Thanks cruzin4u. This does give us better idea of what could have been.

Traynor, we know you're still out there!
 
Today:

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Starting to peek out from Yonge and Queens Quay:

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Here is a closer look:

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Thanks for the awesome pics! Now it's beginning to show it's full presence, looks so majestic and bloody tall! Now we just need a few more that height or taller, hummm....

Ps - anyone know how many more floors to go? Looks like it's about to top out.
 
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I had a woman friend, since passed away, who was one of the relatively early female ministers in her denomination. She told me that the first time she preached, an elderly lady in the congregation said to her, "My dear, you do look nice from a distance." My friend laughed about it as a very equivocal compliment.

I can't help but think of my friend as Aura reaches to its full height. I think it will look indeed "nice from a distance." The proportions, which appeared clunky and bloated lower down, are better as it gains height. From a distance the curtain wall portion will be the part that dominates the view and it is superior, in my view to the lower cladding. Aura's distance from the core will make the building truly standout on the skyline. It will be one of the most prominent structures in the city... from a distance.

As a regular visitor to Toronto, with no particular reason to go to Yonge and Gerrard, I will chiefly see Aura from a distance and it will indeed be striking. I enjoyed the typo or the deliberate play on words that called this a "soar thumb," but, in truth, I don't think it will be a soar thumb, once again, from a distance.

I still think the lower stretches are confused in their design and, quite possibly, not well executed. They could have been done much better. But they may well be, quite literally, overshadowed by a successful top section.
 
I haven't heard any non-architecture geeks say a bad thing about this building. All my friends seem to think it's a great building, so I think the average Torontonian will also think it's a great building. It's only the geeks on sites like this that look at the finer details or know the difference between cheap and expensive glass. Most people just see shape, colour, height and the wow factor. Everybody likes something different and this quirky building offers that.

I may hate the tiny retail cluster in the basement but even that is different for downtown Toronto and if it develops right, it could be turned into something unique and interesting. I guess only time will tell if that happens.

I'm not saying we should celebrate mediocracy, I'm just saying it's not as disastrous as some people make it out to be and maybe its eccentricities are a good thing. I like where it deviates from the norm. (angled from the street, mis-matched height on the boxy portion, weird curves and the unusual roof treatment) It might just all come together nicely, if you can ignore the details. I might even be able to ignore the ugly retail portions in the upper podium, if all else goes well. It's now the roof portion I'm holding my breath about.
 
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Torontovibe said:
I haven't heard any non-architecture geeks say a bad thing about this building. All my friends seem to think it's a great building, so I think the average Torontonian will also think it's a great building.
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Most people also like Miley Cyrus and McDonalds. All the more reason not to like what most people like.
 
Hanlansboy said:
Thanks for the awesome pics! Now it's beginning to show it's full presence, looks so majestic and bloody tall! Now we just need a few more that height or taller, hummm....

Ps - anyone know how many more floors to go? Looks like it's about to top out.
Click to expand...

It's got 6 more floors to go plus 4-5 mechanical floors on top. About another 100ft in height before it's topped out. This should happen in a few months from now.
 
hawc said:
Most people also like Miley Cyrus and McDonalds. All the more reason not to like what most people like.
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"Most people" are the majority that will see and use this building every day. In fact I would argue that a project should be developed with "most people" in mind, and not designed to satisfy a handful of enthusiasts/critics.

Like Torontovibe said above, this is not a reason to celebrate mediocrity, but to understand that most people simply do not look for the details that we do. After all, this is a residential building, not an expensive corporate skyscraper or high-end hotel.

Now, where's my quarter-pounder...
 
Torontovibe said:
All my friends seem to think it's a great building, so I think the average Torontonian will also think it's a great building.
Click to expand...

So they are easy to fool? is that your point? Why do you give them so little credit? It's incredibly snobbish and presumptuous to assume that "average people" can't tell the difference between a good
building and a bad one. I know for a fact that this is not true. Lots of average people know the difference.

Torontovibe said:
Most people just see shape, colour, height and the wow factor.
Click to expand...
Torontovibe said:
can't tell the difference between the finer details or know the difference between cheap and expensive glass."
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Really? How do you know these things? They are pretty insulting suppositions.

You seem to think that 'average people' are like children. Easily duped and incapable of any form of discernment. I know for a fact that there are far more adults who are put off by a cheap 'wow' factor. And certainly it is only skyscraper geeks who think height is ipso facto a good thing.

Torontovibe said:
Everybody likes something different and this quirky building offers that.
Click to expand...

Another bizarre and unsubstantiated claim. Who is "everybody"?
 
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