Daniels Lecturer Hans Ibelings shared insight on the King Toronto condo development by Bjarke Ingles in a recent article in the Toronto Star. The article explores the topic of luxury condo buildings in Toronto, asking "Is another luxury condo project like the King Toronto development what the city needs right now?"

 

An architectural historian and crtic, Ibelings is the author of a number of books including Rise and Sprawl: The Condominiumization of Toronto, which he wrote with Alex Joselphson. Since 2012, he has been the editor and publisher of The Architecture Observer.
 

King Toronto is atypical in Toronto, he tells the Star's housing reporter Donovan Vincent. He points to the building's unique floor plans that will allow more light to enter the units compared to average slab tower structures, because most of the units are wider than they are deep. “To me the (King Toronto floor plans) look much better than the average floor plans in most regular condo towers, which are spatially challenged," he says.

 

Writes Vincent:

 

When it comes to the price points at King Toronto, Ibelings uses the analogy of someone wanting to buy a big car.

You can buy a Dodge Caravan or a Mercedes SUV, similarly sized vehicles but with different prices. “You get something in return — better styling and more well-thought-out designs, or you get something cheaper … but the quality is not the same,” he says.