p5connex said:
Gotta love that signature Toronto "utilitarian-chic" planter and sidewalk - juxtaposed with that $100 million curtainwall tower.

COMING SOON "I see dead trees, lackluster and neglected planting."

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Image - courtesy of Benito
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Radical idea - slap some paint on the concrete planters... maybe a green hue as foil to the platinum tower, and a salute to the park behind.
 
innsertnamehere said:
they are planter boxes too which should protect the trees from salt buildup.
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One of the big benefits of substantially higher density is the amount of tax revenue the City can generate from the same land area. It should translate into a higher quality/more expensive public realm. It makes me wonder if we'll one day end up with heated roads and sidewalks in the central core like has been done in Oslo. They did a cost-benefit analysis and determined that the cost to install heated pavement would equal in 10-15 years the cost of salting, repair/replacement of damaged infrastructure, and lost productivity due to falls. It took years to complete but downtown Oslo is largely snow/ice free today.

If Oslo can do this surely a high dense area like downtown Toronto can do the same. Norway has cheap hydro-electric but we should end up with a higher tax base/sq m than them.
 
Today. Trees on the planters.

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The project would've turned out much better if all the balcony glass used was akin to that in @Benito's 3rd picture (frosted podium balcony glass)
 
I agree that the planters are protective but I had hoped a more natural-looking (graffiti-proof) material applied to them once completed. I had hoped for bigger trees but then the city makes promises on a tight budget that it shouldn’t.
The Wellesley St. guarded bike lanes are of concern now that disabled people cannot gain access to their entrances especially with new and existing condominiums. The only partial out of the way loading zone is very dangerous when disembarking a vehicle from ongoing traffic. It is a mistake that needs to be corrected since it was created before any new building construction. This zone is often occupied for commercial deliveries too I might add.
Are there any forums that any are willing to suggest planning alternatives for this?
 
ptbotrmpfn said:
To be fair the renders have always depicted lighting on the top
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You know, I thought it was the result of Shop filters to make the whole building standout glow from the rest of the pack for marketing purposes. So I never took that as an actual feature. >.<
 
innsertnamehere said:
they are planter boxes too which should protect the trees from salt buildup.
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100% correct. The additional buffer provided by the bike lane (much less spray than a car travel lane, further helps).

WislaHD said:
I'd like to see a cross-section of these planters. It would be lame if they were just concrete boxes, and didn't have subterranean silva cells or something to support larger tree growth.
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I would certainly hope so, of course, the City with its re-do of the Application Information portal has deleted all the supporting documents such as the landscape plan that would contain that.

I could certainly hope that the sidewalks are floated over Silva Cells or other similar tech allowing for long-term root growth.

Superficially though, this looks like very good soil volume and proper tree placement. (they aren't right at the ends of the planters, allowing more balanced root growth. )
 
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