Toronto’s B-Line Condominiums completed using prefabricated panels
The stunning B-Line condominium development, just west of downtown Toronto in the Etobicoke neighborhood, was completed by Sto Panel Technology affiliate SkyRise Prefab Building Solutions.
Three key factors had to be weighed in the project's planning: 1) the desire of client/developer Marco De Simone of Royalpark Homes for a continuous insulation solution; 2) the need to accommodate a complex design with multiple finishes; and 3) the tight, constricted job site.
SkyRise Prefab Building Solutions offered an option that satisfied all the client’s needs: a StoPanel Classic NExT ci panel system with Sto’s numerous aesthetic selections.
CONTINUOUS INSULATION ESSENTIAL TO THE PROJECT
To offer his condo residents premium comfort and maximum efficiency in the harsh Toronto climate, developer Marco De Simone viewed a continuous insulation solution as essential. Due to site constraints, the only continuous insulation solution that could work for the project was a prefabricated panel, according to SkyRise Prefab’s Vice President of Business Development, John Sopta.
“Site logistics made it impossible to do any sort of field-applied work there on the exterior envelope,” Sopta said. “You can’t even get in there with a baker’s scaffold. Forget about setting up the requirements for doing other field-applied work. It’s just not possible.” Using the Sto products made it possible for SkyRise to obtain approvals from the city, he said.
DELVING INTO THE QUESTION OF AESTHETICS
The building design, by Romanov Architects, called for multiple, disparate finishes. Brick could not be used due to the lack of room for scaffolding, but SkyRise Prefab knew they had newly available Sto finish layer options, including StoCast Wood, resin-cast wood grain plank, and StoCast Brick, a resin-cast brick.
The immediate challenge was showcasing them for the client. The wood grain planks and bricks were so new to the North American market that this would be the first project to use them. “We took the client and the architect from Romanov to sites all over the Netherlands and Germany,” said Joe Aprile, Executive Director at SkyRise Prefab. “They got to really appreciate what these products look like on buildings.” The trip closed the deal.
SkyRise Prefab described the B-Line project as the most complex project they had ever taken on. The panels required elaborate prefabricated wall assemblies, with two or three sections of walls, each with a distinct look, integrated into one. The design called for three finishes: metal, brick, and wood. The metal finish was accomplished with StoSignature Stone, a customized finish surface that featured the look of limestone with a topcoat of StoColor Acryl Plus for a metal panel look. Brick and wood aesthetics used StoCast Brick and StoCast Wood, never seen before in North America.
MULTIPLE DESIGN OPTIONS FOR THE EXTERIOR ENVELOPE
“The technology and the selection of materials allows us to do anything you want,” said Albert Bendersky, SkyRise Prefab’s Director of Project Management & Construction. “You can have any possible color, any possible shape, and any possible texture for the exterior envelope.”
Once the panels left SkyRise Prefab’s facility, the limitations posed by the small job site made installation of the prefab StoPanel Classic NExT ci panels difficult. “We were hoisting two- or three-story panels 12 feet away from electrical lines on one side,” said Bendersky. “Five feet to the left, there is a plaza. We had to use a tower crane, because there was zero distance between our building and the neighboring plaza.”
SkyRise Prefab completed the work in two months, Bendersky estimated it would have taken a year by traditional means.
B-Line Condominiums opened in 2021, offering 83 one-, two-, and three-bedroom residential units (860 to 1,463 sf).