[urbandreamer]

Walmart? They surely would do much towards making the area more vibrant and would provide much needed competition to the low rent crap peddled by the Bay

A walkup McD's plus Walmart and Tim Horton's=retail bliss.

Add in a bank or two--gotta be reminded not to spend too much money....

Maybe a Home Depot here would work too.

1 Wal-mart Hotel East?

 

[Jayomatic]

its only there to illustrate the point. the company who made the rendering even made a store named after them. Aereas.

My biggest worry is this new balcony feature. Sliding glass? This could either be something we've never seen before or a nasty 1970s looking feature where there are tracks for the windows to slide around everywhere that are rusted and nasty 10 years later.

Do they realize that they'll need to withstand some very high wind loads?

 

[Andrew3D]

For anybody who didn't want to squint.

Bazis International's new 1 Bloor project is poised to change the way we think about condos. Not only will it rise far above the best corners in Canada, but it's very design is creating new distinctive architectural forms.

"I can say with great confidence that there is nothing else like it in Canada." says Roy Varacalli Director of design and construction for Bazis. "We have created something unique. In fact there just aren't architectural terms to describe some of the innovations we are introducing."

Among them is Varacalli's personal favourite. This stunning 80 storey spire, which will rise from the south east corner of Yonge and Bloor streets will not just offer residents large balconies. It will offer balconies off every room.

"Torontonians love outdoor living and entertaining" says the celebrated architect. "Our winters seem so long that we want to pack in as much time in the sun ans warm breezes as we possibly can."

"That is why we decided to do something that is a distinctive departure in design. We would not only put large balconies off every suite, but we would make some of the the form of the Mediterranean loggia, an outdoor space that could be partly enclosed in cool or windy weather."

"These balconies are not just summer spaces. Slide the glass panels closed and you can still enjoy them in early spring and well into the fall."

Varacalli also dealt with the problem of balconies appearing as concrete protrusions, slabs that stick out from an otherwise smooth and elegant facade.1 Bloor is in simple terms a tower within a tower.

Outside the bearing walls he has fashioned a sleeve of etched and clear glass joined by sparkling aluminum members. That sleeve encases the balconies and loggias. The effect promises to be spectacular.

 

[interchange42]

Walmart? They surely would do much towards making the area more vibrant and would provide much needed competition to the low rent crap peddled by the Bay

A walkup McD's plus Walmart and Tim Horton's=retail bliss.

Add in a bank or two--gotta be reminded not to spend too much money....

Maybe a Home Depot here would work too.

1 Wal-mart Hotel East?

Okay UD, those jokes are making me nauseous even though I know they are just jokes.

What we want here are Apple's Canadian flagship store, a Harrod's Food Hall, and a tricked-out Condom Shack.

42

 

[interchange42]

condominions
Torontontonians
celebrated architect
sparkling aluminum members

just a few things in that post that stood out for me...

42

 

[scarberiankhatru]

Condominions and Torontontonians are Andrew3D typos...

edit - of course, you could be pointing that out and not just highlighting Bazis' silliness/Engrish.

 

[interchange42]

Well, I didn't want to dwell so much on the typos per se, so much as consider what they and the silliness plunked into my head.

Condominions could be understood as a very good new word to describe condo dwellers...

Torontontonians has such a cool rhythm to it. It should end up in the chorus of some rousing new local anthem...

the term celebrated architect doesn't necessarily indicate that it's only Varacalli's dependents who are doing the celebrating...

and finally sparkling aluminum members put a picture in my head of



Oh - gotta go.

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[unimaginative2]

Torontontonians has such a cool rhythm to it. It should end up in the chorus of some rousing new local anthem...

Ontari-ari-ario for the Toronto separatist set. A place to flâne...

 

[cassius]

That's one sexy piece of bitch! The base looks fantastic in the larger rendering. I'm a little concerned about what they're going to do for the balconies on the east and west sides of the tower. I like the way the glass appears to stick out farther than the balconies on the north-east and north-west corners though. The vertical element of the finial also seems to integrate the podium quite well.

 

[TonyV]

Despite the press around the announcement (and it is just a riot) this building looks really good. The way it meets street level lends the kind of sophistication that is just plain missing at Y/B at this time. Combine this building with the sidewalk revitalization and the prospects are excellent.

Too bad about what it will stare at on the n/e corner, you guyz know I have a hate-on for Hudsons Bay centre. Maybe this will curry some influence and the Bay will get a facelift. Or something.

Glass-fronted balconies came up in this thread. I have a problem with those, in that the owners of the suites sometimes create an eyesore for passers-by to look at in wonder. Do I read that these balcony fronts will somehow be opaque?

 

[3Dementia]

The "sleeve" which is the outer layer will mix etched with transparent.

 

[TonyV]

Well, there are still a number of questions about this project, including whether or not they'll be getting an increase in the height allowed (the ad blurb in the Condo Guide does say it will be the tallest residential structure in the country, but we haven't heard of an official request to increase the height), but we do know now that it does include everything up to the Xerox tower. That previous rendering really made the Bloor Street frontage look short; the new one looks more realistic.

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In the duration of all the publicity for this building, I've been given to understand that the builder has a right to proceed -- no additional approvals needed. They had the height permission from the previous approval ...or so I thought.

 

[caltrane74]

In the duration of all the publicity for this building, I've been given to understand that the builder has a right to proceed -- no additional approvals needed. They had the height permission from the previous approval ...or so I thought.

Yes they do have approvals to go forward based on the previous proposal. However that proposal was only 60 storeys. This building is 80 stories, that's why most feel they will have to go back to the city or at least have an agreement with the city of some kind allowing them extra hieght to accomodate those floors.

 

[interchange42]

The approved height for the previous project was allowing for 60 floors or so. Bazis at first said that they would fit their tower into that.

Really? They would have to take 1/3 of the height of each floor to add another 20, which doesn't make sense.

There has still been no definitive statement as to how many metres high this proposal is. We wait.

42

 

[billy corgan]

I wonder what KPMB thinks of the Varacallli design. After all most of the architectural elements of the base are stolen from KPMB projects. The tower portion could look really good with the sliding glass balconies or they will age poorly and create another eyesore on the Toronto skyline. The base looks alright but I’m not a fan of retail hidden behind support pillars.