You'll see that we have a front page story up on this now, with more details of the proposal than anyone has gotten into in the thread yet, and a database file established, linked at the top of the page.

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ProjectEnd said:
The heritage designated long room prevents this. You wouldn't get the efficiencies you need for a really tall tower without an awkward sky-lobby. And even then, it would be incredibly complicated mechanically.

I'm actually pretty impressed how this dances around all of the restrictions set on the site. It's not an easy one and this is an interesting solution. Maybe not perfect, but it shows a great deal of thought.
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I was at a presentation on this a couple of months ago and one thing that this two-tower proposal will allow (I think) is to open up again the long skylight that used to be on the west side of the Long Room. This is something Larco and Peter Clewes were very keen to see happen and it sounded like a very good way to bring more light into this area, which is surprisingly dark.
 
Yes, it will open up the skylight. Many of the hotel rooms would face onto the light well below it.

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Looks painfully awkward. While I love the idea of re-using the existing building, I wish I was reading Stern in place of aA.
 
wmedia said:
Looks painfully awkward.
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I think the design will work from a person’s sidewalk level perspective because of the size of the Dominion Building. Any project like this looks awkward from above but you have to consider the towers as a piece of urban furniture that is differentiated and set to the background - a discrete element that sits above the heritage building on a different visual plane.

As for towers by Stern here, they would be a false extension of heritage design language and instead of existing as a separate element above, they would loom heavy and negate/detract from the visual weight of the existing heritage building.
 
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Not surprised it's a rental. Given the location, the rents this will command should be quite lucrative.

While I'm definitely not sold on this development, I do like the shape of the towers, and they are less offensive in their relationship to the heritage building than I had feared.
 
If the City will actually entertain this proposal it's time to just throw one's hands up in the air. Is nothing sacred? They need to leave the Dominion Building alone and build behind it like is being done at the other end.

And 2 'short' buildings? Build 1 taller one at 350-400m. If we can't go tall here, where can we?
 
isaidso said:
If the City will actually entertain this proposal it's time to just throw one's hands up in the air. Is nothing sacred? They need to leave the Dominion Building alone and build behind it like is being done at the other end.

And 2 'short' buildings? Build 1 taller one at 350-400m. If we can't go tall here, where can we?
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Your second point is one I like to agree with being a tall building enthusiast!
I also think that Toronto will not get a building taller than 400m in my lifetime and I am only 33. From what I have gathered in watching proposals for the city, it just isn't part of the cities character and a lot of people in the city dislike the manhattenization of Toronto. As such this is only my opinion.
 
isaidso said:
If the City will actually entertain this proposal it's time to just throw one's hands up in the air. Is nothing sacred? They need to leave the Dominion Building alone and build behind it like is being done at the other end.

And 2 'short' buildings? Build 1 taller one at 350-400m. If we can't go tall here, where can we?
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The City is required to "entertain" every proposal that comes its way. Each proposal is considered against various rules and guidelines. Unless that happens, due process and the rule of law beak down, and it's anarchy out there! Seriously, every proposal has to be duly considered.

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Couple of things gleened from the plans:
- there really is a kink in the trapezoidal tower (thought it was a poor scan of a drawing)
- the south side of the triangular tower sits on a couple of stilts over the laneway
 
interchange42 said:
The City is required to "entertain" every proposal that comes its way. Each proposal is considered against various rules and guidelines. Unless that happens, due process and the rule of law beak down, and it's anarchy out there! Seriously, every proposal has to be duly considered.

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True. I just find it appalling that we have developers in this city who would contemplate a proposal like this. 'Barbarians at the gate' never rung so true.
 
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