city landscape. Seventy per cent of work
done by U31 lies in the real estate market
and focuses on condominium design.
“The condominium is still a relatively new
art, a new idea for Toronto and parts of
North America,” said Kelly Cray, creative
principal at U31. As one of the company’s
co-founders, he heads the commercial and
development department of the business.
Like the evolving urban environment, U31
has changed and progressed since its in-
ception, adapting and reinventing the art
of design as it saw fit. The company traces
its history back to 1979, when it emerged
under the name of Chapman Design Ltd.
With decades of experience, the compa-
ny, rebranded as UNION31 in 2011, adopt-
ed this emblematic name to illustrate the
union of four partners. Cray now manages
the firm alongside co-founder and creative
principal, Neil Jonsohn, and Nancy Dyson,
who manages the financial side. At the
end of 2015, the name U31 was intro-
duced, a fresh appellation to reflect the
evolution of the firm.
“It’s interesting work. We’ve had a hand
in changing Toronto's landscape. Develop-
ment work — it's really exciting to see how
it’s evolved over the years and it’s been
great to have the opportunity to contribute
to change in Toronto,” Cray said.
300 FRONT CONDOMINIUM LOBBY
JAC JACOBSON PHOTOGRAPHY
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business elite canada
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SEPTEMBER 2016
