I actually don't even know that site... I just Googled Aqua images and looked for one from a distance.
 
Seldom will I ever say this, but I think that this site is without a doubt best left as a park. Not a plaza like Dundas Square, but an actual park similar to Union Square and Madison Square in New York. Even in its current vacant state, you feel a fantastic vibe standing on the site today. The openness really contrasts the hustle and bustle of Yonge and Bloor, and the view at night surrounded by tall buildings really can't be beat.

Yonge and Bloor is just about the best spot in the city for skyscrapers, and I'd like to see a few 60+ storey buildings just south on Yonge, and west on Bloor. But for the southeast corner, please build something like this, including the surrounding tall buildings:

5828.jpg
 
I hate to go off topic, but I saw that photo and tried to see if I was in it...

DSC03675.jpg

(Sept 1, 2008)
 
jn_12 said:
I post there too. It's one of the best online communities on the net.
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Except for the Soviet-style moderation and suppression of free speech. www.hfbroads.com is better.


Anyways, I'm a cynic, and agree that any "creative" building in Toronto will look quite plain on a global scale. Keep things in perspective here people. This is not Madrid.
 
maestro said:
I don't think Toronto is beneath the level of Aqua's architecture or Chicago's recent boom for that matter. L Tower and Absolute, for example, come to mind. However, Toronto's zoning is certainly does not encourage building 800 foot rental towers as long as we continue to allow 40 storey towers at Kennedy & 401 or North York Centre to exist.
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maestro ... if you want to pick on Solaris ... at least do it in the right thread rather than the Number One Bloor thread :eek:

in all due respect, what does 40s towers like Solaris or any towers in NYCC have to do with Toronto's inability to built 800 foot towers ?? :confused:
 
Chuck said:
Seldom will I ever say this, but I think that this site is without a doubt best left as a park. Not a plaza like Dundas Square, but an actual park similar to Union Square and Madison Square in New York. Even in its current vacant state, you feel a fantastic vibe standing on the site today. The openness really contrasts the hustle and bustle of Yonge and Bloor, and the view at night surrounded by tall buildings really can't be beat.

Yonge and Bloor is just about the best spot in the city for skyscrapers, and I'd like to see a few 60+ storey buildings just south on Yonge, and west on Bloor. But for the southeast corner, please build something like this, including the surrounding tall buildings
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well, you are entitled to your opinion. Chances of it happening are zero. The land has been bought by a developer who is looking to make a profit, has submitted an application and is about to launch sales....

p.s., great pic. I too was in this part of Manhattan last summer. 1 Madison Park was probably the most striking new thing on the skyline... I looked up the sales site on the net and the penthouse was listed for $45 million!
 
in all due respect, what does 40s towers like Solaris or any towers in NYCC have to do with Toronto's inability to built 800 foot towers ??
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Not an inability but, there is greater incentive to build taller in Chicago as the area where highrises are allowed is puny in comparison to the area in Toronto. Essentially, the whole city of Toronto is open to highrises minus that conservation area in Eastern Scarberia. Solaris happens to be the tallest planned/built tower in Scarborough. I couldn't tell you North York and Etobicoke is too foreign to a longtime east end Toronto resident.
 
One other thing of note...

What might be the most significant aspect of this project I don't believe has even been mentioned yet: this condo will feature a good amount of curtain wall cladding (roughly 20-30% from what I understand).

This is potentially game-changing for condo construction in Toronto. One of the worst limitations to innovative design in the field is the prevalent use of window wall, due to its thrift. Opening the door to curtain wall could lead to an enormous potential for new expression, beginning first with the highest-end projects and hopefully working its way down to the ordinary projects.

Look at NYC for some examples of what can be possible when developers accept more expensive high-end materials to be used on their projects... perhaps 1 Bloor East is the first to offer close-to-guaranteed sales at such a high figure per square foot and in such a tall project (wind loads are another reason why skyscrapers almost always use curtain wall cladding).

I don't expect many other projects to follow suit right away, but just one project showing profitability with a significant amount of curtain wall in its composition would be enough to open a door permanently, and that means at least one certainty: hope for the sour cynics who don't believe Toronto has even the potential for innovative, exceptionally designed condominiums.

(/rant)
 
Thanks for the interesting post. Ok, I'm not in the industry and so I need an education. What are the differences between a window wall and curtain wall?
 
Aren't Ritz and Shangri-la curtain wall? As well as the upper portion of Aura for that matter. And 'X' and Murano and Burano and Spire and.... Oh you get my point. So I think we already have some examples in Toronto.
 
Pretty sure trump is also curtain wall.
 
There is a significant cost difference between the two window systems. Which is why the curtain wall's application only really works on the higher end of the condo spectrum. It isn't terribly useful for more affordable product aimed at first-time buyers, mid-range investors looking to put their units into the rental market or most middle class home buyers. It's this later group of buyers that make up the majority of the housing market (i.e. not all Torontonians are rich and can afford the top end luxury buildings).

I believe the Florian also intends to utilize curtain wall technology (it's also a luxury building).
 
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