Origami Lofts, 109 Wolseley St: Teeple’s Zinc-Wrapped Bathurst Boutique

Origami Lofts is the building I mention when someone tells me every new condo looks the same. Teeple Architects wrapped a small glass building at Bathurst and Wolseley in folded zinc panels, and it still stands out on the street. It is also very small, about 23 suites, and that shapes everything from the fee to how you should price a suite. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A glass core in a zinc wrap

The design brief was unusual. According to UrbanToronto, Symmetry Developments’ Sayf Hassan asked Stephen Teeple of Teeple Architects to design a wild dress for the building to wear. The idea that came out of that was a glass core wrapped in a separate outer skin.

That skin went through many versions over about nine months, from loose, playful shapes to something more rectilinear, before zinc was chosen as the material. The final design is a glass building wrapped in vertical zinc panels that fold around it, with large geometric cut-outs that open views into and out of the suites, and a jewel-box top.

In daily life, that means suites are not all the same. Where the zinc folds across a window, you get privacy and shade; where a cut-out opens up, you get a large expanse of glass. Look at the specific suite’s windows from inside and outside before you buy, because the facade shapes the light in each one.

Small and getting smaller during design

The project shrank as it developed. When it was first previewed in 2012, UrbanToronto described an eight-storey building with the top two floors recessed and 29 units. By 2015, during construction, the count was 24 suites in a building expected to top off at seven storeys. Condos.ca now lists six storeys and 23 suites.

Those differences may come from how the recessed top floors and multi-level suites are counted, but do not guess. The status certificate and registered plans are the authority on what you are buying.

What has stayed constant is the massing idea. The upper floors were set back from the street so the building keeps the low scale of Bathurst north of Queen, and a setback like that often creates outdoor space on the level below. If a terrace matters to you, ask which suites on the upper levels have one, how large it is and whether it is exclusive-use common element, because that affects what you can build or install on it.

Suite sizes run from about 387 to 1,810 square feet, so this is a building of very compact studios and one-bedrooms at one end and a few large suites at the other. The smallest plans are among the most compact you will see in a condo, and they suit a specific buyer. Walk through them in person before you commit.

A lean fee, and what it leaves out

Condos.ca lists only common elements and building insurance as included in the fee. Heat, hydro, water and parking are not on that list, so ask for recent utility bills and confirm how each is metered and billed. A short inclusion list keeps the fee low, but your all-in cost is what matters.

The building has a gym and a recreation room, and barbecues are permitted. During construction, UrbanToronto described a modestly sized amenity space intended to give residents somewhere to relax and entertain while keeping fees low. That is exactly how it reads: useful, not lavish.

In a building of about 23 suites, every major repair is shared among very few owners. A zinc facade is durable, but it is also specialised, so the reserve fund study deserves careful reading.

Bathurst just north of Queen

When Origami was announced, UrbanToronto called it the first leap north of Queen on Bathurst for this kind of boutique project. The site at 202 Bathurst was cleared in 2015, and the building rose quickly once excavation and foundations were complete.

UrbanToronto predicted at the time that more boutique projects would follow on this stretch of Bathurst north of Queen, given the intimate neighbourhoods around it. That is worth keeping in mind as a buyer: a street that attracts small infill buildings is likely to see more construction, and views or light from a suite facing an underdeveloped lot are not guaranteed to last.

From the front door, Queen West’s shops and restaurants are a block south, Trinity Bellwoods Park is a short walk west, and Kensington Market and Chinatown are to the north-east. Wolseley Street is a quiet residential side street, while Bathurst is a busy arterial road.

Bathurst carries heavy traffic and its own streetcar line, so suites facing it will hear the street. Suites on the Wolseley side are quieter. The data panel on this page has the transit, school and walkability details.

What Origami costs

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $670 per square foot. That is well below other boutique buildings nearby, such as One Six Nine on John Street at about $840, Ideal Lofts at about $917 and Abacus Lofts at about $937.

Be careful with that number. In a building of about 23 suites, a handful of sales can move the average sharply, and the mix of very small and large suites makes per-square-foot comparisons noisy. I would treat it as a sign that values here deserve close study, not as proof of a bargain.

At the time I wrote this there were no suites for sale and two listed for rent. The automatic data panel on this page shows recent aggregate figures, and I can prepare a building sold report for the plan you are considering.

Building specifications

Amenities at Origami Lofts

A small gym and recreation room give residents a place to work out and host without leaving the building, and the short list keeps shared costs down. Queen West and Trinity Bellwoods do the rest.

Jatin’s honest take on Origami Lofts

Origami Lofts — frequently asked questions

Looking at Queen West, Trinity-Bellwoods, Kensington and Little Italy more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.