Bay Street's newest denizen is looking to establish itself at the southeast corner of Bay and Gerrard, coming onto the scene with a provocative design sure to start some conversation. We've been waiting on designs for 43 Gerrard Street West since it was first mentioned last year; the latest scoop is brought to us courtesy of Travis, identifying RAW Design as project architect and providing us with some very interesting renderings.

Aerial view looking northeast, courtesy of RAW Design

Podium detail of 43 Gerrard Street West, courtesy of RAW Design

The proposed tower would reach 50 storeys and contain 640 residential units, as well as ground floor retail. The tower would rise from a five-storey podium, which would be punctured by a laneway. Rumours (yet to be confirmed) indicate the building would be composed of rental units, adding inventory to the city's aging rental stock and a definite cool factor for those unprepared to buy a condo or unwilling to rent from individual landlords.

Podium detail of 43 Gerrard Street West, courtesy of RAW Design

The tower is different in a number of ways, most notable of which is the extensive use of colour. Coloured bands on the ground floor of red, pink, yellow and green (indicating exterior green walls) are echoed on the tower above; the lower section uses yellow balcony dividers, the mid section defined by pink protruding balconies and the upper portion accented with red on the balconies' bottoms and possibly the south façades' balcony walls; we'll wait for higher resolution renderings before confirmation. Each section has been shifted, using a different material and fenestration pattern, according to RAW Design's website.

Aerial view looking southwest, courtesy of RAW Design

While the parking lot that 43 Gerrard would replace doesn't maximize site usage in the least, Forum members are understandably divided on the design; some praise the change as a welcome splash of colour and vibrancy within the relatively bland Bay Street canyon, while others criticize the design as messy, busy and try-hard. Criticisms aside, it's always nice to be presented with a new design concept that differs from the norm. It looks like we'll be waiting a while longer as the project works through city planning; in the meantime, head over to the dataBase we've created for 43 Gerrard Street West, and be sure to check out the debate currently underway on the associated project thread.