[AlvinofDiaspar]

Tewder:

That's more to do with the fact that pretty much everything in that stretch (from Cityplace to Southcore) is built within the decade...if not the last 5 years. Hard to get any architectural diversity even if you designed for it - each period has their own building techniques, materials and ornamentation that is difficult to replicate. The area has taken on qualities of "Asian" CBD urbanism - dense, well used and lacking coziness.

AoD

 

[Ramako]

The area is taken on a qualities of "Asian" CBD urbanism - dense, well used and lacking coziness.

AoD

Indeed, and so what if it has? It's still an interesting and (within this city) unique landscape. I enjoy having a mix of different districts with different vibes. We've already got a more traditional, "old" CBD, so why try to forcibly replicate it? If Southcore is the "new" CBD, why shouldn't its architecture reflect that?

Don't get me wrong; I'd still appreciate more engaging architecture here, and a greater variety of styles and materials, but even if that were the case, the area would still look and feel relatively homogenized compared to other parts of downtown. There's no way to get around that without going down faux territory.

 

[buildup]

My simple comment would be that I like going down there, like the energy, look forward to Ice and the Delta etc and eventually doing the Bremner stroll from ACC to SkyDome and beyond to Cityplace.

Its intense, modern, muscular - and different.

In fact walking around Cityplace at night I am very impressed with the condo lobbies and effort to build neighjbourhoods from scratch - Signature and a strong retail base will help as will the Union Station portal. The young residents seem to enjoy the place.

w/r the telus building and the newer one across the street they seem to be very fine to me, very high quality, sleek. I does not seem to me that we have an abundance of similar architecture in the city. What else is similar?

 

[Northern Magus]

The real difficulty in passing more than a provisional judgment right now is that the area is still very much a work in progress. Good streetscaping and street furniture will imo make the biggest impact here since there are more than enough attractions and destinations to create a constant vibe, buzz, and activity.

Architecturally it will definitely be a product of its era. Unlike others, I don't mind it. But I do think that its streetscaping and street furniture will be critical to its success.

That said, we really won't know what we're dealing with until 2014/15.

 

[scrapergeek]

No words for this. aA have boxed us in once again. This is getting kinda depressing now!

 

[Ramako]

Good streetscaping and street furniture will imo make the biggest impact here since there are more than enough attractions and destinations to create a constant vibe, buzz, and activity.

In that vein, it was amazing to me to observe just how much warmer and "part of the city" the area felt when I saw a hot dog vendor on the corner of Bremner & York. Throw in some people soliciting pedestrians, a guy playing the drums and a couple of hobos, and it'll feel as busy as any other part of the core in no time.

 

[greenleaf]

Southcore should have been built with something like Potsdamer Platz in Berlin in mind. Built at the same time, the architecture is varied, interesting, and well planned.

I think this could have worked in the location. I think the West Don Lands may achieve this.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Good Lord ... are those examples of what we're supposed to emulate?

I enjoy having a mix of different districts with different vibes. We've already got a more traditional, "old" CBD, so why try to forcibly replicate it? If Southcore is the "new" CBD, why shouldn't its architecture reflect that?

And it's interesting to note that, of the best "old" CBD towers by major foreign architects ( Mies and Pei ), the TD Centre and Commerce Court are as alike as two peas in a pod in most respects, mostly differing in that one's matte black and the other is shiny silver. So, it is perfectly possible to duplicate mass and form and still differentiate between structures in a creative way - and I think that's what's happening down in the Bremner and York Twinset District ... and it's an entirely-home-grown-talent process, rather than one dependent on bringing in hired help from abroad. I do, however, agree with the sentiment that Toronto's condo tower design has leapfrogged ahead of office tower design in the application of the lively and engaging principles of Mannerist Modernism, which are giving our skyline a wealth of new Modernist-inspired carbuncular forms.

 

[AKS]

I find Asia has more interesting designs. They're not afraid to get out of the box.

 

[innsertnamehere]

but the thing is that in asia, anything outside of hong kong is built completely car oriented. they are towers in the park beside 6 lane roads, the only difference is that they are 300m taller than the canadian suburban office parks, and that there is a subway running under that 6 lane road.

 

[SP!RE]

Give me German or Dutch architecture any day over Asian architecture.

 

[taal]

A render of the office component

http://www.realinsite.com/index.php?page=searchengine&building_name=York&locationc=&searchbyabldgbtn=Find+Buildings

Curtsey of Altus. I believe the same picture is in the UT Project database.

But this tells you its being actively marketed:

829,910 sq. ft. on 34 floors, according to the site they are in the pre-leasing phase and construction has not been scheduled yet. No space leased so far.

The site which tends to be fairly accurate but sometimes a couple months behind ... , for example 120 Bremner Boulevard (this is part of the south core project, with the delta hotel ... is 40% leased according to the site (669,817 sq. ft. space in total over 30 floors), this corresponds to the new that a tenant signed on, completion date is 2014, which is also accurate.

 

[TheKingEast]

same old bland crap.

 

[urbandreamer]

I hear Bay Street is having an awful year....expect layoffs next year if things don't improve. Mining stocks in the dumps for eg....the $TSX does determine the health of the condo & office market.

 

[Mongo]

I hear Bay Street is having an awful year....expect layoffs next year if things don't improve. Mining stocks in the dumps for eg....the $TSX does determine the health of the condo & office market.

TSX Composite Index Jan 3 2012 -- 12452.15
TSX Composite Index Sep 7 2012 -- 12268.01

Change so far this year: -1.48%

Hardly an "awful year".