3Dementia
Senior Member
I think it's time to bury the urban myth of the "Vancouverizing" of Toronto.
Love them or hate them, (built, soon to be built or hoping they get built) there's nothing in the country that resembles the soaring elegance of ICE, the monolithic Aura, the undulating promise of 1 Bloor East, Massey Square or Market Wharf, the gravity-defying L Tower and Ritz or the soaring boxes of CASA 1/2 and X 1/2.
Eclectic spins on the dreaded "box" like Picasso, Exhibit and E (from the much maligned Bazis), Studio On Richmond, Theatre Park, Chaz, Pier 27 and Tableau certainly don't support the myth.
"Retro" disappointments like Uptown and West HarbourCity are countered by the beautifully executed One St. Thomas and are nonetheless pretty much unique to this city.
Skinny old/new hybrids like One King West and 88 Scott Street may not win any architectural awards, but they are arguably unseen any where else in the country- perhaps unique more for their almost unprecedented height to width ratios than for their design merits.
Entire new neighborhoods like Regent Park and River City/Pan Am (and smaller neighbourhoods like Distillery District and its new towers) will not resemble anything outside of Toronto.
There are many conservative but solid density contributions from projects like Charlie that don't fit this urban myth stereotype.
Mirvish/Gehry (if built, love it or hate it)... well needless to say nothing like this remotely exists in this country.
Even much of Cityplace from Vancouver developer Concord Adex (which definitely gets a "neighborhood" fail at grade from me) doesn't fit the myth: Parade, Luna, Montage and even Matrix are not Vancouver cookie-cutter designs. Design-wise, HVE and West One may resemble "typical" Vancouver condos but their far greater height sets them apart imo.
Sure, there are dozens of buildings that fit the urban myth (many outside the downtown core), but there are plenty of examples that torpedo this urban myth. Even Vancouver is stepping outside their own myth of "bland Vancouverism" with designs like The Twist, Shang Ri La, One Wall etc.
On the office/commercial front, our own pejorative urban myth of "the Toronto box" is over-stated and misguided. Scotia Plaza, the exquisite Royal Bank Plaza and some of the most beautifully executed "boxes" in the world, TD and Commerce Court, call Toronto home. The future: the proliferation of uninspired office boxes south of Front Street (Telus gets a pass from me) are perhaps tempered by the promise/hope for Oxford on Adelaide and the (dream?) of Oxford/Foster on Front with more news to come.
Sure there's way too much spandrel. No argument. But there are so many project designs (built and soon to be built) that are unique to Toronto, I'm voting to bury this myth once and for all. Just a reality check imho.
(cue long list of vancouver-style condos from disgruntled forum members who don't like this type of boosterism)
Love them or hate them, (built, soon to be built or hoping they get built) there's nothing in the country that resembles the soaring elegance of ICE, the monolithic Aura, the undulating promise of 1 Bloor East, Massey Square or Market Wharf, the gravity-defying L Tower and Ritz or the soaring boxes of CASA 1/2 and X 1/2.
Eclectic spins on the dreaded "box" like Picasso, Exhibit and E (from the much maligned Bazis), Studio On Richmond, Theatre Park, Chaz, Pier 27 and Tableau certainly don't support the myth.
"Retro" disappointments like Uptown and West HarbourCity are countered by the beautifully executed One St. Thomas and are nonetheless pretty much unique to this city.
Skinny old/new hybrids like One King West and 88 Scott Street may not win any architectural awards, but they are arguably unseen any where else in the country- perhaps unique more for their almost unprecedented height to width ratios than for their design merits.
Entire new neighborhoods like Regent Park and River City/Pan Am (and smaller neighbourhoods like Distillery District and its new towers) will not resemble anything outside of Toronto.
There are many conservative but solid density contributions from projects like Charlie that don't fit this urban myth stereotype.
Mirvish/Gehry (if built, love it or hate it)... well needless to say nothing like this remotely exists in this country.
Even much of Cityplace from Vancouver developer Concord Adex (which definitely gets a "neighborhood" fail at grade from me) doesn't fit the myth: Parade, Luna, Montage and even Matrix are not Vancouver cookie-cutter designs. Design-wise, HVE and West One may resemble "typical" Vancouver condos but their far greater height sets them apart imo.
Sure, there are dozens of buildings that fit the urban myth (many outside the downtown core), but there are plenty of examples that torpedo this urban myth. Even Vancouver is stepping outside their own myth of "bland Vancouverism" with designs like The Twist, Shang Ri La, One Wall etc.
On the office/commercial front, our own pejorative urban myth of "the Toronto box" is over-stated and misguided. Scotia Plaza, the exquisite Royal Bank Plaza and some of the most beautifully executed "boxes" in the world, TD and Commerce Court, call Toronto home. The future: the proliferation of uninspired office boxes south of Front Street (Telus gets a pass from me) are perhaps tempered by the promise/hope for Oxford on Adelaide and the (dream?) of Oxford/Foster on Front with more news to come.
Sure there's way too much spandrel. No argument. But there are so many project designs (built and soon to be built) that are unique to Toronto, I'm voting to bury this myth once and for all. Just a reality check imho.
(cue long list of vancouver-style condos from disgruntled forum members who don't like this type of boosterism)
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