12 Degrees

12 degrees was designed as an urban infill project, fitting into the context of a mixed use residential area where the city block has buildings that include both the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Ontario College of Art and Design. Given the artistic nature of the city block, the design became a playful exercise in massing and an anchor to the south-west corner of the block. The design can be read as analogous to the stacking of toy blocks, with one of the blocks skewed at 12 degrees from the others. Built on a compact 36m front x 31m deep urban site, 12 Degrees consists of a three-storey glass and ledgerock-clad base under an eponymous rotated glass-clad mid-section; all topped by a cantilevered glass penthouse. The two-storey street-accessed townhouse-style units at the base of 12 Degrees share in common masonry cladding, projecting bay detailing and height with adjacent Victorian homes and row houses lining Beverley Street. In addition to its distinctive architectural appearance, 12 Degrees is noteworthy for its carefully considered urban design. The stepped form of the massing, transitioning down in height from eleven to three floors, reduces the shadow impact of the building on the neighborhood.