typezed said:
How is it a cold, anonymous district when it's anchored by two major sports complexes, contains a convention centre, an aquarium and the city's most iconic structure, is tied to the main transportation hub, has a unique heritage park and is on many people's walk down to the water?
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Easy - materials, design and scale. Just because people uses it doesn't make it any less cold, anonymous and corporate bland. Sure it not a disaster by any stretch of the word, but it isn't a particularly warm, friendly space with character either.

AoD
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
Easy - materials, design and scale. Just because people uses it doesn't make it any less cold, anonymous and corporate bland. Sure it not a disaster by any stretch of the word, but it isn't a particularly warm, friendly space with character either.

AoD
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Going east from Simcoe/Bremner I would agree with you, but the corner of Simcoe/Bremner going west is a much more inviting and friendly area, especially with the entertainment venues, Roundhouse Park and the redesigning of the plaza at the base of the CN Tower. This hotel provides a good "entrance" to the Southcore area, despite the sterile office buildings that follow it.
 
Red October said:
Going east from Simcoe/Bremner I would agree with you, but the corner of Simcoe/Bremner going west is a much more inviting and friendly area, especially with the entertainment venues, Roundhouse Park and the redesigning of the plaza at the base of the CN Tower. This hotel provides a good "entrance" to the Southcore area, despite the sterile office buildings that follow it.
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The area west of Simcoe/Bremner has more of a mix in terms of architecture/materials, but suffers from the relative lack of enclosure (none of the buildings really meet the street, and what does meet the street are at best utilitarian) and poor landscaping. You are right that the hotel provides a good "beacon" to the rest of Southcore, but the shortcomings of the entire district is unfortunate.

Some colour would be nice - Corten, bricks (red, cream), light coloured stone, etc.

AoD
 
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AlvinofDiaspar said:
The area west of Simcoe/Bremner has more of a mix in terms of architecture/materials, but suffers from the relative lack of enclosure (none of the buildings really meet the street, and what does meet the street are at best utilitarian) and poor landscaping. You are right that the hotel provides a good "beacon" to the rest of Southcore, but the shortcomings of the entire district is unfortunate.

AoD
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Can't say I disagree. It's an area that had (and still does have) tons of potential but hasn't been treated very great by many of its buildings. Doesn't help that the ugly elevated freeway (ugly from below at least) cuts it off right south of the park.
 
Red October said:
Can't say I disagree. It's an area that had (and still does have) tons of potential but hasn't been treated very great by many of its buildings. Doesn't help that the ugly elevated freeway (ugly from below at least) cuts it off right south of the park.
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Almost hate to say it, but a few good PoMo buildings (away from the ponderous Canadian/Toronto examples from the 80s - they'd do nothing but deaden) would have helped to break the monotony - think Michael Graves' Castalia.

AoD
 
I'd give anything for aA to add some brick and some colour to 16 York when it gets built. (Not that I believe it will happen.) 16 York's centrality within the South Core would go a long way to throwing some character blocks in every direction via all of the adjacent reflective glass.

42
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
Almost hate to say it, but a few good PoMo buildings (away from the ponderous Canadian/Toronto examples from the 80s - they'd do nothing but deaden) would have helped to break the monotony - think Michael Graves' Castalia.

AoD
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Portland is considering taking down the Services Building. Maybe we could buy it and move it here?
 
interchange42 said:
I'd give anything for aA to add some brick and some colour to 16 York when it gets built. (Not that I believe it will happen.) 16 York's centrality within the South Core would go a long way to throwing some character blocks in every direction via all of the adjacent reflective glass.

42
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Or go the other way and have Richard Rogers instead, with his use of bold colours for structural and functional elements. Anything but pure silver/grey/black/aqua please.

AndreaPalladio said:
Portland is considering taking down the Services Building. Maybe we could buy it and move it here?
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Not that, nor Humana please. If you are going to go down that route, try late 80s/early 90s Pelli instead.

AoD
 
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Even something with the same materials and colours but a more daring form would be a blessing. Imagine something like the Seattle Central Library at this corner.
 
Probably not fair comparing the site of the Delta - in what is largely an office district, with large designed-to-impressive scaled lobbies - to the cozy brick of Yorkville.
i.e. I don't think the at-grade presence of TD Centre is cozy either, neither is the outside of Brookfield Place fronting Wellington or Front.
It was a brownfield site - with plenty of open spaces - if they hadn't taken advantage of that openness, it would be like any other shoehorned site in downtown Toronto.
 
A little barren down there at the moment, but it's a nice clean streetscape for a change in Toronto.
 
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