for construction has not been finalized. Once completed, the towers will be the tallest residential buildings designed in Gehry's career.
Thus far, only a single panel has been installed, but a batch of additional panels is scheduled for site delivery in the next month, Cohen said. The Forma is scheduled to be completed in 2028.
For the record
Westdale, Great Gulf Group, Dream Unlimited and Dream Impact Trust are the developers of the Forma project. Baker Real Estate represents the developers on condo sales. Gehry Partners is the design architect, and Adamson Associates is the executive architect. EllisDon is the general contractor and construction manager.