Cobalt Luxury Residences On King | 97.5 & 97.5m | 2 x 30 fl | Complete

[davidcappi]

I love this! Way better than a recreated 2 storey facade. I appreciate the attempt to break up the podium into a finer grained experience. I appreciate the different styles and am curious to see the King William side.

This feels way more cohesive as a whole building than with the Kresge portion in place. The transition from podium to tower feels more natural.

[ScreamingViking]

I do like this better than the initial render. The attempt to preserve/replicate the Kresge facade with several floors of mostly glass above didn't work as well.

[Chronamut]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

I dunno if I like the new podium or podiums I should say. Seems like there's two or three different designs and doesn't seem airy, the glass and brick ratio seems off. Need more glass.

I like the black one the most, keep that one but use it all the way. Keep it cohesive.

Don't like it - very meh design.

Black one is at least better than.. whatever that brown thing is supposed to be. Reminds me of the failed 80s concrete brick jungle stuff they built around the bus station.

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I keep looking at this and wondering why I hate it so much - I think it's because it's the core - and in the core we just expect a little more detail in the buildings- it's like the centerpiece showcase of history in the city - and to just put a bland building right in the core just feels.. wrong.. sacreligious. I'm sure I'll get called out for being a negative nancy but whatever.. I have standards.

I woulda continued the black all the way across. The brown looks like it's trying to be 2 different styles at once and on an ultra-modern building like this it just doesn't look good side by side like that imo.

Also wow does the building beside it on the right look old and tired now..

All of it being that high height unfortunately just makes the whole thing loom way too much. I get anxiety just looking at this. The old render with all the glass on top at least gave a breakup to the eye a bit more.

and the.. brown.. building.. just looks cheap beside the heritage building beside it.

I've kinda lost all enthusiasm for this now.

Then again they've already had a billion different renders for it, perhaps they'll have a billion more so I'll reserve judgment until they put the shovel in the ground.

[TheRitsman]

Originally Posted by Chronamut

Don't like it - very meh design.

Black one is at least better than.. whatever that brown thing is supposed to be. Reminds me of the failed 80s concrete brick jungle stuff they built around the bus station.

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I keep looking at this and wondering why I hate it so much - I think it's because it's the core - and in the core we just expect a little more detail in the buildings- it's like the centerpiece showcase of history in the city - and to just put a bland building right in the core just feels.. wrong.. sacreligious. I'm sure I'll get called out for being a negative nancy but whatever.. I have standards.

I woulda continued the black all the way across. The brown looks like it's trying to be 2 different styles at once and on an ultra-modern building like this it just doesn't look good side by side like that imo.

Also wow does the building beside it on the right look old and tired now..

All of it being that high height unfortunately just makes the whole thing loom way too much. I get anxiety just looking at this. The old render with all the glass on top at least gave a breakup to the eye a bit more.

and the.. brown.. building.. just looks cheap beside the heritage building beside it.

I've kinda lost all enthusiasm for this now.

Then again they've already had a billion different renders for it, perhaps they'll have a billion more so I'll reserve judgment until they put the shovel in the ground.

I don't disagree that it looks a bit bland. But to be completely honest I don't absolutely hate it. I kind of like the separate options, which kind of looks like they were trying to make it go with the rest of Gore. I think they could have done a bit more styling. Maybe this is an early rendering. The brick is cool to me, but they need a better design that fits better in the park area.

Leave the black section and then maybe have the red brick section look somewhat similar to that newer building I cannot recall the name of on James St N.

Liuna hasn't really made too many bad decisions, so I am sure whatever gets built here will look good. They have respect for the city and it's history and Gore park is one of the most historic sections of the city.

[eatboots]

Those narrow little windows on the brown building are ugly

[matt602]

That brown brick podium on the corner looks terrible.

[HamiltonBoyInToronto]

I agree that the black portion is better looking but only on the upper floors... if you zoom in and take a look at the street level it is completely un-inviting and bland.... there should be more glass at the street level

[Chronamut]

well at least I am not alone in that this new render is not a very popular choice..

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by eatboots

Those narrow little windows on the brown building are ugly

If they simply repeated the larger windows across the whole frontage it would make a huge difference.

I think a better design is called for, but I do still like this approach better than the original faux-Kresge base topped by glass.

[Chronamut]

it just reminds me of everything that was wrong with 80s architecture.. it reminds me of a prison.

Looking at the right house it almost feels like they were trying to replicate the proportions of those windows, but doing it all in a much cheaper looking way.

[TheRitsman]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

If they simply repeated the larger windows across the whole frontage it would make a huge difference.

I think a better design is called for, but I do still like this approach better than the original faux-Kresge base topped by glass.

I am curious what it would look like with just the big windows across the whole frontage. Maybe I'll take to photoshop quickly...

[Chronamut]

Originally Posted by TheRitsman

I am curious what it would look like with just the big windows across the whole frontage. Maybe I'll take to photoshop quickly...

Make sure the windows are actually reflective too - the white in the windows makes them look tinted, and the white around the windows is a bit offputting too..

LETS GIVE THIS BUILDING A MAKEOVER!!

Eh screw it I'll just photoshop it myself.. I'm pretty quick at these things..

lol.

[davidcappi]

Isn’t there a bylaw that states the ratio of wall to window for the gore? This looks like it falls into those requirements. Any more glass would require a variance. I believe the bylaw applies to the 2nd to 5th floors and is definitely a measure to have new buildings mesh with the existing street wall.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by Chronamut

it just reminds me of everything that was wrong with 80s architecture..

Those windows remind me of many schools built in the 1960s-70s.

[davidcappi]

This is zoned downtown D2 & D3 / falls into a character district hence the small windows. See below

[Chronamut]

Well screw the zoning requirements.. here are my 2 renders for the building with bigger windows.. I mean the black building beside it already breaks that rule by being almost entirely window..

Imo, the all black looks much better.. the brown brick looks okay.. I darkened it a bit too.





What do you guys think?

Compare to the original:

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

Those windows remind me of many schools built in the 1960s-70s.

Those windows are just bad in general.

[anactualalien]

^I prefer the first one, the brick should definitely stay a different colour. Bigger windows make a big difference and imo don't clash with the Right House terribly. I mean, they would look completely different, but it works better than what I now see as attempting continuity with the matching three-window pattern.

[Chronamut]

Originally Posted by anactualalien

^I prefer the first one, the brick should definitely stay a different colour. Bigger windows make a big difference and imo don't clash with the Right House terribly.

Hmm I dunno.. I actually prefer the second one, with an overall blue/grey brick scheme tying better into the overall building look, but that's just my personal preference.

*EDIT* yeah upon further looking I like the dark brown too.

Imo the darker brick, and the bigger windows, make a huge diff. You aren't getting THAT much area back with the tiny amt of brick between the windows.. just make big windows, looks better and airier.

I think their mistake was trying to match the brick colour to the Right House- doing so makes it look like it's trying to mirror the building, and then showcases the inferior architectural details compared to the Right house design, making it appear cheaper overall.. best to make it stand out instead.

Also if they made the brown building top a big higher it might help to break up the looming effect , as all the buildings from right to left get progressively higher and higher.

[TheRitsman]

How about my crummy attempt, with crummy reflection and all?

[SteelTown]

Originally Posted by Chronamut

Much better, sexier and more cohesive.