Hard hats on for a closer look at Toronto's latest global landmark.
Yesterday, we were thrilled to welcome @ULI_Toronto to One Delisle. With the tour selling out in just 24 hours, it was great to see much interest from our industry peers.
A huge thank you to our partners at @SlateAssetMgmt , @WZMHArchitects , and @multiplexconstruction_ca for co-leading the presentation and guiding 30 attendees through a behind-the-scenes look at the making of One Delisle.
Photos: @multiplexconstruction_ca
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE | The team has just poured the last residential floor of One Delisle. In the coming months, you'll see the building's double-height architectural "crown" take shape and eventually the building's roof.
JUST LISTED | Brand new 2 bedroom and 2 bathroom penthouse at JUNCTION HOUSE.
High ceilings (approximately 11 feet), @scavolini_toronto kitchen with pantry, balcony with natural gas connection, and nearly 1,100 sf of total living space. Take advantage of the new ONTARIO HST REBATE before the program expires.
Swipe to see the floor plan. Listed at $998,800. Includes secure underground parking space.
Contact [email protected] or DM @uniqueurbanhomes for details.
The rooftop and terraces of JUNCTION HOUSE.
Select homes available. Take advantage of the new time-limited HST rebate today. Contact @uniqueurbanhomes for details.
Architecture by @superkularchitecture
Photography by @2spacephoto
AM TACHELES has been called the most controversial real estate project in Berlin's modern history. Previously developed in 1908 as a high-end shopping arcade intended to rival the great galleries of Paris, the Friedrichstraßenpassage, as it was known, was an ambitious undertaking located in the city's historic Jewish quarter.
But only about six months after opening, the project went bankrupt. The existing building then went on to live numerous lives, ranging from an AEG showroom to a building used to house French war prisoners, before ultimately being co-opted by artists in 1990 as a way to save it from demolition.
It was at this point that it was given the name Tacheles, which is a Yiddish word meaning "to speak straight." Supposedly, this was a reference to the area's history as a thriving Jewish quarter and a message about political honesty (it is located in the former East Berlin, where that wasn't a thing).
For the next two decades, the site became a global symbol of Berlin's "poor but sexy" identity. The ownership vacuum created by the fall of the Berlin Wall meant that nobody really knew who owned what. This was a disaster for clear property rights and capital investment, but fortuitous for squatters who needed cheap (okay, free) space to experiment with art and techno music.
In my view, this was ultimately a net positive for the city. It created an urban vitality that nobody could have predicted, demonstrating the potential of people and cities when allowed to experiment and take risks.
But then, basically, two things happened: (1) people eventually figured out who owned what, and (2) the development potential of the site became increasingly valuable. This is the quintessential urban cycle.
Fast forward to today, and AM TACHELES (they kept the name) is a new master-planned community designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron and one of the most desirable (and thus expensive) areas in Berlin.
What is clear is that Berlin is no longer poor. It's global-city rich. But is it still sexy?
Words by @donnelly_b . This post originally appeared on brandondonnelly.com.
Photos via @herzogdemeuron .
