Acting as a gateway to the Beltline, the two-tower development at 12th Avenue and 9th Street SW frames the road with residential buildings that are nearly mirror images of one another. A splash of Mondrian-like primary colours gives the duo a much-needed tonal boost against its predominantly grey pigment, making the towers stand out against the sea of highrise residences recently completed in the neighbourhood.

Prior site conditions on the Arch property, image retrieved from Google Street View

The sibling complex of luxury rental towers first sprouted above the Beltline in 2014 with Aura, the easternmost 23-storey building. Developed through a partnership between Intergulf Development Group and Cidex Group, the inaugural NORR Architects-designed tower launched with 150 units. The image above from August 2013 shows glazing enveloping roughly half of the unfinished structure, while shoring rigs ready the neighbouring Arch site for excavation.

Aura construction in August 2013, image by Kevin Cappis

The Arch, executed by Cidex Group and Wexford Developments, was completed in 2016 and features an almost identical design by NORR Architects. Today, the view of the downtown skyline that existed prior to the development of the Arch is now obscured. Before its construction, a low-rise apartment and commercial building existed on the property.

The completed development in 2017, image retrieved from Google Street View

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