Roark8 said:
Flippant remarks ?
Oversimplified descriptions - perhaps you are looking at all the recent examples of the work being done by these firms. Unless you are Christopher Hume, who describes Peter Clewes as the preminent Condo architect in Toronto.

There are good examples in this City of work done, that is different - Quadrangle have a building going up on Lakeshore, a twist of Gothic with stepped balconies facing the city.
However, providing a glass box and tarting it up with spandrel panel patterns is really not quality architecture.

In my view - there is no style in Bloor West Village. Its an idea of living there - just like the Beach. There is nothing any developer could do, or any architect to find a precedent to latch onto. So you can go safe, and do a glass box - even something as boring as Home on Bloor Street [which does NOTHING to address Bloor street at that intersection as it has turned its back on it].
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Well there is much truth to the claim that Clews is the preeminent condo architect in Toronto, backed up by the outstanding projects which architectsAlliance produces. Citing Quadrangle's West Harbor City complex simply affirms your aversion to modern design. Moreover your claim that because aA does not affix frilly, neo-historicist 'pippypoos' to their buildings, their work does not constitute 'architecture' is rather uninformed. This armchair critic position is best summarized in the statement: "There is nothing any developer could do, or any architect to find a precedent to latch onto." - why must architects find 'precedents' which they must 'latch onto' to produce quality work? Contextualism is about more than churning out falsified Tudor/Victorian/FLW designs in a neighborhood which is already rife with them. This notion seems analogous to the idea that we might only find comfort in the architecture of generations past rather than adopting a style which reflects the epoch within which we live. Because the former seems more attractive to you, I'm sure there's a really good neo-classical template which Kirkor or some firm of equally quotidian talent might 'design' for you.
 
urbandreamer said:
Home has a terrible street presence, I agree. I hate how the developer--Context--cheaped out with the ugly coloured brick, the blank walls facing Bloor (due to elevator shaft placement), etc. Of course, Home was an early aA design...probably conceptualized c.2000. Nine years is a long time to do something different.
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But it is redeemed by its *urban* presence--maybe the terracing to the rear, but I'm thinking more particularly of the streetfront retail, Starbucks and all...
 
Tirade written while riding hobbyhorse. Deleted because the world is a better place without it... :)
-AmJ
 
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Mirrored buildings and concrete

I was tickled today to discover that FLW admired the work of Clough Williams-Ellis who is best known in the UK for building PortMeirion village on the west coast of Wales. It is a delightful hodge-podge of building styles, including a number of rescued buildings. Perhaps the 2500 Bloor site could fit in with the pastiche buildings surrounding it by (like PortMeirion) including a different style on different levels :D

So, after the previous conversation I have been reconsidering the buildings I have passed hundreds (or at least 10's) of times.
voxpopulicosmicum - The mirrored building at Bloor & Jane is still a heavy dark building on a grey day, but I see your point when it is reflecting a beautiful bright blue sky. We just need to organise constant summer days over this intersection :)
Adma - I still can't like the concrete medical building opposite it though, but I have decided that I am a concrete philistine. I worked in Louis Kahn's The Salk Institute for 3 years and never learned to like it so I am probably beyond hope :D

AmJ
 
Rescheduled city-run community meeting re 2500 Bloor

The required city-sponsored public meeting about this development is scheduled for next Monday night - 5th Oct. @ 7pm in St. Pius X. This replaces the 25th June meeting that was canceled due to industrial action by city-workers.

The design charette meetings are scheduled for Oct. 21st and 28th @ 6pm at The Old Mill.
 
AnnetteMeetsJane said:
The required city-sponsored public meeting about this development is scheduled for next Monday night - 5th Oct. @ 7pm in St. Pius X. This replaces the 25th June meeting that was canceled due to industrial action by city-workers.

The design charette meetings are scheduled for Oct. 21st and 28th @ 6pm at The Old Mill.
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Any other UTers planning to attend tonight's public meeting?
 
I would really, really like to go, but I have to teach tonight... Bummer! Can you let me know what happens?

I suspect that there will be a lot of shouting about height again. (The BWVRA apparently hired a consultant to lend some weight) Really though, it is a scale issue rather than focusing on the 16 storeys thing although I think that it is pretty telling that there is nothing built (or even planned with the exception of Giraffe) west of Spadina that is 16 storeys (source: http://www.urbandb.com/canada/ontario/toronto/bloorstreetwest.html). Tridel wants to slap TWO big buildings there, and the Humber Odean site will follow. *eek* There is densifaction and densification...

The Avenue @ High Park seems a decent model of what might work- it has better direct access to the avenue stree i.e. Bloor, and because it is less surrounded by the 1920's version of urban sprawl it is less disruptive, and they are only looking for 108 units (in 12s).
 
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I'll post my impressions. It would be interesting to know what portion of objectors could be mollified by a true "mid-rise" plan. I fear there will be many people for whom anything above 3 storeys will be too much, but I hope to be pleasantly surprised.

Now, where did I put that torch and pitchfork set....
 
voxpopulicosmicum said:
I'll post my impressions. It would be interesting to know what portion of objectors could be mollified by a true "mid-rise" plan. I fear there will be many people for whom anything above 3 storeys will be too much, but I hope to be pleasantly surprised.

Now, where did I put that torch and pitchfork set....
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:D And you will be ready for Halloween in a few weeks too!

I think that the locals are happy to see it developed, and that something about the same size as the buildings across the street would be fine. (The buildings across the street are ugly though - see if you can talk Tridel into something pleasant to look at... Thanks muchly! :D )
 
AnnetteMeetsJane said:
:I think that the locals are happy to see it developed, and that something about the same size as the buildings across the street would be fine.
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The group that formed recently, originally calling themselves "Fight the Height", but now more formally the Old Mill Community Association has been busy organizing, primarily in the neighbourhood immediately north of the site. They've stated that they understand and support development there, but are opposed to the proposed heights. What would be acceptable to most in the area I don't know yet.

The first public meeting (the one organized by Saundercook) was pretty loud and strident. I don't think I can take another one, so will take a pass on tonight.

Hopefully the woman and the two young kids who live on the other side of the Humber won't be there again. Their histrionics went way over the top.

Meanwhile, it looks like more properties on the Odeon Humber block are being leased out for somewhat longer terms (5 years, I've heard), so it doesn't look like any block-wide activity will be happening immediately.
 
Height aside, is no one pushing for a change of architect (a real one this time), or, at least, a significant change in design?

I'd be much more willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with these residents if they were also demanding some aesthetic alterations.
 
Yup!

Towered said:
The car dealership has vacated the land.
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The dealership moved out under the cover of darkness on Thurs.night/friday morning (not sure if it was last week or the week before) and the kids were in skateboarding on the concrete slopes by first thing Sat. morning. :D I'm sure that they are hoping that the whole project gets bogged down in OMB forever. No such thing as a vacuum in urban living spaces ;)
 
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