Uncle Teddy
Senior Member
I'll pass on that job. I'm looking forward to L Tower rising though I hope it doesn't totally overshadow the Sony Centre.
Automation Gallery
Superstar
Nowadays.....Glass is available with self-cleaning properties that can vastly reduce the time spent, and dangers of cleaning glass in hard-to-reach areas. ...
Automation Gallery
Superstar
Wait a minute, aren't we talking here of a 200 meter iconic tower.
marcus_a_j
Senior Member
Where can I apply?
BBP
New Member
Thank you!
Thank you Egotrippin for saying like it is.
I just joined UT so I could respond to your statement. After all of the early whining about the "boot" in the prior design, I am rather surprised all of the criticism of the new design, which in my opinion:
- respects the original architecture and scale of the Sony Centre
- incorporates the Sony Centre itself (with minimal additional design elements) as the podium for the tower
- is more on point with Toronto's conservative approach to architecture while pushing the boundaries just enough to be interesting
In years to come, this will be a much photographed Toronto landmark and people will have long forgotten the over-the-top boot that many originally claimed was "crushing" the beautiful modernistic building which is the Sony Centre.
Thank you Egotrippin for saying like it is.
I just joined UT so I could respond to your statement. After all of the early whining about the "boot" in the prior design, I am rather surprised all of the criticism of the new design, which in my opinion:
- respects the original architecture and scale of the Sony Centre
- incorporates the Sony Centre itself (with minimal additional design elements) as the podium for the tower
- is more on point with Toronto's conservative approach to architecture while pushing the boundaries just enough to be interesting
In years to come, this will be a much photographed Toronto landmark and people will have long forgotten the over-the-top boot that many originally claimed was "crushing" the beautiful modernistic building which is the Sony Centre.
Dugmor
Banned
What is the big deal with the Sony Centre? It's really not impressive by any means. Futher more how is it a heritage building? It was built in the 60s.
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scarberiankhatru
Senior Member
But are the people who whined about the boot earlier the same ones who are now criticizing the new design?
I'm not going to search through 1500 posts but there's likely very few people who both whined and criticized. Perhaps someone complained about the crushing of the Sony Centre but also complains about the toes being chopped off the boot...the heel still exists and still affects the Sony Centre. One could argue that two designs are being compromised, two buildings being ruined, even.
egotrippin
Senior Member
Dugmor said:
Though young in relative terms, half a century is not brand new either. Modernism is definitely at a point where it can be considered part of Toronto's history, especially considering how much of the current city was built up during that time. As far as your thoughts on its significance or appearance go, well there's a vocal group here that will strongly defend the building (and its peers).
Besides, that sort of thinking is what got a lot of early 19th century buildings torn down in the '50s through '70s. We don't want to repeat the same mistakes and tear down another significant portion of an era of buildings.
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Mike in TO
Senior Member
That is exactly the kind of thinking that brought Toronto oh so close to knocking down Old City Hall and Union Station in the 1960s - after-all the buildings were hardly 'old' at that point and would have been replaced by rather forgettable designs.
The above image doesn't due justice to how bad the street level plan was - The queen & bay intersection was to be replaced with a highway type overpass in the heart of the city... the Union Station plan was even worse...
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Dugmor
Banned
19th, early 20th century buildings were far more beautiful than the structures of the 60s and 70s. I guess we should make the Sheraton Hotel a heritage structure as well. I don't understand the fascination with the 60s/70s era design in this city. It was probably the most stale time for architecture.
Dugmor
Banned
They didn't have to be old to be significant at the time. Their physical beauty alone was reason enough to maintain their presence. We shouldn't try rectifying our past mistakes by saving bland structures just for the sake of preserving a part of our past.
whatever
Senior Member
You're missing the point. Back in the 60's (and even earlier) the prevailing view of what constituted physical beauty meant that much of our older stock of buildings was destroyed. "Physical beauty" is a much more subjective term than you realize. Now Toronto is maturing as a city, and people are trying to avoid making the same mistakes that were made in the past.
Automation Gallery
Superstar
That is exactly the kind of thinking that brought Toronto oh so close to knocking down Old City Hall and Union Station in the 1960s - after-all the buildings were hardly 'old' at that point and would have been replaced by rather forgettable designs.
The above image doesn't due justice to how bad the street level plan was - The queen & bay intersection was to be replaced with a highway type overpass in the heart of the city... the Union Station plan was even worse...
Im kind of glad that they never knocked down the old city hall, to bad about the destuction of the area before that.
Dugmor: have you been inside the O'Keefe/Hummingbird/Sony? I ask because I understand that there are those who aren't turned on by 60s modernist exteriors... but some part of me thinks "he can't possibly have seen York Wilson's mural 'The Seven Lively Arts' that graces the lobby if he doesn't care whether the place is preserved or not". There are other elements of the interior to recommend it besides the mural, but still, it's what makes me wonder. So, have you been inside?
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maestro
Senior Member
Well that's your opinion. There's crap in every era and I'm somewhat surprised how much prewar crap gets passed as beautiful while the Sony Centre gets brushed aside.
C'mon it's the growing crap in the 19th that led tto the early 20th Century and the growing crap in the early 20th Century that lead to the Modernist movement and ... so on.