| Burano | |
| Location: | 832 Bay Street Toronto, Ontario |
| Coordinates: | 43.6617°N -79.3864°W |
| Roof: | 163m (535feet)[1] |
| Floor Count: | 50 |
| Completion Date: | July 2012 |
| Floor Area: | 38803m2[2] |
| Developer: | Lanterra Developments |
| Architect: | Peter Clewes of architectsAlliance |
| Building Type: | Residential |
Burano is a 50 storey, 163 metre tall residential high-rise condominium complex on Bay Street between Grenville St. and Grosvenor St. in the Discovery District of Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[3] [4] [5] The redevelopment of the site was part of a period of urban renewal of the Toronto financial district in the early 21st century.[6] [7] Toronto City Planning stated that the Burano has "significantly contributed to the improvement of the streetscape and the public realm."[8]
Burano was financed by Lanterra Developments.[9] It was designed by Peter Clewes of architectsAlliance,[10] and is located across the street from Murano, another one of his Toronto projects.[11] [12] It is named for an island in Italy.[13]
The Burano was designed to be built within the footprint of a heritage structure: a 1925 auto dealership[4] [14] which had been designated a heritage structure in 1999. By 2010, the foundations were complete and the building was under construction.[15]
As well as architectural elements from the former building, public art was also incorporated into the Burano, including a large abstract fresco created by Italian artist Sandro Martini installed in the building's atrium, on the side of the heritage building.[16] [17] [18]
See main article: McLaughlin Motor Car Showroom. Construction of the Burano preserved the facade of the former Samuel McLaughlin's McLaughlin Motor Car Showroom, a two-storey heritage building designated in 1999 under the Ontario Heritage Act.[4] Built in 1925 as the R.S. McLaughlin Building, the Gothic Revival building was one of the first automobile dealerships in Toronto, and remained continuously occupied by car dealerships for eighty-two years. Despite its long history, that use ended as part of a reorganization and consolidation of the car dealership industry in Canada.[19]
Due to the soft soil at the site, and to facilitate excavation, the historic facade was dismantled and stored off-site during construction of the seven-floor underground garage. After the garage and foundation appropriate for the fifty floors above ground were completed, the facade was reconstructed, incorporating the important heritage components.[20]
The historic building is marked with a plaque, placed in 2013 by Heritage Toronto.[21]