[Miscreant]

Yep, for sure. This area of Toronto is distinct because it's the cleanest--not litter-wise, though it's clean that way. But the streetscape and urban environment is very slick. Compared to other cities Toronto has a grittier aesthetic, so it's interesting coming to this area and seeing a different personality.

 

[ADRM]

Yep, for sure. This area of Toronto is distinct because it's the cleanest--not litter-wise, though it's clean that way. But the streetscape and urban environment is very slick. Compared to other cities Toronto has a grittier aesthetic, so it's interesting coming to this area and seeing a different personality.

I loathe it. I don’t find the public realm slick; I find it oppressively sterile.

It’s the definition of indistinct and bland; you could plop it down in a new swath of land anywhere on earth and you couldn’t tell its provenance.

 

[Automation Gallery]

I loathe it. I don’t find the public realm slick; I find it oppressively sterile.

It’s the definition of indistinct and bland; you could plop it down in a new swath of land anywhere on earth and you couldn’t tell its provenance.

I don’t think RBC complements or is complemented well by *anything.*

Haha, i don't know what you're ranting about, there is more than beauty when these office buildings are built

 

[modernizt]

Telus, Sun Life, and the PWC and Bremner towers are very slick. RBC WaterPark Place is blech.

 

[Art Vandelay]

I loathe it. I don’t find the public realm slick; I find it oppressively sterile.

It’s the definition of indistinct and bland; you could plop it down in a new swath of land anywhere on earth and you couldn’t tell its provenance.

So true as long as you ignore the CN Tower, Rogers Centre, Air Canada Centre, and Roundhouse Park you could be anywhere on the planet.

 

[CanadianNational]

The faintest dash of colour and texture would have been welcome on this site though - along the line of The Selby currently under construction, or, say, Erickson's MacMillan-Bloedel building in Vancouver. An old complaint for this area, but still valid... especially in a city where a decade-long run on blue-grey glass is really showing.

 

[Miscreant]

I loathe it. I don’t find the public realm slick; I find it oppressively sterile.

It’s the definition of indistinct and bland; you could plop it down in a new swath of land anywhere on earth and you couldn’t tell its provenance.

There is a bit of a 'Welcome to Houston' vibe. But I still like it, to be honest.

 

[innsertnamehere]

Minor variance docs are now posted. Actual height of this is 154.8m.

 

[travis3000]

Minor variance docs are now posted. Actual height of this is 154.8m.

Interesting so just over 500ft in height. Still not bad. Will add some nice density into this area and really tie in with Telus House, PWC, Delta, and the ICE towers. Will look super futuristic once complete.

 

[ADRM]

So true as long as you ignore the CN Tower, Rogers Centre, Air Canada Centre, and Roundhouse Park you could be anywhere on the planet.

I of course wasn't referring to either the CN Tower or Rogers Centre, but much of the stuff built here (including the public realm) in the last 5-10 years or so is absolutely indistinct (and the ACC is as bland as most sports arenas, and much more so than some of the most recent builds). That's not to say all of the architecture is bad -- I quite like the Telus building and some elements of the Ice towers and Delta, but taken as a whole, I think it's mostly drab, dreary, and lacking for character down here when a game hasn't just let out.

To me, it feels more like Toronto financial core 2.0 rather than Leadenhall Market.

source

 

[interchange42]

Minor variance docs are now posted. Actual height of this is 154.8m.

Thanks! Database updated to reflect the correct height (essentially 10 feet shorter than what we had it as).

The Minor Variance seeks approval to reduce the amount of retail facing both York and Bremner so as to enlarge and improve the lobby, and provide better space for public art.

42

@DonValleyRainbow

 

[CanadianNational]

From 'Playtime' by Jacques Tati.

 

[LUVIT!]

I love that film! It's amazing how 'current' the cityscape is. Since WW2 the 'International Style' of architecture has made so much of the world generic.

 

[UrbanFervour]

Yet here we are in Toronto (50 years after this film skewered the blandness and conformity of the generic cityscape) building out "Playtime" in South Core and the Eastern Waterfront.

I've always wondered if the generation of architects who (still) wield power and influence in Toronto (your Diamonds, KPMBs, aAs, etc...) were completely indoctrinated by the cult of high modernism in architecture schools of the 60s and 70s... & just lay waiting until they could unleash it on the city during the 21st century boom. European architects (and cities) learned from (and moved on from) the "international style" ages ago, and the urban fabric of their 21st century cities look and feel much different than ours.

 

[ADRM]

Yet here we are in Toronto (50 years after this film skewered the blandness and conformity of the generic cityscape) building out "Playtime" in South Core and the Eastern Waterfront.

I've always wondered if the generation of architects who (still) wield power and influence in Toronto (your Diamonds, KPMBs, aAs, etc...) were completely indoctrinated by the cult of high modernism in architecture schools of the 60s and 70s... & just lay waiting until they could unleash it on the city during the 21st century boom. European architects (and cities) learned from (and moved on from) the "international style" ages ago, and the urban fabric of their 21st century cities look and feel much different than ours.

Well, there's relevant consideration both with regard to the relationship between developer and architect and what that means for end product, and also the city's role in what the public realm winds up looking like (both in terms of simple site-by-site planning and broader masterplanning).

FWIW, I also think KPMB's done some masterful work in this city (even if some of their tower work, in particular, is weaker); the Royal Conservatory and Rotman are especially good examples of their understanding of how to make spaces warm, welcoming, and accessible.