The light fantastic: ODA New York reveal proposal for Toronto’s lakeshore

Architecture practice ODA New York has designed a housing development in Toronto that appears to be following the sun. 

The US firm created the project, entitled Bayside, for the Canadian city’s fast emerging lakeshore neighbourhood. The volume’s loosely L-shaped staggered-cubes form was designed to strategically lift, pivot and twist, responding to the sun’s daily path. 

The cascading effect of this striking design is created using a modular system and also allows a number outside space and amazing vistas. As a result, 163 of the total of 228 units have water views and 221 of them have terraces. 

Natural light is an obvious factor in increasing quality of life, and the Bayside development makes sure to make the most of it.  

’We are leading a quiet but unyielding revolution to replace the dogma of resigned and compromised city living for one that enriches our lives,’ says ODA New York founder and executive director Eran Chen. 

’We can and must rethink our reliance on the extruded big box concept and instead design permeable residential buildings more as a collection of individual private homes. Restoring our relationship to nature within our most private spaces is a crucial element in maintaining both our physical and psychological wellbeing.’

Apart from the residential element, the building includes a large communal terrace and pool area facing the waterfront (its glass walls open fully, uniting indoors and out), a day care facility and 10,228 sq ft of retail on the ground floor. 

The project is currently just a proposal.