DEVELOPER: Based in North York, TAS DesignBuild helms projects that display a sophistication worthy of London or New York. The company is run by Babak and Tooran Mortazavi, and their eldest son, Mazyar, all trained architects, along with their second son, Kamyar, an urban planner. The family—which left Iran in 1980—started out building custom homes and moved on to condos in 2002.

TRACK RECORD: TAS hired Core Architects Inc. to design its first condo towers: Zed (at King and Bathurst) and Dia (at Yonge and Sheppard). Dia, a mid-rise tower attached to townhouses, stands out for raising the bar in an area not exactly known for its architecture.

CURRENT PROJECTS: Stephen Teeple of Teeple Architects has been hired to design Giraffe, a 20-plus-storey tower slated to spruce up the unattractive intersection of Bloor and Dundas West. Also in the works is the 34-storey M5V (at King and Spadina), a LEED-registered project set to be completed in 2011.

More condo features

• Eastern Star: Streetcar developments has evolved from conversions to modern condos
• Core Strength: Diamante Development’s two elegant downtown skyscrapers
• Trail Blazer: The granddaddy of design-savvy developers continually raises the bar
• Block Party: Peter Freed is elevating the downtown skyline with well-designed buildings
• Small Miracles: Three cleverly designed space-savers make room for guests

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