the Star's theatre guys (Knelman and Ouzounian) have waded in - can only presume Chris Hume is waiting for the actual launch? At the moment the Star has the story classified under "Entertainment" which I sort of get but eventually it's going to have to be a "Toronto" story - not ghettoised in "Entertainment" or "Architecture"
 
i dunno, looking at the 'baby we got a bubble thread' today, it's probably premature to get invested in the pros and cons of this one. Longer term, the heritage-height trade-off debate is probably going to get more intense now that most of the downtown parking has been filled (which is hard to believe, considering where we came from).
 
AlexCorey said:
UrbanToronto's down at the press conference this morning - follow our twitter feed to keep up to date with the development as information is released.

https://twitter.com/Urban_Toronto
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Thanks - looks like they posted a pic of the model ....

http://t.co/FsJGRkFJ

gktid.jpg
 

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I was hoping they had chosen and would announce the developer this morning
 
Very fitting song - "Clams Casino - I'm God".

[video=youtube;FJJ8hWDXWGs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJJ8hWDXWGs[/video]
 
It looks like from the models that on our second Gehry, we're not getting our own Guggenheim or Disney Concert Hall. The titanium organic forms is what Frank Gehry is known for and he has said in the past that he is done with them -- but then the New York Guggenheim was designed in that style.

I can't say I'm disappointed with the towers (and their height) but common Frank, give us a podium that when you walk by it immediately screams FRANK GEHRY!
 
000 said:
I was hoping they had chosen and would announce the developer this morning
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I believe its ProjectCore - from their website "Peter Kofman is President of Projectcore Inc. and will lead the development, management, and construction in conjunction with David Mirvish on the proposed Mirvish + Gehry Toronto project. This new project, designed by architect Frank Gehry, will transform Toronto’s arts and entertainment district."
 
MetroMan:

I don't know about that - the crinkly, torn paper crisscrossing the podium is typically how Gehry depict his signature forms. That said, I think it isn't necessarily a bad thing that he chose to move away from that - I much rather he comes up with something distinctively "Toronto" (sans the value-engineering bit) than building yet another Walt Disney.

AoD
 
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MetroMan said:
It looks like from the models that on our second Gehry, we're not getting our own Guggenheim or Disney Concert Hall. The titanium organic forms is what Frank Gehry is known for and he has said in the past that he is done with them -- but then the New York Guggenheim was designed in that style.

I can't say I'm disappointed with the towers (and their height) but common Frank, give us a podium that when you walk by it immediately screams FRANK GEHRY!
Click to expand...

The podium is interesting in some respects...but I'm not the biggest fan of the seemingly random placement of elements. Are the images on the podiums supposed to represent screens or display windows?
 
So based on the press release, all three towers will be in the 80-85 storey range. My best guess would be the middle tower hitting 85 stories while other ones are both 80 stories. Considering usual floor heights and planned podium design the 80 storey towers will both come in around 920 ft (280m) while the larger 85 storey tower will hit 975 ft (297m), just being a tad short of a "supertall" buildings. Each of these iconic towers will be around the same height as the Scotia Bank building as well as the BMO building which truly will change Toronto's skyline. Regardless, all three look to be taller than Aura which is currently Canada's tallest condo building.

I do however have some doubts as to whether this project actually happens for a few key reasons including: the condo market is cooling in Toronto and demand is not what it used to be, there are already thousands of unsold units on the market competing for a piece of the pie, the financing factor has gotten more strict with max 25 year amortization announced earlier in the summer, and prices. Something tells me the builders will want big money for these units, which will be hard to get for the reasons mentioned above. IF this plan does go through it will be because of highly competitive pricing which remains to be seen at this point. Finally, my last concern has to do with city council. This plan is much taller than restrictions for this area and should come up under plenty of citizen boycotts because of the closure of the theater. I wouldn't be surprised if the city turned down the project or drastically altered it so it would no longer be legendary. If they start being unreasonable or demand the towers to shrink down in the 50-60 storey range, then this project won't be justified in my opinion.

Time will certainly tell, but providing the best scenario, I am still thinking a project of this caliber will take minimum 6-8 years to complete.
 
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