The current redesign really dulls down the whole building, however I didn't like the boot look of the original base. The swooping curve that created the L needs to be reinstated though.
 
Just re-reading the PDF file.....this whole thing stinks...

Castlepoint gets to build an extra 60,000 sq. ft. of residential space to sell to the public, i.e. 60 or 70 additional condos...

The city gets extortion, er, a payment of $4 million dollars...

Castlepoint pays the $1 million it costs to build the "plaza"...

The Libeskind podium is destroyed...

What an absolute travesty! I hope Studio Libeskind sues these idiots
 
Of all the projects that i thought was a sure bet to get build.I now think this one is doomed.Maybe down the line someone else will come along and propose a big box condo for that location that the cube heads at city hall will like.The L-tower would have been an Icon building in our skyline.Shame
 
It does seem that the City has the reverse Midas touch -- everything they touch turns into crap. Just look at how they turned a decent design for 1BE into a far less interesting box, not to mention the Corus / Symphony fiasco. And now this.

I do think that not every new building needs to be an "icon", as long as there are a few that fit that status. The former design for the L Tower was just such a building; the new design is not.

If I were a buyer of one of the L Tower units, I would be hopping mad right now.
 
yyz:

I believe that's on top of the what, $20M that Sony Centre is going to get. Quite frankly, if the latter can't secure the money for their part of the project, this is probably the best "fallback" there could be. And I don't get why the city gets the blame in this either - in fact, I think they've done their job insulating the taxpayers from what could very well be an ill thought out component of the project.

Mongo:

You made it sound as if Bazis hired Norman Foster and the city forced them to use R. Varacalli Architect instead. The original designs are at best barely acceptable; the new design is barely acceptable. What of it?

AoD
 
if Castlepoint changes the design of the L Tower as proposed, I assume that qualiifes as a 'material change' whereby purchasers can recind from their Agreements of Purchase & Sale ?? I'm pretty sure the exterior design of the building was a 'material' selling feature of this project

your thoughts??
 
I don't think anyone is going to pull out of their condo purchase agreements, even though elimination of the podium is indeed a major material change...

The reason, these were sold a little under market value at the time - that is why they sold out in a day; it was mostly real estate agents who bought, they knew a good deal when they saw it...

This revision to the plan is all about money...it seems to me that Castlepoint may have felt that being a commercial landlord (fallback #1) was less desirable than having money in the bank from 60 or so extra firm condo sales..

It still stinks. The best is the spin put out by city planning, that the plaza would have "significant" public benefits....B.S., I say, the only public to benefit from a lame plaza (with a 'living green wall') would be paying customers at the Sony Centre, there for a pre-show cocktail party...

The real benefit to the public would be the awesome sight of the podium, with its bulbous eye looming, crisscrossed with ribbons of escalators, startling in its almost supernatural splendour......

Bah Humbug, and a pox on everyone connected with this revisionism..:mad:
 
Oh for goodness sakes...
I try to go away on holidays, and all hell breaks loose. Thats what I get for going on the internet to check my email.

2 things.

1.With all this redesign nonsense, has the buider confirmed or resolved in any way future parking for this thing yet? Eveyone seems to have kind of forgotten that little nuisance detail. If I was a buyer here, I would want updates on that issue....every week.

2.Aside from the fact this tower now gives the appearance that it is going to fall over, (from beautiful to silly with one good whack of an eraser)the Sony Centre heritage profle showing from Yonge street is pleasing to my eye. Something to consider there. Design improvements are needed for the base of that tower though.

Gotta go. Expecting a call from Washington. I tell ya... Everytime I go on holidays!..
 
Damn it. So when will Council make the final decision as to whether to transform the base into a commercial development or make it into this proposed plaza?
 
Is this confirmed? I really hope they find some way to maintain the base. The project is really diminished without it.
 
I never liked the way the podium interacted with the heritage modernism of the O'Keefe Centre. In fact, made me lose all respect for Libeskind as a star in his field.
 
I agree. I don't like the redesign either, however. I hope that this project, and many of the other questionable ones I'm not so fond of around the city, are abandoned due to the economy and changing market. Not to worry, lots of prime spaces for development will be left for the next building boom, though it is a shame that we'll be left with some new unsightly parking lots and hoardings in the meantime. Oh well, par for the course in hogtown.
 
what a way to start doom + gloom rumours :rolleyes: ... well with any luck some variation of the L Tower will be built given the sales success achieved
 
On the plus side, we're now getting a fairly large living greenwall facing the sidewalk. The tower will also have a more pronounced curve to it.
 
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