I wouldn't go so far as to call it a marvel, but as others have pointed out, it's not as simple as a vacant lot. The primary concern for anything above the rail tracks is the potential of train derailment into the structure. You have to account for a rather large dynamic impact load, and...

Interesting that most of the retail is facing the park area, not Front street.

Beams often come pre-curved (camber) so that when they are installed, they deflect into straightness - most horizontal members are designed this way. While designed not to buckle once installed, long members can absolutely deflect prior to installation. There are people who spend their entire...

They were aerating on Tuesday, we'll transition back to desire lines destroying it in no time.

In an ideal world, here's what I'd do: Airport operations at Billy Bishop would move to Pearson, and the airport lands would be transformed into a public park/waterfront music festival grounds - something similar to Parc Jean Drapeau in Montreal. Build the pedestrian bridge across the Western...

Snow loads are not afterthoughts; structural glass exists. Structural Engineers can accomplish almost anything... if you're willing to pay (anti-gravity sold separately). [Obligatory: Doug Ford is corrupt, this should be public space.]

They must have heard us grumbling

I believe the work is primarily focused on the Spadina station loop portion. Assuming that is the case, I really don't understand why the buses wouldn't run along the vacant streetcar tracks - especially given the state of traffic south of Queen. There must be a good reason for choosing to run...

It's almost like Toronto Hydro takes pleasure in destroying the public realm.

Found it:

It has been mentioned in this thread before, but there will be a second location of Prince Street Pizza in the market on the lower level. It's been suggested that the current location on Front will be focused on takeout/delivery orders. So it seems like a problem that will go away in a few...

Whoever rents out the temporary metal railing must be happy

At this rate, the building may top out before cladding installation begins. Would the project stall if that was the case?

From traditional indigenous viewpoints, it is inherently problematic for anyone to "own" land, indigenous or not. From their original perspective, nature cannot be owned by anyone, as it does not belong to anyone. Humans are simply a part of nature and have a responsibility to act as stewards to...

I've always found it interesting that Toronto-Dominion Bank owns the naming rights to TD Garden in Boston where the Bruins and Celtics play.

Agree. With the size and complexity of buildings these days, you'd have to wait quite a while if you deferred window installation until after the structure was mostly complete. Installing windows sooner means mechanical, electrical, & plumbing can start work. It's also better for the structure...

The character of Queen west isn't defined by the height of the buildings. The redeeming features include the scale of the pedestrian experience, and relatively small retail bays in older buildings that enabled a high density of affordable leases for small businesses. I agree that Queen West is...

Such a shame the diagrid isn't structural.

I think you're thinking of buoyancy calculations, the weight of water displaced equals the weight of the boat. Building's don't need to consider this kind of action; the only reason we dig down is to provide substructure floor area for things like parking, foundations, and elevator pits. It...

I'm not who was asked, but I'll weigh in anyway. I've been to Mandy's a few times, it's fantastic. $20 for a salad seems steep at first, but they are massive and the quality is outstanding. I don't go very much anymore, as I bought the cookbook (mostly for the salad dressing recipes). My...