Buildings - Honourable Mention

Camden Lofts
Address: 29 Camden St.
Architect/Urban Designer: Core Architects Inc. and Oleson Worland Architects
Owner/Developer: Dundee Realty / Red Rocket Management

Pat Bollenberghe
This building feels very much at home on the street and within the area's heritage warehouses. Its height, massing, material selection and detail resolution all appear to be in harmony and at ease. The only disappointment is that the project has missed an opportunity to create a meaningful streetscape from building face to curb.

Alex Krieger
A perfectly fine example of the modern 'warehouse type' infill project that forms such an impressive part of the downtown Toronto scene. I wish we were building more of these in the States, rather than just talking about the virtues of infill. In appearance and design this one is more ordinary than the others that we are permitting but it is nonetheless commendable. Urban infill projects do not need to shout about their originality. This one seems appropriately restrained, providing a good place to live behind a background façade while contributing quietly to the ambiance of the street with its ground level retail.

Bruce Kuwabara
There is great value in establishing models of urban living. This mid-sized loft building in the warehouse district is exemplary in its straightforward design strategies and unassuming simplicity. The design employs the language of industrial buildings - masonry piers and industrial windows - to create a disciplined essay about ordinariness in the city.

Lisa Rochon
A city like Toronto is being put on the map for its monumental cultural projects. But it also needs quiet buildings with good bones. Camden Lofts are not flashy or crystalline but they are handsomely urban. A variety of floor plates offers 48 live/work units designed with the flexibility of traditional warehouse spaces. The project set an important template for the regeneration of the King/Spadina area.