WislaHD said:
As others said, the thing I really lament about this building is the terrible PATH mall underground, the terrible connection to College Park, and the terribly boring street-level commercial use.

But those things are not related to the building itself as it appears above ground-level.
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What about the chunk from just above the street level up to the 55th floor? What part of that is worth celebrating?

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interchange42 said:
What about the chunk from just above the street level up to the 55th floor? What part of that is worth celebrating?

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Yeah but then again, that 55 storey chunk looks a bit better than half of the shite being built in this city right now
Anyways, ill take this building anytime over the fancy schmancy 1 Bloor east that most of you are constantly drooling over, just saying
 
The podium is such a collasal fail it ruins the good parts of this building (balcony-less area up to the podium).

Even the units are meh. Bowling alley layouts.
 
Automation Gallery said:
Yeah but then again, that 55 storey chunk looks a bit better than half of the shite being built in this city right now
Anyways, ill take this building anytime over the fancy schmancy 1 Bloor east that most of you are constantly drooling over, just saying
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In what way does it look better than etc. etc.? The mullions everywhere? The differing floor heights here and there? The stubby boxiness? The occasional random louvres? The preponderance of spandrel?

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interchange42 said:
In what way does it look better than etc. etc.? The mullions everywhere? The differing floor heights here and there? The stubby boxiness? The occasional random louvres? The preponderance of spandrel?

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Exactly. It's completely beyond me how anyone could defend this:

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I mean, call me crazy again, but considering some other horrible buildings that have gone on in this city Aura is not that bad comparatively speaking.

I'm not offended by looking at it (above the podium) for instance. I could tell you about some of the buildings that have gone up that I find offensive.
 
WislaHD said:
I mean, call me crazy again, but considering some other horrible buildings that have gone on in this city Aura is not that bad comparatively speaking.

I'm not offended by looking at it (above the podium) for instance. I could tell you about some of the buildings that have gone up that I find offensive.
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At ground level it is ghastly. If you're elevated and the podium is covered by other buildings and all you can see is the tower portion? Looks pretty good..especially at night. The only thing I like about this building is the cylindrical tower portion and the penthouse lighting. Other than that, this thing is disgusting.
 
Automation Gallery said:
Yeah but then again, that 55 storey chunk looks a bit better than half of the shite being built in this city right now
Anyways, ill take this building anytime over the fancy schmancy 1 Bloor east that most of you are constantly drooling over, just saying
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Please feel free to name some 50s towers going up right now that looks anything like this 55s portion of Aura. I am waiting. Would it happened to be called Y+C?

This particular quote should be framed in this thread for eternity:

This is not how developers like Canderel seem to think – and no wonder. When they sell condo units, they’re selling something that doesn’t yet exist. The illustrations they use to promote their proposed buildings are very handsome, but bear the small print: “artist’s concept” or “artist’s rendering.” Then there is the real thing, as at Aura, where the bottom levels are clumsily articulated in cheap windows and precast concrete. When I raised this with Mr. Graziani, he actually laughed. “That’s the rendering,” he said. “… And in Toronto you build to a budget.”
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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...-lesson-for-toronto-planners/article33621784/

AoD
 
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The fact that we now resort to saying it only looks good at night should say all you need to know about its architectural integrity - or lack thereof.

Let's not forget the additional slap-on-the-face Aura has given us, and not just speaking architecturally. We now have two banks side by side, killing any animation fronting Yonge, while three restaurants are accounted for on Gerrard. And now we head downstairs to the oily, greasy smelling mall that hasn't been properly ventilated since it first opened. But why even spend money on air circulation, when less than 100 people walk through this space every day? It's not bad enough half of the retail units are still unsold; some I've seen going for over $700K, equivalent to the size of a bedroom. With the weather being a bit colder, this is the only time of year I trek through this space, one that often reminds me of walking through a third world country where shop owners are insisting you come in. This of course is owing to the fact they have been royally screwed over, and now some owners have tried renting out their space for a dollar a day, just to earn some money.

The basement itself represents the beginning and roots of what's to become a giant pile of crap. To say the top 20 floors are a redeeming quality does not justify what has transpired on the first 55 storeys we see today. To me, the top 20 storeys represents a giant middle finger Canderel and their puppet G+C have given to Toronto.

Automation Gallery said:
Anyways, ill take this building anytime over the fancy schmancy 1 Bloor east that most of you are constantly drooling over, just saying
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You mean the development with the high quality curtain wall cladding system, proven it hasn't taken any shortcuts on materials throughout construction, designed by arguably one of the most respected architectural firms in the City, behind the hands of a competent developer? The development that had doubts cast aside when the balcony railing system began installation? The development that is not a visual insult to whomever walks by it? The development not plastered by cheap spandrel and window wall?

Now this isn't to say 1BE is perfect; there are qualities of the development that people don't like, such as the "bulky" podiums levels, or using the balconies to express its' architectural form. However, I think it is fair to say people are happy to see a project that is not a complete insult to this City.
 
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