Great shots coming in all around. Really interesting to be able to see how they structured this tower.
 
Absolute World and the MCC skyline from Beyond The Sea in Etobicoke:

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^Amazing shots. It's hard to believe that's Mississauga. It looks more like Dubai without the desert.
 
Jasonzed said:
Great shots! I used to take pictures from that golf course but they booted me off because I was not a member.
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You don't need a membership to play there. $40 for 18 holes or you can also use the driving range ($10 I believe for a large basket)
 
What I disagree with is that these "landmark projects" should be downtown. Downtown Toronto has landmarks and will continue to get them. I like the idea of spectacular designs throughout the GTA and some places need it more than others. Scarborough gets a bad rep for inferior designs (albeit deservedly so) so why not put a L Tower or Absolute World tower there? Imagine a Foster (first name that came to mind, though I'm generally not a fan of starchitects) in Vaughan Metropolitan Centre? Given the context it would be that much more attractive and could spawn further investment in development and design in an area that could sure use it. Such a building could change the image of an area and be a major catalyst for redevelopment.
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I'm with you on this. I feel it is time for Toronto's suburbs to grow up and learn they can be great cities. People move to the suburbs for different reasons, but that does not mean suburbs can't have a city centre. Places like KW are similar...a lot of sprawl but many 'core' areas. Although city centres have been in decline in the region, Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge have learned of the importance their city centres play in the region and have started investing in them.

I hope for the best with Vaughan, Markham, and Mississauga.
 
junctionist said:
I want both the suburbs and downtown to have great and memorable architecture. But the best should be saved for where it's most visible. Downtown has the density and brings people from around the region and world. It should have the finest landmarks.
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Ugh. There is no 'saving'. If great architecture downtown is rare, it's not because somebody somewhere else used it all up.
 
bleeepbluuup said:
Ugh. There is no 'saving'. If great architecture downtown is rare, it's not because somebody somewhere else used it all up.
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There's only a small group of people in the development industry who can build landmark towers like this one. There's only so much that they can build, so there are decisions to be made as to what will be built where.
 
bleeepbluuup said:
Ugh. There is no 'saving'. If great architecture downtown is rare, it's not because somebody somewhere else used it all up.
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Very true... However, in this particular case the design has been 'used up'. If Toronto ever built a tower or two that had a similar twisting floor plate now, we would be laughed at and chided for copying Mississauga. There would be no end of "You stole our idea" rants all over the web.

So in this aspect I empathize with all those that wish these towers were down on Queen's Quay. I feel it is only because Toronto is so jealous of these towers and now can never have them, without looking imitative and unoriginal.

Furthermore, Toronto's newest condo architecture suffers form "Trying to please everyone" syndrome. The designs are banal and simplistic because they are afraid of turning off the foreign investor that is buying into them. It is the same reasoning condo owners paint and decorate their units in neutral colours. So you won't offend some potential buyer. This sentiment has found its way into the design of the entire buildings these days.

When a great portion of the potential investors come from all over the world, you have to remain fairly neutral, or you may potentially turn off the group of buyers you were aiming for. Whereas ofttimes the buyer in the suburbs are Canadians relocating or downsizing from a home and will tolerate a more distinctive design.

Sad, but that's why Toronto architecture tends to be green, glass boxes these days.
 
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