Architecture

Pharrell Williams-inspired towers hit the right note

Pharrell Williams-inspired towers hit the right note
untitled's design is inspired by Pharrell Williams' track Gust of Wind
untitled's design is inspired by Pharrell Williams' track Gust of Wind
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untitled's planned amenities include a fitness center
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untitled's planned amenities include a fitness center
untitled consists of two high-rise towers joined by a podium
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untitled consists of two high-rise towers joined by a podium
untitled's lobby will include a water feature
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untitled's lobby will include a water feature
untitled will include an indoor/outdoor swimming pool
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untitled will include an indoor/outdoor swimming pool
untitled's design is inspired by Pharrell Williams' track Gust of Wind
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untitled's design is inspired by Pharrell Williams' track Gust of Wind
untitled's north tower will consist of 21 floors and rise to 76.9 m (252 ft), while the south tower will have 32 floors and reach 108.55 m (356 ft)
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untitled's north tower will consist of 21 floors and rise to 76.9 m (252 ft), while the south tower will have 32 floors and reach 108.55 m (356 ft)
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Music and architecture often come together, including when Beyoncé inspired a skyscraper and David Adjaye collaborated with his brother to put out an album – not to mention Kanye West's attempts to get his affordable housing project off the ground. Pharrell Williams is the latest example, and the pop star has collaborated on the design of a pair of high-rise residential towers.

The residential development is named untitled and is slated for construction in Toronto. According to a press release by developers Reserve Properties and Westdale Properties, Williams worked with architects from IBI Group and designers from U31.

It's difficult to judge how significant the artist's personal involvement actually is, though Williams has form for this kind of thing, including co-designing a youth center with Miami architect Chad Oppenheim. That said, he's probably not sat up late at night worrying about building codes and the like.

untitled's north tower will consist of 21 floors and rise to 76.9 m (252 ft), while the south tower will have 32 floors and reach 108.55 m (356 ft)
untitled's north tower will consist of 21 floors and rise to 76.9 m (252 ft), while the south tower will have 32 floors and reach 108.55 m (356 ft)

The buildings' wavy facades are inspired by Williams' song Gust of Wind and sound wave patterns from it were used to create the balconies.

"We arrived at the concept fairly early in the process and worked with Pharrell to select a song that really meant something to him and could help bring this idea to life," explains lead architect Mansoor Kazerouni of IBI Group. "There is a sophisticated, elemental feel to the building, which is why Gust of Wind works so well. Once we had the song, there was a lot of testing and iterating to find the right notes that would produce the most fluidity. What’s cool is as you go around the building, no two faces are the same. They all represent different moments from Gust of Wind."

untitled consists of two high-rise towers joined by a podium
untitled consists of two high-rise towers joined by a podium

The north tower will consist of 21 floors and rise to 76.9 m (252 ft), while the south tower will have 32 floors and reach 108.55 m (356 ft) in height. The buildings will share a podium and contain 751 homes between them, ranging from studio apartments to three bedroom residences, with prices starting at around US$400,000.

Additionally, as part of the project, another smaller 413 unit building will be built next to the towers and contain 200 affordable housing units. A new public park will be created too.

Planned amenities include a wellness center with spa and indoor/outdoor swimming pool, gardens, co-working spaces, a fitness center, and a kid's club.

untitled's lobby will include a water feature
untitled's lobby will include a water feature

We've no confirmation yet that untitled is definitely going ahead, but the project is in active development and, according to Narcity, sales will begin next year.

Source: untitled

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1 comment
1 comment
Bill S.
Starting at $400K, oh yeah, that's really affordable for low income people.