Future Canadian Skylines
 

With all the economic doom and gloom this fall, I thought I would send a postcard to amuse my fellow skyscraper geeks.

I couldn't find the original "future skyline" thread started a year ago, so I'll start a new one that others can contribute to if they wish.


WHY THE NEW TORONTO WATERFRONT RENDER: last year I did a
future render of Toronto's waterfront skyline that was well-received, but
after looking at it recently, I realized it was little more than blobs of light "to
scale" ... so I decided to try again with an aim to create much more photo-realism
for each and every building that is joining the waterfront skyline.

The rather dramatic impact of Maple Leaf Square and ICE Condos from the
waterfront POV really fueled the desire to do this render (along with waaaay
too much spare time). I've included a couple of new proposals that will
likely be delayed by the economic situation, but they don't add much to the
render anyway. The lion's share of the projects included are well underway.


THE PROJECTS KEY: there's bound to be some mistakes but the
heights, locations and status are pretty accurate.


HIGH ANGLE PIC: I included this for forumers who don't know the city or what's hiding behind the waterfront skyline
they may already know (most photographed). This high angle render hints at the "big Toronto skyline"...
5 or 6 miles of built form running north from Lake Ontario
(mostly invisible BEHIND the waterfront skyline).


REALLY BIG WATERFRONT RENDER: there's a LINK below to a very large render if you want to critique individual buildings
(most additions were based on the actual elevations when available).

Feel free to spam as many forums and threads as you deem appropriate with the renders.

And let me know what you think. It was fun to do.

Cheers.

-
http://www.upside-down.ca/maldive/20-08MED.jpg

-
PROJECTS KEY:
http://www.upside-down.ca/maldive/20-08KEY.jpg

-
BEHIND THE WATERFRONT SKYLINE:
http://www.upside-down.ca/maldive/20-08HIGH.jpg

-
LINK TO LARGE RENDERING

:cheers:

Very nice, that makes Toronto look 10 times better from the water.

amazing work Maldive! the link to the large rendering isnt working tho...did u forget Pier27?

lets see some others!

That looks fantastic Maldive! Well done!

^ When will Toronto look like that? 2015?




Here's Montreal's skyline, roughly the same between 1992 and 2012

There will be a ~140 m tall office tower to the left of Tour de la Bourse (black tower in the middle), but from this angle it won't really change anything
...other than that, there will be some short towers visible on the left side, in front of the CBD
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e2...C/IMG_7413.jpg
(I took the photo on July 27, 2008)

Thats awsome Maldive! :)

Now its time to sneak a sample of Halifax into this thread:

http://www.pbase.com/halifaxphoto/im...4/original.jpg

Thanks to "Someone 123" for the picture.

There is one major waterfront development out of this picture. It would be at the base (grey area) and includes a 12 storey wavey glass building and a smaller 5 storey glass hotel. Its called Salter Street Block for anyone wanting more information.

As for the ones in the picture (three in all); two of them (green point on left and double tower on right) are still parking lots, and one in the background (just to the left of the steeple) is excavating at the moment.

Ottawa's skyline hasn't really changed since 1962...

Here's to same old, same old!

:D

Nice work. I've seen your aerial rendering floating around my office actually? People use it for reference.

winnipegs skyline will have the canadian meuseam for human rights added to the skyline and the canad inns hotel over by the health sciences center

we may see some other mid rise buildings on the u of w's campus on the west side of downtown also

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/273/board11xv3.jpg
photo by trueviking

that rendering of Toronto is stunning! Will this actually be fulfilled?

indeed it s heres hoping

WOW!! Future Toronto looks STUNNING (even moreso than now, and its already SWEET!!):cool:

Montreal skyline 2008
http://www.neuvel.net/image%20files/...al_skyline.jpg

Montreal skyline 2020
http://www.neuvel.net/image%20files/...al_skyline.jpg
http://www.neuvel.net/image%20files/Pictures/Montreal/montreal_skyline.jpg

This shot gives Montreal's skyline a very American flavor to it; reminds me of a Cleveland or Minneapolis.

about 75% is already under construction.

I find it hard to truly appreciate the size, scope and scale of what's going on in Toronto, simply considering how vast it is. To me, it is almost unpalpable. Nonetheless, that image produced by Maldive is exceptional. Thanks for sharing.

A couple of Calgary courtesy of CtrlAltDel

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/4...calgarygx5.jpg

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/2...alsouthjq5.jpg

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/2698/heavenlyer8.jpg

http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/6...tfuturehl8.jpg

I really wish that someone could do a future Ottawa thread, but I guess it doesn't make much sense since all our buildings are the same height pretty much. :rolleyes: :haha:

The bow looks really nice, but i hate that stubby silver one in the heart of downtown (it looks to be the smaller of two twin towers) The taller one is nice, but why the fat cousin beside it? If it wasn't so wide it would be a lot better.

^those toronto and calgary ones are awesome...


for winnipeg its kind of like playing 'where's waldo?'

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/4...kyline2uh9.jpg

Looks to me like Toronto and Calgary will see the most transformation by far. After Shangrila I'd say Vancouver won't be in the running for awhile.

That's amazing work Maldive....the realism in the first shot is unbelieveable.

http://www.upside-down.ca/maldive/20-08MED.jpg

Sorry about the broken link for the LARGE RENDER

Here it is repaired - LARGE

holy wow, i never realized how imposing the SkyDome was until now

The first one made you famous ... this one will make you a God!!!

^ just when I thought my career was in the dumper.... a promotion!

:notacrook:

Thanks!

FYI... for those who follow Toronto developments closely, some very large office projects like Richmond Adelaide 3, 151 Front Street West and BCE 3 that would impact this render, were left out on the assumption they wouldn't be starting any time soon courtesy of world economic meltdown (a couple of new proposals in the entertainment district were included for fun but no biggie).... the aim was a future skyline that was 90% accurate within the next 4 or 5 years... so certain condos not yet U/C made it into the render, when office projects did not.

Remember, you could stand a 30 storey building on SkyDome's field.... and close the roof.

Some of those towers in the Calgary pics are still only proposals and I presume the same thing for TO, but nonetheless both cities are BALLIN.

That rendering is intense! This will make Toronto the #3 in NA for sure and will give Chicago a good run for it's money. Is there a before for reference?

Montreal 2008:

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/4...eaaalllmb6.jpg

Montreal 2020:

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/6...030copyui0.jpg

- Mackay + Mariott + 701 University + Griffintown + others

I added around 50 buildings and as the PROJECT KEY suggests, around 70% are under construction, 10-20% are slamdunks (great sales figures, and/or approved) and around 10% are "who knows". As I mentioned earlier, I left out some very tall office projects because of the economic down-turn... stuck mostly to what the waterfront will look like in the next 5-8 years.

The only really tall one (though approved long ago) with an iffy start date is Cityplace Signature.... however I think the building will still launch in the near term rather than be put on hold.

I think most surfers are missing the LINK below to the really BIG version. Have a look if you have a decent connection.

-
LINK TO LARGE RENDERING

Vancouver was the run away winner for the past 20 years. It wasn't even close. So congrats.

Now though you're right, Calgary and Toronto are undergoing transformative changes.

I wonder when the city will start building their 1200 units in and around Cityplace - block 32 and 36 really help to fill the gap

Here is a picture from a couple months ago.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3029/...c1198e61_o.jpg

Beautiful job Maldive! Toronto's skyline will be amazing with all those additions.

I wish we had a Vancouverite with that kind of talent to provide us with a future skyline rendering for Vancouver. Unfortunately we've really been lacking in that department for awhile.

The best thing I can find for now is a recent pic posted by LeftCoaster with the future BC Place renovations/additions added into the skyline. Unfortunately it doesn't include any other future projects:

http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/1705/1865432ty8.jpg

Are the lands on the north-east of false creek, opposite the olympic village slated to fill up with development anytime soon?

I totally missed that BC Place reno... talk about turning a sow's ear into a silk purse. It looks terrific... future aerials will benefit greatly when the reno is complete. Bye bye carbuncle. Is it underway?

True, but Vancouver has never had an office tower boom even close to anything like what is happening in Calgary right now. Hopefully with the housing correction + the extremely low commercial vacancies Vancouver will be able to squeeze a few office towers out within the next few years.

Yeah definitely, the city has been studying the area for the last while and I believe the plan is a mixture of condos / and up to 1.7 million sqft of commercial space along with a new waterfront art gallery.

Hum, forgot about most of these.

However, none of these buildings is under construction, and I think only the 2 rightmost towers will start before 2010.
- Marriott hotel, 29fl, 110m, across the street from Place Ville Marie
- 701 University, 33fl, ~140m, at the entrance of the CBD

Maldive's renderings are the stuff of genius.

Here's the evolution of the Montreal skyline, mid 80's---today

Those on-montrealers who can tell me the changes get a treat....


Nevertheless there has been improvement since the 60's......
http://www.bilan.usherbrooke.ca/vout.../p641400-1.jpg

http://www.bilan.usherbrooke.ca/vout.../p611593-1.jpg

Yes, except for the area east of Abbott Street, which is supposed to become a park from what I've heard.

I appreciate the props... thanks for the positive comments about the future render.

I realized that since I "built" so many images for all the projects underway along the Toronto waterfront... I had done much of the work needed for what might be the ultimate future rendering... specifically, one that could be actually be viewed in a decade from now, without the benefit of a helicopter.

Those who know Toronto may be familiar with the views looking north to the city from Cherry Beach (located southeast of downtown). My pooch and I visit doggy beach there a few times a week and I often photograph the evolving skyline from this POV.

There are hundreds of photographs taken from the (former?) Docks nightclub and as just as many from Wards Island but very few from the Cherry Beach area, which is right between those 2 vantage points because the water's edge is fenced off... you'd have to be in a boat near the eastern gap or climb a fence for a clear, unobstructed view.

What you see to the west is basically a compressed version of the future render I posted... everything from WaterPark City and Cityplace to the central waterfront... PLUS... you see the skyline from the lake to Bloor Street and beyond.

So a future a render from this POV would offer up most of what you see in this render + the tallest marquee projects underway in the city... Trump, Bay Adelaide completed, Aura, 4 Seasons and 1 Bloor East + substantial projects like Murano/Burano, Uptown, Casa, X, Pure/Clear Spirits and eventually the towers of the East Bayfront.

If you climbed a tree or stood on the deck of the defunct Tor/Rochester ferry you would see all the way to Quantum at Yonge and Eglinton.

All this to say... I've started a render from this "ultimate" POV because a) half the elements are already built and b) it isn't a fantasy render at all... 90% of it will be projects underway and the result be "viewable" in some fashion from an existing vantage point.

Stay tuned.

^C'mon, there's no beach/park/fields in the Portlands. It's all one big cesspool from the lake shore to Lake Shore.

Maldive, your still amazing!!

They really don't need another park in that area. The seawall is right there and there are multiple parks/greenspace within walking distance. That land would be better utilized in some other form like office space.

You and I both know that the swath of polluted crap (now home to the world's largest film soundstage BTW) stands between the city and... an urban water's edge paradise unmatched in North America.

Or maybe you don't have a dog. Or a windsurfer. Or a para-surfer.......

http://k53.pbase.com/u32/gusmur/larg...0.IMG00516.jpg

did u draw these one by one? its pretty well done

I love this stuff - thanks to all contributors.:tup:

Hey, I'm just the messenger. Actually, there really aren't very many parks in the area worth the time. Andy Livingstone is mostly made up of artificial turf playing fields, I think they have a fence around it to keep people out. I can only think of Thornton Park, and the little area next to Science World. If it were up to me, I'd keep a third of the space, the area next to False Creek, as public space. The rest could be developed into tall enough buildings that could hide the Georgia Viaduct.