[Redux]

It will only operate until the first major ice/snowstorm, in which large chunks of heavy ice are shed onto pedestrians below due to the dynamic motions of the art piece. From then on it will only operate during fair weather, like April to October... Until the mechanism seizes up entirely due to improper maintenance or because of infrequent use during off cycles.

In the history of HISTORY has anything like this NOT followed this exact pattern? Why would this attempt at kinetic sculpture be the FIRST in history to operate for the long haul?

 

[Benito]

 

[interchange42]

It will only operate until the first major ice/snowstorm, in which large chunks of heavy ice are shed onto pedestrians below due to the dynamic motions of the art piece. From then on it will only operate during fair weather, like April to October... Until the mechanism seizes up entirely due to improper maintenance or because of infrequent use during off cycles.

In the history of HISTORY has anything like this NOT followed this exact pattern? Why would this attempt at kinetic sculpture be the FIRST in history to operate for the long haul?

Good question… but if it does manage to operate through bad weather, the large chunks of heavy ice will just never get a chance to form in the first place?

42

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

So, I see the great photos here and was by yesterday. Is no one a little disappointed by the balcony glass?

 

[urbandreamer]

I think the only problem with the balcony glass is the idea of having balconies on a prominent corner building kinda wrecks the big city vibe. Or at least leave them off the first 10 storeys.

 

[G.L.17]

Updated view from College Park. Last photo is zoomed in roughly 20x

 

[Torontovibe]

I am so glad the ugly Bay tower is going to be blocked out of my view, when walking up Yonge Street. I've hated that building since the day it went up, especially at street level. Now if we could only block it out on the other 3 sides, I'd be even happier.

 

[Tewder]

I like the idea of the balconies here, layers of people creating a truly vibrant and bustling intersection day and night (in good weather at least).

 

[typezed]

I like the idea of the balconies here, layers of people creating a truly vibrant and bustling intersection day and night (in good weather at least).

In theory, but how often do you see a person on a balcony on these buidings? I'd say I see signs of life maybe one out of every twenty times I look up at the side of a large residential building. I have nothing against the balconies here or anywhere else, except that I know I'd probably never venture out on to a 45th story balcony and so sometimes wonder why they're there. But I've never seen a time when I'd describe the activity on them as layers of people, vibrant or bustling.

 

[victord66]

In theory, but how often do you see a person on a balcony on these buidings? I'd say I see signs of life maybe one out of every twenty times I look up at the side of a large residential building. I have nothing against the balconies here or anywhere else, except that I know I'd probably never venture out on to a 45th story balcony and so sometimes wonder why they're there. But I've never seen a time when I'd describe the activity on them as layers of people, vibrant or bustling.

I'd have to strongly agree with you there. I've looked out on downtown apartments/condos for the last 40 years and most balconies are empty or are used for storing bicycles and old boxes. I've never actually seen people using their balconies, except for the Pride parade. And there's a good reason for this. On busy downtown streets, the balcony is invariably too noisy, too dirty and too windy. Smaller apartments on quiet side streets have much more attractive balconies that actually get used. So it's a real mystery to me why they even put balconies on these condos. There's even a question of the cold from the balcony slab migrating into the apartment, since from what I've seed, none of these new balconies show any insulation between outside and inside.

 

[TheKingEast]

In theory, but how often do you see a person on a balcony on these buidings? I'd say I see signs of life maybe one out of every twenty times I look up at the side of a large residential building. I have nothing against the balconies here or anywhere else, except that I know I'd probably never venture out on to a 45th story balcony and so sometimes wonder why they're there. But I've never seen a time when I'd describe the activity on them as layers of people, vibrant or bustling.

You're right.

I rarely use my balcony and would have no issue buying a place without one. On some of the higher floors, what's the point in having a glass balcony? It's windy as hell. The glass starts to rattle on high winds and you feel unsafe up there. You can' BBQ on them either and it's only warm 3-4 months out of the year. What I like are the juliette balconies where you get the balcony feel from the comfort of your own living room. Something like this:

Would make for a sleek looking tower and cut down on construction time.

 

[Redux]

Balconies are a fire-block that makes the rest of the floors 1000 percent safer from fire, smoke and even water damage when another a unit catches fire. This has been proven scientifically.

-They are also a downdraft minimizer at street level to mitigate swirling winds.

-They allow you to step outside and get away from the crap your partner is yelling at you.

-Great stargazing and birdwatching plus overall urban viewing.

An apartment without a balcony is a Hotel room, or worse, a penitentiary... fun for a couple of days but you just have to get outside from time to time and breathe un-conditioned air. Also, despite the idea that downtown is polluted... the fact that prevailing winds blow in off the lake, allow for generally fresh clean air downtown. The suburbs are without exception, hotter in the summer and more polluted and colder in the winter.

I love having a balcony downtown. Keeps you in touch with the urban feel of the city.

 

[Benito]

I live on the 42nd floor and during the summer we were on our balcony almost daily. I wouldn't purchase a place without a balcony. In fact, although it is windier up that high, our balcony is partly set back so the wind doesn't bother us.

 

[Ayan]

I rarely use balconies but I think most people want them. Otherwise, developers would have gotten rid of balconies in order to maximize indoor space (I presume they do some kind of market research).

 

[victord66]

Balconies are a fire-block that makes the rest of the floors 1000 percent safer from fire, smoke and even water damage when another a unit catches fire. This has been proven scientifically.

-They are also a downdraft minimizer at street level to mitigate swirling winds.

-They allow you to step outside and get away from the crap your partner is yelling at you.

-Great stargazing and birdwatching plus overall urban viewing.

An apartment without a balcony is a Hotel room, or worse, a penitentiary... fun for a couple of days but you just have to get outside from time to time and breathe un-conditioned air. Also, despite the idea that downtown is polluted... the fact that prevailing winds blow in off the lake, allow for generally fresh clean air downtown. The suburbs are without exception, hotter in the summer and more polluted and colder in the winter.

I love having a balcony downtown. Keeps you in touch with the urban feel of the city.

You've got to be kidding - Minimize swirling winds??? I live at Bloor/Yonge and since this tower is going up, that intersection is becoming a wind tunnel and will almost be as bad as Bay and King when the tower at Bloor west is up. Get away from your crap partner? Need to change partners. Great stargazing ???? The ambient light from the city obscures all celestial bodies except perhaps the moon. Fresh clean air? If you have white patio furniture on your downtown balcony, it will be covered with soot within a day or two. Just get up in the morning and run your finger over any of it and I guarantee it will come away black.

On which planet do you live?