Pure Spirit resident Jason Rosso, left, and Mathew Rosenblatt, one of the principals of Cityscape Development, poolside at the Distillery District condo tower on an unfortunately rainy day.
On a recent hot Saturday in Toronto, the pool at Pure Spirit was packed.
"I had to step over I don't know how many bodies just to find a place to lay down my towel," says Jason Rosso, who owns a unit in the new condo building inside Toronto's Distillery District, as well as a few neighbourhood food-related businesses.
"Everyone was there. Everyone was hanging out. It was definitely the place to be."
Not so long ago, the condo pool was exactly the last place anyone wanted to be, let alone hang out.
A sterile echo chamber attached to some lonely changing rooms, the condo pool was typically an over-chlorinated watering hole that only a die-hard swimmer could love.
But not any more. The condo pool is today front and centre with condo developers who promote them as social hubs where camaraderie and conversation will flow as easily as water.
Some condo buildings in Toronto are even planning to up the ante, like One Bloor - which claims it will have two pools when built, in addition to 19,000 square feet of communal outdoor space.
"It's holiday living within the city," says John Berman of Cityscape Development Corp. of the pool and other recreational amenities on hand at Pure Spirit, the condo building he helped build in partnership with Dundee Realty Corp.
"They're the centre of the action, places where people interact," adds Cityscape's Mathew Rosenblatt.
"People didn't tend to use their building's pools much in the past, but today these amenities are being used constantly."
Adding a pool to Pure Spirit was an experiment that has gone off so well that Cityscape and Dundee Realty have already drawn up plans to include high-end rooftop pools at their next two condo projects inside the Distillery District: the as-yet-to-be-built Clear Spirit and Gooderham buildings: "We had hoped that by introducing a pool people would enjoy it,' says Mr. Rosenblatt. "But now that we see how popular it is, for the next projects we are planning to go bigger and better."
Rescued from the building basement and repositioned on rooftop lounges where they sparkle under the sun as showpieces of chic urban design, the "water lounges" appeal to a new generation of urban condo dweller wanting premium amenities as part of an enhanced lifestyle experience at home.
At Pure Spirit, besides the 32-by-14 foot pool, these amenities include an enormous wraparound patio equipped with communal barbecues, a glassed-in party room with a built-in long bar, a fitness centre with TV screens on the aerobic machines, and sweeping city views.
"It's like living in a high-end boutique hotel," says Mr. Rosso for whom the pool has proven to be a splash in more ways than one.
"People bring their friends to the pool on weekends. There's a real party vibe. You don't need to leave the building to have a social life."
Keeping fit seems beside the point, concedes Peter Freed, the developer behind 550 Wellington where the rooftop salt-water infinity pool is a Toronto condo building first.
"It's not a workout. It's more a refreshment," he says.
As such, the condo pool merges seamlessly with other lifestyle amenities on hand at 550 Wellington, including two large restaurants, a screening room, a lower level lounge, a ballroom and gym.
"For me, this is an urban playground," says Mr. Freed.
"Everything's under one roof. You can meet friends for drinks in the lobby bar, you can go for sushi in one of the restaurants, and at the end of the evening, head upstairs to hang out alongside the outdoor pool. Essentially, you need never have to leave the building. It's a complete lifestyle program."
So popular are pools these days that Mr. Freed says he is planning to install one at his next condo project, the 314-suite Thompson Residences at 621 King St. W. in Toronto.
The building has yet to break ground, but renderings of the planned 140 foot long rooftop pool show it spilling into the horizon like a long drink of water.
"It will be North America's longest rooftop pool," says Mr. Freed who hopes that with it, he will make waves with consumers for whom their condo options, in Toronto anyway, run deep.
"People expect more these days from the places where they live," he continues, "and projects like this stand out from the traditional condo offerings."
It's a sentiment not lost on Mr. Rosso over at Pure Spirit where the pool keeps him anchored to the building, practically day and night.
"It's definitely made it a cool place to be," says Mr. Rosso of his new urban home. "With everyone poolside, it's one of the friendliest buildings I've ever encountered, and I've been all over."