I wonder if they are scheming to turn all or part of Devonshire into a woonerf, or to reconfigure it in such a way that it could be closed for certain events.
 
Parkdalian said:
Why wouldn't they get rid of the tennis courts and put them in the facility?
Click to expand...

Those are Trinity College's tennis courts.

Going from north to south, the 5 sites between Bloor and St. Hilda's residence are:
1 - the Admissions & Awards/observatory/new Global Affairs School building (not available)
2 - an empty lot used for years as basically a construction yard (possibly available, but might be used by an expanded Global Affairs building, so possibly partially available)
3 - a parking lot behind Woodsworth (available, but if memory serves me correctly was slated for a possible student centre...that may no longer be a serious project at this point given what's proposed in the Goldring Centre)
4 - the Margaret Fletcher daycare (available?)
5 - Trinity's tennis courts (not available and ProjectEnd said north of the tennis courts, so no deal will be worked out to build rooftop tennis courts or whatever)

Based on the renderings, it seems as if the Goldring Centre needs to include 2, 3, and 4, but without a site plan it's just speculation.
 
Put the daycare inside the Goldring Centre and, presto, you got site 4. Should be simple enough.
 
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1. No woonerf, sorry.

2. The daycare is history. The north end of the building will align with the walkway between KPMB's Woodsworth building and aA's Woodsworth residence and connect it with Devonshire. The south end will stop just shy of the tennis courts.
 
interchange42 said:
...and that's essentially the question that the render above raises: it certainly looks like it in that image.

Based on just that image however, I would not put any stock into a pedestrianization of Devonshire. Images like this are created all the time to stress certain points the developer wants to make - in this case the intimate connection of Varsity Stadium to this new centre - while ignoring certain realities that would dilute the message - like the street that happens to run between the two.

42
Click to expand...

You're right there but another way to look at it is the architect/developer showing potential for the site/project....if the city/client decide not to realize on that potential then it is their call.

Would be very cool if they could, say, close Devonshire on UofT football game days or track and field events.

Makes you wonder, however, what the total capacity of Varsity would be if you included space on Devonshire and those indoor viewing areas depicted and if that total capacity rendered the pan am stadium in Hamilton (excluding politicial considerations) redundant.
 
ProjectEnd said:
I thought there was a thread for this already but I can't seem to find it. In any case, the winners of the winners of the U of T Goldring Centre for High Performance Athletics are Toronto's own MJMA in conjunction with Patkau Architects of Vancouver. Blackwell Bowick Partnership Limited are handling the structural design. It's a very exciting project with a complex program: an NCAA basketball arena sits below grade with an athletics facility, gym and classroom space piled on top.

From the MJMA Website:
goldring_04.jpg
Click to expand...

It looks fabulous, but there goes any opportunity to build a west grand stand in the future. Do they really think that Varsity football will be fine with 5,100 seats forever? After decades of decline, college football is growing significantly in most parts of the country. I doubt Toronto will remain an island unto itself as far as that is concerned.

A side note, it's not an NCAA basketball arena. Toronto isn't in the United States. U of T plays in the CIS. It's a CIS basketball arena.
 
isaidso said:
It looks fabulous, but there goes any opportunity to build a west grand stand in the future. Do they really think that Varsity football will be fine with 5,100 seats forever? After decades of decline, college football is growing significantly in most parts of the country. I doubt Toronto will remain an island unto itself as far as that is concerned.
Click to expand...

There's a road between Varsity stadium and the Goldring Centre that is apparently not closing...there's no room for a west grandstand The rendering is a bit deceiving since it excludes the road and the stadium fence and landscaping and cheats on the distance.
 
A side note, it's not an NCAA basketball arena. Toronto isn't in the United States. U of T plays in the CIS. It's a CIS basketball arena.
Click to expand...

That means the new basketball court is going to be constructed to NCAA standards in case UofT someday joins the NCAA, which isnt that extraordinary considering Simon Fraser has been probing the possibilities NCAA membership as well. Im sure that the NCAA has more stringent rules when it comes to spectator seating within the facility, room for television broadcast equipment, size of the locker rooms, etc... In any case it should be a fantastic basketball court.
 
CdnIvy said:
Well it looks like they intend to close off Devonshire after all. It's being tested out for a year....just in time when they break ground for this centre. And that could allow for stadium expansion in the future. But one thing at a time, the centre needs to be built first.

http://www.insidetoronto.com/news/c...--universities-turn-roads-over-to-pedestrians
Click to expand...

Yep, but it's closed only south of the parking lot at the south side of the stadium. If they were to close the entire stretch of Denvonshire, I'm not sure how cars would access the parking lot behind the stadium, or the Trinity residence front doors lol.
 
from yesterday's Daily Commercial News.....posted with the usual caveat....

SPORT RESEARCH BUILDING Proj: 9115989-4

Toronto, Metro Toronto Reg ON PREPARING PLANS
Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport, U of T St George Campus, Devonshire Place, South of Bloor St, M5S
$58,000,000 est

Note: This project is preliminary. Owner is undertaking fundraising. Concept planning is ongoing. The scope of work has not been finalized. Schedules for design, tender and construction are undetermined pending fundraising. Further update early Summer, 2011.

Project: proposed construction of a sports complex to house research and teaching labs, a strength and conditioning centre, a state-of-the-art sport medicine clinic and a 2000-seat basketball and volleyball field house. The project will provide a sport institute, including training facilities for coaches, sports medicine, and research and office space for researchers, graduate students, sport scientists, athletic therapists, to develop the latest techniques for taking Canada's top athletes to the next level. This project will be located across from the Varsity Centre, followed under report number 1100030.

Development: New
Category: Recreational bldgs; Educational bldgs
 
and here's the latest update from Daily Commercial News, posted with the usual warning, seems this one is slowly progressing..

SPORT RESEARCH BUILDING Proj: 9115989-6

Toronto, Metro Toronto Reg ON PREPARING PLANS
Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport, U of T St George Campus, Devonshire Place, South of Bloor St, M5S
$58,000,000 est
Start: January, 2012 Complete: January, 2014

Note: Preliminary working drawings are ongoing. Prequalification for design-build contractors closed May 5, 2011. Proposals are under review. The awarded group will be announced July 2011. The design team including consulting engineers and construction manager will be confirmed summer 2011. Sub trade tender schedules will be finalized upon award. Construction start is expected early 2012. Further update summer 2011.

Project: concrete foundation, cast-in-place concrete structural frame, structural steel frame, fuel fired heating system, proposed construction of a sports complex to house research and teaching labs, a strength and conditioning centre, a state-of-the-art sport medicine clinic and a 2000-seat basketball and volleyball field house. The project will provide a sport institute, including training facilities for coaches, sports medicine, and research and office space for researchers, graduate students, sport scientists, athletic therapists, to develop the latest techniques for taking Canada's top athletes to the next level. This project will be located across from the Varsity Centre, followed under report number 1100030.

Scope: 111,000 square feet; 3 storeys; 1 storey below grade
Development: New
Category: Recreational bldgs; Educational bldgs
 
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