Beautiful. Scott Morris Architects should really take note from this on how to incorporate old Victorians at 8-20 Widmer. I know the circumstances are bit different but having the main entrance behind the old facades doesn't have to make it any less grand.
 
I must be going crazy as this is possibly the worst incorporated heritage building out there and the tower is even setback from it! The tower is fine and as a bonus offers something a little different. The podium is a convoluted mess.
 
To echo someone's earlier comment, I absolutely adore the treatment of the at-grade experience along Yorkville. So many buildings in the city (and every city) just kill the street-level experience with an opaque and abrupt glass wall, but this is really genuinely inviting. Kudos to the architects.

It'll also play very nicely with the new Yorkville Village entrance finishing up right now beside the future site.
 
maestro said:
I must be going crazy as this is possibly the worst incorporated heritage building out there and the tower is even setback from it!
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Have to disagree. I think the clean and elevated line of the tabletop motif allows the heritage structure to maintain a lot of its dignity.
 
bilked said:
Have to disagree. I think the clean and elevated line of the tabletop motif allows the heritage structure to maintain a lot of its dignity.
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+1
Treatment of the heritage bldg. is a strong point of this design imho.
However trees on all individual balconies are just a render gimmick.
I don't see them surviving/maintained in this setting
 
cogito ergo said:
+1
Treatment of the heritage bldg. is a strong point of this design imho.
However trees on all individual balconies are just a render gimmick.
I don't see them surviving/maintained in this setting
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Yeah, you really have to consider the design as it would appear without any greenery. It'd be great if there was some recourse for developers that consistently deliver products that are significantly different from the renders—not that trees vs. no trees would be the defining factor, but just in general.
 
As the greenery is so integral to the design here, I would suspect the the Design Review Panel will grill them on that specifically. There are three landscape architects on the panel, and one sustainability expert on it, (along with a heritage expert, engineering expert, two urban design experts, and six architects), so the landscape plan will not go forward unchallenged. If the greenery is to go in, the planters and siting will have to be technologically sound; essentially they've got to design a little micro-climate for each planter. I wonder if partial-height glass wind-breaks will be required, for example.

42
 
interchange42 said:
As the greenery is so integral to the design here, I would suspect the the Design Review Panel will grill them on that specifically. There are three landscape architects on the panel, and one sustainability expert on it, (along with a heritage expert, engineering expert, two urban design experts, and six architects), so the landscape plan will not go forward unchallenged. If the greenery is to go in, the planters and siting will have to be technologically sound; essentially they've got to design a little micro-climate for each planter. I wonder if partial-height glass wind-breaks will be required, for example.

42
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Super interesting—hadn't appreciated the composition of the panel. Living in the neighbourhood, I think I'm smarting from the Museum House greenery ruse.
 
wow, it is refreshing, and I don't think I have seen anything like this anywhere in the world. I actually love how the heritage building is incorporated, along with a modern one on the other side, the contrast, the airiness, not to mentions trees on the second floor! The entrance is extremely inviting and seems begging for people's attention and curiosity. Bravo!

I think other projects should learn from its treatment of the podium entrance and realise that spaces broken into smaller elements with several doors and windows work far better than a giant piece of glass, even though 100% transparent, with the typical revolving doors. They end up being cold and uninviting, not to mention less interesting to see because people associate them with just one of those towers.
 
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ksun said:
wow, it is refreshing, and I don't think I have seen anything like this anywhere in the world. I actually love how the heritage building is incorporated, along with a modern one on the other side, the contrast, the airiness, not to mentions trees on the second floor! The entrance is extremely inviting and seems begging for people's attention and curiosity. Bravo!

I think other projects should learn from its treatment of the podium entrance and realise that spaces broken into smaller elements with several doors and windows work far better than a giant piece of glass, even though 100% transparent, with the typical revolving doors. They end up being cold and uninviting, not to mention less interesting to see because people associate them with just one of those towers.
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Agreed, wholeheartedly, especially with regard to how the podium animates at-grade; it's such a welcome departure from so many of the developments we see. Between this space-to-be (if approved and built as is currently proposed) and the new Yorkville Village entrance next door, we'll have a really nice pedestrian experience at the western entrance to Yorkville.

If you take a look back at the original proposal for the site, both the at-grade and tower designs are orders of magnitude better as currently proposed—nice to see that dynamic work in that way, for once.
 
A wonderful and tasteful building. I've said it before, demolishing York Square to me was almost criminal. I also took great offense at the less than 'vocal' - tepid - response from the city in demolishing such a structure. This is why I never understood KWT's concerns around Stollery, etc or took them seriously.

However, this will do. Will do nicely. I just hope the pedestrian experience will be further enhanced instead of dumbed down by building over such finely tuned urbanity. Are the site plans up?
 
The greenery looks nice in the render, but I wonder how successful it will be in Toronto's climate.
 
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