bowen said:
Article up from the Star on today’s ribbon-cutting. Opening Monday.

www.thestar.com

Province unveils $956-million downtown Toronto courthouse

The new court building will eventually take on all criminal matters from six existing courthouses scattered across the city — a move critics say raises access-to-justice concerns for people living outside the city centre.
www.thestar.com www.thestar.com
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Speaking to reporters on Tuesday in the building’s atrium, Downey batted away criticism that the courthouse has already become too small before it even starts hearing cases. The association representing Crown attorneys has said the government has had to find office space for prosecutors in the surrounding area because there isn’t enough room in the new building for all of them.
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😅
 
kotsy said:
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday in the building’s atrium, Downey batted away criticism that the courthouse has already become too small before it even starts hearing cases. The association representing Crown attorneys has said the government has had to find office space for prosecutors in the surrounding area because there isn’t enough room in the new building for all of them.

😅
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Not that it is likely to happen - if ever - but the top two floors are built with steel and it might be possible to extend the building a floor or two?

AoD
 
Apologies for the deluge, but it is just so damn nice to stroll around in a really nicely detailed Toronto building.

Think this is going to have to be a three-parter: 1) Ground floor and atrium space; 2) Upper levels; 3) Details and miscellaneous.

First up, ground floor and atrium.

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New Apple Store looks great ;)

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The attention to detail is amazing (and throw in some decent materials like wood and coloured glass and metal, and it is amazing that all this was accomplished for a public building). This demonstrates that modern does not have to equal bland.

(ADRM, thank you very much for the photos. appreciated)
 
I'll concur with @AlvinofDiaspar that the streetscape under delivers. I will remain somewhat hopeful that when every last planting is in the ground it will look a bit better.

The pedestrian-scale lighting is ultra-plain and lacking in colour. I'm betwixt and between on going with a modern look here, though the building certainly could call for it, but we already have 2 other different styles of lighting within 1 block, this makes 3 and it is not an improvement.

I think it also would have been nice to have something other than plain concrete for the sidewalks.

There are other things I would also have done different, but that's as much personal taste as quality; to me there's just no getting around the sidewalk/surface treatment being under-whelming and the lighting being almost offensively dull.

****

@ADRM 's absolutely awesome photo montage does, however, leave me very pleased with the building interior, which frankly, I like more than the exterior form. I think the incorporation of 'warmth' is very obvious and most welcome.
 
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Northern Light said:
I'll concur with @AlvinofDiaspar that the streetscape under delivers. I will remain somewhat hopeful that when every last planting is in the ground it will look a bit better.

The pedestrian-scale lighting is ultra-plain and lacking in colour. I'm betwixt and between on going with a modern look here, though the building certainly could call for it, but we already have 2 other different styles of lighting within 1 block, this makes 3 and it is not an improvement.

I think it also would have been nice to something other than plain concrete for the sidewalks.

There are other things I would also have done different, but that's as much personal taste as quality; to me there's just no getting around the sidewalk/surface treatment being under-whelming and the lighting being almost offensively dull.

****

@ADRM absolutely awesome photo montage does, however, leave me very pleased with the building interior, which frankly, I like more than the exterior form. I think the incorporation of 'warmth' is very obvious and most welcome.
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A more or less contemporaneous North American counterpart would be SOM's LA Federal Courthouse - look at the amount of care to landscaping (probably under an even more stringent security requirement).

www.som.com

Los Angeles Federal Courthouse – SOM

www.som.com www.som.com
(see gallery photo 2, 4, 7, 8)

AoD
 
alklay said:
The attention to detail is amazing (and throw in some decent materials like wood and coloured glass and metal, and it is amazing that all this was accomplished for a public building). This demonstrates that modern does not have to equal bland.

(ADRM, thank you very much for the photos. appreciated)
Click to expand...

I would have loved to see a bit more wood used - and the details - while good - isn't as good as it can be (e.g. uneveness of the gaps between panels for the setup around the courtroom displays). The consistency and texture of the twin columns still felt a bit off as well.

One detail I personally loved is the wood trim around the windows.

AoD
 
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