TORONTO | Forma East | 263 M | 72 FLOORS
 

This is not neccessarily a supertall right now, but with these many floors it is likely. Designed by Frank Gehry, These 3 Ionic condos will sit on top of a podium that will contain 2 art galleries and retail. Most Likely Toronto's 3 new tallest buildings.

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/...tional/gm1.jpg


http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/...tional/gm3.jpg


http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/...tional/gm4.jpg


http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/...onal/gm3-1.jpg

http://i.thestar.com/images/25/99/8f...02a5482be0.jpg

a couple of articles about it:

David Mirvish and Frank Gehry to transform King St. strip into culture and condo complex

Frank Gehry to remake David Mirvish’s King Street in Toronto

Huh. I'd have thought that Toronto proposals would taper off after 1 York got scaled back.

Wasn't someone saying that the Toronto market was peaking? Or were they full of it?

Never saw this coming.

The market does appear to be slowing down, but it's still higher than in most North American cities. That being said, I would be surprised if these get built as high as they look in the proposal. Nevertheless, I would love them to be built, potentially a supertall.

There has been a slowdown in the condo market, about 30% - however by the time shovels are in the ground for these three towers it'll be years, at which time the market could get stronger.

I think there is still a huge demand for premium areas and King Street (Entertainment District) is where people want to be.

I do think these towers will be scaled down, as seems to be customary in Toronto. However the councillor, Adam Vaughn, has been working with the project team for over a year, so who knows.

I wonder if this was the big project Leftcoaster was hinting at a few weeks ago?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle4577221/

Need to update some info. The three towers are proposed to be 80 stories each. So it will be probably the tallest buildings in Canada but I'm not too sure about supertall size (maybe if floor size is big enough)? Also, he hasn't approached for zoning but has talked to Councillors.

The problem I have with this proposal is that Gehry won't be making many friends by demolishing several antique buildings in the theatre district. However, I'm sure that people would want these towers to be built simply based on how revolutionary these buildings may be. The renderings aren't too exciting but this will definitely some world class architecture and better than the boxes we've seen popping in and out of toronto. Even if the towers aren't supertalls, they are sure to be an example to all other developers. It will show that Toronto isn't just a place to build a quick cheap condo to make a quick buck.

These buildings are on par with the huge (supertall) towers being built in New York, and thats something you can't say about any building in Toronto.

Furthermore, give these guys a chance...they're not just building condos...they are art galleries, its something that comes from his heart, it is Gehry's signature to Toronto.

Though I say all this, in the end I believe this project won't go through... unless its transformed to a hideous, typical condo.

Council won't allow it, and pretentious Torontonians won't allow it.

Vaughan is militantly anti-skyscraper, so I must say I doubt your information.

Vaughan is hardly anti-skyscraper. He's a community builder that expects more from developments than just height.

It's his heritage. His father worked for Page and Steele.

Awesome project for Toronto.

Perhaps. My impression is empirical. I have nothing against him, and like his politics generally, but everytime I have heard him speak about condos he has inveighed against height. I have a hard time buying that he would support three absolutuly mammoth towers.

I doubt he would support three mammoth towers without making absolutely certain the community benefits from them and that the existing infrastructure won't be overwhelmed by the benchmark they will set on the neighourhood. I'm sure the architecture will impress him but he will also consider that this is taking out one and a half prime King West blocks including a theatre.

There's a good reason planning departments support cone shaped skylines. It as simply put as maximizing density with minimal stress on infrastructure.

Well, we'll see. I hope he sees enough of a benefit to hold his nose and swallow on the towers. Interesting.

Just saw something really interesting on CityNews Headlines as I was watching Breakfast Television. It said that the project was in the "works" but also said "the Princess of Wales will be demolished".

This almost makes it seem as if the project was approved and they're certainly going to tear down the theatre :o (which I know can't possibly be the case).

Unless CityNews is just trolling, this is some exciting news! Until then we'll just have to wait for the press conference :)

what time is the press conference?

video is up on the website

http://projectcore.com/

Screenshot from the video:

http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Meteo...rojectcore.jpg

Tough to tell, but IMO they look to be about the same height as First Canadian Place.

Never going to happen.

This is as much of a pipe dream as Gehry's Atlantic Yards proposal. Toronto's overheated condo market is going to fizzle out any time now.

By the time this project goes through with all the necessary approvals and permits it will be dead in the water.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gPSEF5xjrM...-o-gehry-5.jpg

I'll tell Mirvish and Gehry to call if off then.

Aawww. You mean, you hope :)

Never deny a Vancouverite the opportunity to make a poo poo face about something going on in Toronto. Toronto could collectively cure cancer and Vancouver would whinge about it.

These buildings would likely block my view of the CN Tower's main observation deck.

These buildings would likely be A LOT cooler to look at than the CN Tower's main observation deck. ;)

:haha:

This is getting so awesome!

http://www.blogto.com/upload/2012/10...velopment2.jpg

http://www.blogto.com/upload/2012/10...velopment9.jpg

I have a strong feeling that Mr. Gehry is starting to push his luck with skyscraper aesthetics. The only reason he pulled off what he did in Downtown NYC is that he was constrained by the locals to tone down what he originally had in mind.
It surely seems to me with this design that the Big Apple's Torontonian counterparts are quite willing breathe a good deal less heavily down his proverbial neck.
For these reasons I fear that the optimism that could be on display here will be soon regretted. Gehry run amok is not a good thing, I'm afraid. What I perceive to be the aggresively deconstructuralist tendencies of architects like him and Rem Koolhaas IMO warrant *very* close observation, *especially* with structures in this height range.
2¢

No need. The laws of supply and demand will do that for you.

No that is a different project, which will still be announced some time in the next few months.

I had heard about this project but didn't bother talking about it as I don't have much info on it and I don't think it will go ahead as planned. It's a bit too big and too grand too late in this cycle. It will either go ahead much shorter and cost engineered or it will go ahead more true to its current design near the end of the decade.

This project has yet to submit a development application. It will face harsh views from both planners, council and, months of community consultation. That doesn't even address the value engineering from any developer that signs on (if Mirvish can even find a partner or, the more likely scenario, someone willing to take it over). Gehry will likely follow in the same footsteps as so many before him when everything is said and done; run to the airport vowing never to step foot in the city again. It's fun to dream though.

Would these be the same laws that had Toronto's condo market grinding to a halt three years ago, I mean two years ago, I mean last year ?

No, that would be speculation.

Well then, I suppose Mirvish and Gehry have a right to engage in that too.

Actually it's the project I mentioned a couple months ago in the Toronto Supertall rumour thread

The towers are too "cool" and "funky" for my liking. Then again, these are only preliminary renderings.

I would have preferred somthing along the lines of Beekman Place in NYC; a cutting edge curtainwall system with traditional setbacks.

^I agree with you, but I don't find them awful. I could live with them.

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1670909/...remake-toronto

Frank Gehry, Eyeing His Legacy, Aims To Remake Toronto
Gehry, who grew up in Toronto, and art magnate David Mirvish plan a massive, mixed-use complex, intended to serve as both mens’ legacy.



http://www.fastcodesign.com/multisit...-southeast.jpg



http://www.fastcodesign.com/multisit...-the-south.jpg



http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle4581272/

http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.c...owers01nw1.JPG

Urban Toronto coverage of the press conference.

http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2012/10/...pment-unveiled

http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2012/10/...volving-design

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com...pload_id=20913

http://static.worldarchitecturenews....3_1_gehry1.jpg



http://static.worldarchitecturenews....3_2_gehry2.jpg

Looks like it'll be a pain in the @$$ to draw.

Yes, these towers are coming late in the cycle, but they look great!

Only 1 of the 3 towers looks difficult to draw, the middle one I'd classify as medium, and the boxy one should be easy.

So I'm hearing tower 1 - 272M - 82 floors, tower 2 - 284M - 86 floors, tower 3 - 278M - 84 floors.

Any truth to this?

The market has cooled off, but hasn't crashed. By the time the project goes through, we could be in yet another boom. People will always buy into areas that are hot and that is just what the Entertainment District is. This doesn't mean the project has to sellout in a week. You're making assumptions - baseless assumptions at that. This project will go through and will sell - don't be jealous.

Agreed... plenty of people have been saying the market will crash, for several years now... and they have all been proven wrong.

Even at the beginning of the condo boom, we could have sold out this building 5 times over 10,000 units plus. And even if our sales come down by a predicted 25% we're sell selling over 22,000 units per year. That would fill this building 10 times over if the sales were in just one year.

If you average the sales out over 3 years, the market can easily absorb these new units, even though trending down. Just the sales cycle should be calculated out a little longer.

The biggest and most audacious buildings always seem to get proposed right at the end of a building cycle. It does look eerily like that, but who knows. Like Caltrane said, demand may be going down but there's still lots of demand.

The sad part may be that these towers won't be even supertalls...but then again that is the least of the worries for this project I suppose. Nothing to do now but just wait and see...

I have noticed the `cooling off market`as reflected in the fewer posts of new projects proposed for TO.

Not too sure what to make of this mixed bag. As is, it looks a bit odd. Seems much more a statement than a legacy, as they are saying.

Time will tell.

Soon Toronto will be back with building office towers, oh well.

You make that seem like a bad thing... Toronto has way too many condo towers anyway and it would be nice to see some dominating office towers rule the skylines (like you see in most major cities). I like office towers because even though most aren't architecturally appealing, their sheer size usually is impressive in itself (like FCP and SP). But then again, they have the beauty of the 90's buildings, where size is good enough. Hopefully, more recent ones will be better.

Agreed. Telus and PWC are nice new additions to the office towers in Toronto. I would have preferred them to have had another 20 or so floors, but I agree, generally office towers really add to the skyline.