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



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.
😅
 
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.

😅

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.

EB6318D4-061C-40AB-9378-84E10FB26656.jpeg
086486F9-987A-4956-8D8C-EF9B792694C0.jpeg
F50AB4FA-CA7B-402C-BAA5-AE1EB86AB759.jpeg
B9A8C755-DF06-4DD9-8A5F-C7E1EA294E02.jpeg
C2EBF187-9341-4BFB-94B2-61E4992BEC4E.jpeg
A22049C0-3A00-4155-9E3F-7FDFE8ACA1B2.jpeg
8A02ED3B-EF9F-4511-A0F6-51AF56A85CD1.jpeg
34508739-5DFB-4AFA-B7C1-806D5DD53F1A.jpeg
834EC6E2-AC1E-42F1-BA1A-00FAE0E6EF46.jpeg
C616DD7F-D147-4D34-B3E4-C78511264759.jpeg
EEF75C0B-2A59-455A-AC0E-6E619264013A.jpeg
88D2FC1B-A913-4AAC-987F-7E9036034808.jpeg
6F0546E2-4294-49EF-B57E-1585B5E7A83F.jpeg

New Apple Store looks great ;)

1072FE9B-507E-45E6-A205-AB7E3BED198C.jpeg
 
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.
 
Last edited:
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.

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).

(see gallery photo 2, 4, 7, 8)

AoD
 
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 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
 
Last edited:

Back
Top