It does look rather awkward. I love the tower, but the heritage building does not meet the podium well at all.
 
Tuscani01 said:
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Would it have been so difficult for the base of this building to take cues from the facade?

The four square pillars behind the facade could have been rounded to match the pillars of the original building.

In terms of materials, brick (white, to match the facade) could have been used elsewhere on the lower portion of the tower to make a better transition from what was to what is.

Now the facade just looks like the building equivalent of a halloween mask, disguising the building's new identity.
 
greenleaf said:
Now the facade just looks like the building equivalent of a halloween mask, disguising the building's new identity.
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According to Adam Vaughan and the people at Tribute, there is not much in the original building that is worth saving, all those pillars will be aparently turning to dust when touched. Hey....this is as good as it gets, beats out junk.
 
I think the podium looks ridiculous. This one is really deserving of just getting moved somewhere else entirely.
 
This is certainly not facadism at its best. One of the (many) problems is the fact that the facade is sunken in too much. If it was pushed out from the base, instead of being pushed in, it could hold its own a little better. Being nothing more than a thin 'mask' with a larger building overhanging it, the facade is doomed, no matter how many original elements are used.
 
That picture reminds me of March of the Penquins. The tower carefully holding it's little house in a pouch on it's feet.
 
...except that what penguins hold on their feet comes naturally, whereas this architectural marriage is without doubt unholy.

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It's a tragicomedy ... "Ouch" is right! Once again no one is minding the fort, so to speak (sorry). Hapless City Hall: where is that design review board we were promised?

Don't feel too badly, Toronto. Prior weekend I was in New York City and while the place is, overall, brilliant, there are scads of "Ouches" in Manhattan.

I don't know how this happens ...can someone please come up with a theory?
 
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I dont think that the entrance on that facade is for the condo, seems like people will enter the building through the south side, the front will be the entrance to the military museum only.
 
Automation Gallery said:
I dont think that the entrance on that facade is for the condo, seems like people will enter the building through the south side, the front will be the entrance to the military museum only.
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Its the same entrance for both residences and the RCMI. Both will be using the historic facade.
 
Solaris said:
apparently ... Zeidler Partnership Architects :D
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This ain't Zeidler's fault. Tribute is likely getting a density bonus by saving the RCMI's facade, so Zeidler is stuck having to leave it there. I think they've done a good job up above, and thankfully are not trying to clone that facade in a way that would look very goofy on a modernist structure.

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I'd wrap a glass box around the entire old building--like they did to the old Varsity house on St George or the Cambridge (Ontario) library--and give the developers another 15 floors for the effort. Oh, and fire Zeidler--they suck.
 
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