Murano Condominiums is a two-tower residential high-rise condominium complex located alongside
Bay Street
Bay Street is a major thoroughfare in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the centre of Toronto's Financial District, Toronto, Financial District and is often used by metonymy to refer to Economy of Canada, Canada's financial services indust ...
, near the intersection of College Street in the
Discovery District
The Discovery District is one of the commercial districts in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It has a high concentration of hospitals and research institutions, particularly those related to biotechnology. The district is roughly bounded by ...
of downtown
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. Construction of the North tower (37 Grosvenor Street) was completed in the winter of 2008/9. The South tower (38 Grenville Street) was completed in 2010. The North and South towers are joined by a two-storey podium with planned retail and recreational facilities, including a rooftop garden and glass
public art
Public art is art in any Media (arts), media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and phy ...
feature.
Architecture
Designed by
Peter Clewes of
architectsAlliance, Murano was marketed as a "fusion of art, architecture and glass".
Toronto City Planning stated that the Murano, together with the neighboring
Burano
Burano is an island in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy, near Torcello at the northern end of the lagoon, known for its lace work and brightly coloured homes. The primary economy is tourism.
Geography
Burano is from Venice, a 45-minute tr ...
, has "significantly contributed to the improvement of the streetscape and the public realm".
Comparable Toronto structures designed by Clewes include
SP!RE and
Casa Condominio Residenza.
Construction Problems
Since late 2010, panes of balcony glass have shattered and fallen to the street below. An occurrence on one of Toronto's hottest days on record (6 July 2012) resulted in the closure of Grosvenor Street and St. Vincent Lane. The North Tower lobby entrance was condemned by the City of Toronto pending the resolution of this problem. More glass fell on August 1 at 3 am and at midday. Police closed the northbound lane of Bay between Grosvenor and Grenville Streets, expecting the closure to be for a week.
For the first time, glass fell from the South Tower on August 15 at 11:30 AM, injuring a woman by slicing her wrist and leaving a puddle of blood where she was treated. “We don’t know why it’s happening, and continues to happen,” said Jim Laughlin, the city's deputy chief building inspector.
The developers replaced all tempered glass with laminated glass on balconies on both towers, and sealed the balconies. The sealing of the balconies resulted in a $20 million class action lawsuit by residents and owners of the condominiums against the developers, builders and architects in 2012.
References
External links
Official Website
{{Toronto skyscrapers
Residential skyscrapers in Toronto