Studio JCI has recently completed a 75,000-square-foot mixed-use development at the corner of Yonge and Roxborough Street in Toronto’s Rosedale neighbourhood.
The Hill & Dale project accommodates retail, offices and residences, transforming a nondescript three-storey office block into a dynamic new six-storey building.
Located steps away from the Rosedale subway station, the site demanded intensification while still maintaining the intimate scale of storefronts and cafés along this stretch of Yonge Street. The existing building was set 20 feet back from the sidewalk, but the renovation pulled its threshold forward to be in line with adjacent storefronts, effectively re-engaging the pedestrian experience.
To welcome the building’s office tenants, café patrons and retail shoppers, an entry forecourt takes form as a warmly-lit urban room with black granite piers, light limestone paving, and a wood soffit frame. This public space sits at the street corner under a cantilevered glass and steel volume, while the glass-clad bays facing the street provide a canvas that reflects the surrounding context and patterns of cloud and sky.
The building uses elements of the existing steel skeleton, taking advantage of the larger span capabilities of steel as opposed to more conventional concrete. In addition to the cantilevered volume over the entry, the fourth-floor acts as a giant truss, suspending the third floor of offices over a column-free double-height retail space designed for the requirements of a major retail chain.
Fourteen unique residential units make up the top three floors, accessed from a discreet entrance along the secondary street frontage.
The penthouse suites each have private stairs that access rooftop terraces and sweeping 360-degree views. These terraces boast frameless glass railings, a final design flourish that allows residents to experience the feeling of floating just above the lush tree canopy of the surrounding neighbourhood.
Despite the increased density of Hill & Dale, the building does not impose upon neighbouring Rosedale’s largely low-rise, residential fabric.