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  1. Doppleganger

    Guelph Toronto | 70 Fountain Street East | 87.83m | 25s | Fitzrovia | Hariri Pontarini

    From the renders, this is an improvement over the previous proposal. The podium looks promising as well...hopefully, it will have a good variety of street-fronting retail to add to that downtown urban vibe. It's good to see downtown Guelph slowly reclaiming its territory south of the tracks!
  2. Doppleganger

    Guelph Baker District Redevelopment | 67.25m | 19s | WDG + City of Guelph | DTAH + Diamond Schmitt

    Does anyone know what the plans are for the old library building once its functions are transferred to the new site? It's a reasonably handsome building, though I'm not sure how modifiable it would be for other uses(other than maybe a community centre). And as parking lots have been invoked...
  3. Doppleganger

    Toronto Toronto | College Park Redevelopment | 344.29m | 96s | GWL | Hariri Pontarini

    A few things about this proposal concern me. Though I'm delighted to see the central and southern segments of the podium potentially finally realised (it's only been about a century after all), the incongruity of architectural elements between the old and new is a bit disappointing. In most...
  4. Doppleganger

    Niagara-on-the-Lake Toronto | New Royal George Theatre | 19.15m | 3s | Shaw Festival | Unity

    Though I'm all in favour of the theatre expanding its footprint, I would like to see the original theatre preserved. Clearly, 'designation' under the Ontario Heritage Act and 'recognition' as a National Historic Site are meaningless.
  5. Doppleganger

    Toronto Toronto | One Front | 170.86m | 49s | Larco | a—A

    With regards to what is currently proposed, I couldn't agree more. Though the Dominion Public Building isn't particularly old, there's no denying it has a remarkable street presence, and this stretch of Front St. is also unique in all of Toronto. Its wide, tree-lined sidewalks make it a visually...
  6. Doppleganger

    Guelph Baker District Redevelopment | 67.25m | 19s | WDG + City of Guelph | DTAH + Diamond Schmitt

    Thanks for the info. Though I'm all in favour of more residential units downtown, I do bemoan any loss of street-level retail. In terms of retail, that stretch of Wyndham is already threadbare to non-existent from south of the old post office building up to the former Odeon(I know, I know, I'm...
  7. Doppleganger

    Guelph Baker District Redevelopment | 67.25m | 19s | WDG + City of Guelph | DTAH + Diamond Schmitt

    I realize this is a bit off topic, but does anyone know what's going on with that building at 148 Wyndham St. that had the fire? Structurally, it appears fairly intact, and though it's certainly not the most impressive building on Wyndham St., I'd hate to see a fire-gutted building or...
  8. Doppleganger

    Toronto Toronto | 10 St Mary | 197.29m | 59s | Mattamy Homes | a—A

    As I stated, I don't find the building particularly attractive, but I certainly won't rule out a decent restoration making me a convert. As for the Scientology building, here's hoping it someday gets the same treatment as is proposed for its neighbour. Though very different, both buildings are...
  9. Doppleganger

    Toronto Toronto | 10 St Mary | 197.29m | 59s | Mattamy Homes | a—A

    My initial thought was that this tower wouldn't look too out of place among the recently built or under construction, boxy, balconied architectural clusterf**ks of Church St., but certainly not within eyeshot of Yonge St.. But then a cursory glance at the detritus we've already greenlighted...
  10. Doppleganger

    Toronto Toronto | 149 College Street | 205.41m | 60s | Northwest Development | Sweeny &Co

    If the definition of 'pretty much untouched' means losing a quarter of a handsome late-19th century 'Richardsonian Romanesque' building designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, that was designed by EJ Lennox, one of this city's pre-eminent late 19th-early 20th century architects who also...
  11. Doppleganger

    Toronto Toronto | Forma | 308m | 84s | Great Gulf | Gehry Partners

    In just about any other instance, I'd argue for keeping the old structures, but these towers will be a game-changer for Toronto. For the 96-year-old Gehry, they may very well be his last Toronto project. In much the same way that the CN Tower did fifty years ago, these towers could help define...
  12. Doppleganger

    Toronto Toronto | Forma | 308m | 84s | Great Gulf | Gehry Partners

    This is certainly understated for Gehry, but in this case, that is a good thing. The towers are wonderfully sculptural, and this restrained(for Gehry)street-level treatment allows them to shine. IMO, the worst thing we could end up with at street-level would be something akin to his treatment of...
  13. Doppleganger

    Toronto Toronto | The Pierre | 133.49m | 40s | Kingdom | BDP Quadrangle

    These two houses are fine examples of the distinctive 'Bay and Gable' style that was once prevalent in what is now this part of downtown, and no doubt would add charm and historical context to the development and the area. Their demolition would be regrettable but there are still enough examples...
  14. Doppleganger

    Toronto Toronto | Church of Scientology | ?m | 8s

    Agreed! Its clean, simple lines evoke Erich Mendelsohn's post-war German modernism(ie: Berlin's Columbus House or even the Schocken Dept. Store in Chemnitz). As for the modifications proposed to it by the 'Church' of Scientology, IMO they were hideous. Here's hoping ownership transfers to a...
  15. Doppleganger

    Toronto Old City Hall Proposals

    For some reason, buildings that are in the fifty to sixty-year-old range always tend to be at their most vulnerable. Probably because they are still too young to be considered historically significant or to have acquired 'iconic' status and just old enough to be considered 'out of date' by...
  16. Doppleganger

    Toronto Old City Hall Proposals

    Or maybe even turning those covered outdoor spaces into a marketplace for crafts, antiques and similar type vendors. With the little-known gems of the Church and Scadding House at the epicentre of a reimagined square, and with a ready-made pool of shoppers and tourists at the Eaton Centre, this...
  17. Doppleganger

    Toronto Old City Hall Proposals

    Sorry, my bad! I thought you meant covering the inner courtyards of Old City Hall, but covering the spaces north and east of the building also has great merit. We certainly need to explore all options to make this area a more pedestrian, tourist-friendly realm.
  18. Doppleganger

    Toronto Old City Hall Proposals

    This is a terrific idea that was similarly done quite nicely with the western courtyard of Dresden's City Castle, another building successfully repurposed as a museum.
  19. Doppleganger

    Toronto Old City Hall Proposals

    Excellent suggestions. I'm not sure what the solution to the Bay St. 'gutter' is. Perhaps some sort of turning restrictions or even some wider congestion pricing scheme to decrease the overall downtown traffic volume...I just don't know. It is a shame that some, if not most of your ideas...
  20. Doppleganger

    Toronto Old City Hall Proposals

    I wonder how much of that is due to the Museum of London's longtime location at the Barbican, a relatively non-descript(and some might say that's being generous) post-war urban development that has relatively serpentine access points. Its shuttering is in preparation for its move to a much more...

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