[khris]

At this point I'll take anything in brick since we're slowly losing material variation and texture in the core, and have essentially none in Southcore. Keep the brick.

I love brick, but find this building so institutional for such an important location in the city. Soul sucking. I get that it's a data centre, but a side street would be more fitting.

 

[ushahid]

At this point I'll take anything in brick since we're slowly losing material variation and texture in the core, and have essentially none in Southcore. Keep the brick.

I don't think the design of this building will fit well with the brick podium.

 

[isaidso]

I don't think the design of this building will fit well with the brick podium.

I don't think anything would work well with that brick podium. It's depressing.

 

[EnviroTO]

^ I was thinking the same thing. An office tower without street frontage is not "Head Office" material and is likely better suited for data centres or secondary office requirements.

Union Center, part of Union Station, seems like a very head office location to me. Trains, the airport, the convention centre, the subway, the attractions all at your door step protected from the elements. What building could be more desirable?

 

[egotrippin]

I love brick, but find this building so institutional for such an important location in the city. Soul sucking. I get that it's a data centre, but a side street would be more fitting.

Oh I agree. But I find the loss of brick and proliferation unbroken all-glass facades to be just a bit more soul sucking. We need to move on, it's time to play with some different materials.

 

[EnviroTO]

I hope that they connect the parkette next to the Citibank building over the garage/service area to the elevated plaza in front of the UP Express. It is hard to see in the site plan if that is already accommodated.

 

[khris]

Oh I agree. But I find the loss of brick and proliferation unbroken all-glass facades to be just a bit more soul sucking. We need to move on, it's time to play with some different materials.

I agree with that as well. Too much of the same thing is boring. I LOVE brick, just not the building. It's faceless and dull. Glass or brick, it would still be faceless and dull. It's not the right place for this kind of building. The tower should front Front St. and the faceless boring building built behind.

 

[Kitsune]

... but that is not realistically possible with the huge internet hub that brick building houses. It has to stay. Also, right now they've removed all the windows for Front / Simcoe corner, and replaced it with more bricks, so hopefully those renderings are correct in showing a return of windows.

 

[Watts]

Perhaps a massive mural would make the building more appealing?

 

[Northern Magus]

They are proposing to replace the galleria roof of the skywalk, yes.

This is one of the earlier images associated with the plan, and I'm not sure the design still holds exactly, but the idea is that the skywalk needs to expand to accommodate the numbers of people who will be using it (especially if the UPX is popular). The new design widens it a bit and adds volume. It also cuts down on how much the skywalk will heat up when the sun is shining upon it; currently it's not shaded by other buildings.

If they offer to put some kind of green roof on it, it's difficult to see it being refused.

 

[interchange42]

The replacement was approved. There is no indication yet whether this would go forward independently of the tower though, so it could be a while before we see anything happen here other than next year's opening of the UPX terminal.

42

 

[khris]

... but that is not realistically possible with the huge internet hub that brick building houses. It has to stay. Also, right now they've removed all the windows for Front / Simcoe corner, and replaced it with more bricks, so hopefully those renderings are correct in showing a return of windows.

I know. I'm being hypothetical.

 

[stjames2queenwest]

Perhaps a massive mural would make the building more appealing?

After the phoenix mural up the side of 200 wellesley st. I cringe at that idea. I'm a huge fan of graffiti alley but on the side of a prominent building things can go wrong really fast. Mind you if they got good artists with the right materials, it could be nice.

 

[grey]

After the phoenix mural up the side of 200 wellesley st. I cringe at that idea. I'm a huge fan of graffiti alley but on the side of a prominent building things can go wrong really fast. Mind you if they got good artists with the right materials, it could be nice.

The phoenix mural is really cool and StreetARToronto is a great initiative for youth.

 

[stjames2queenwest]

It was a cool idea. But the upper portion especially was executed very poorly and appears unfinished, some other projects with that group have been great im sure. I thought the mural was exciting at first with the ground portion then the colder colours swirling up but the Phoenix is bad. Admittedly I am an OCAD alumni And may be a little picky but Typically I'm easy to please but it just looks unfinished.