The Great Canadian Skyline Thread! II - Page 339

caltrane74 · #**6761** Posted **Oct 16, 2013, 10:38 PM**

I disagree, Toronto's skyline is anything but generic, the condos are massive on any scale or metric and certainly, by Canadian Standards. If this angle of the Toronto Skyline is generic, than all other skylines must be no-frills, life brand, and President's Choice. (If you judge a skyline by its buildings and not natural setting of course, re: Vancouver or Montreal)

HTania · #**6762** Posted **Oct 16, 2013, 11:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by caltrane74

I disagree, Toronto's skyline is anything but generic, the condos are massive on any scale or metric and certainly, by Canadian Standards. If this angle of the Toronto Skyline is generic, than all other skylines must be no-frills, life brand, and President's Choice. (If you judge a skyline by its buildings and not natural setting of course, re: Vancouver or Montreal)

Compare to other canadian cities, Toronto is very unique with the massive amount of highrise condos. It is like Asian cities.

SkahHigh · #**6763** Posted **Oct 16, 2013, 11:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by caltrane74

I disagree, Toronto's skyline is anything but generic, the condos are massive on any scale or metric and certainly, by Canadian Standards. If this angle of the Toronto Skyline is generic, than all other skylines must be no-frills, life brand, and President's Choice. (If you judge a skyline by its buildings and not natural setting of course, re: Vancouver or Montreal)

We're not talking about height here, as everyone knows that Toronto has an insane amount of highrises. We're talking about the style, the cladding, the appearance of these waterfront towers, and the impact they have on the skyline.

caltrane74 · #**6764** Posted **Oct 16, 2013, 11:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkahHigh

We're not talking about height here, as everyone knows that Toronto has an insane amount of highrises. We're talking about the style, the cladding, the appearance of these waterfront towers, and the impact they have on the skyline.

Variations on glass, steel and concrete materials. Not much any modern skyline can do about that.

Of course if Toronto was an older city like Montreal our skyline would be filled with iconic stone and wood structures. Obviously a lot of older buildings were demolished, and some never existed due to the newness of the city. But if we are talking skyscrapers, I don't think generic is fair.

Witty Nickname · #**6765** Posted **Oct 18, 2013, 1:37 AM**

Autumn Sunrise by Witty Nickname, on ipernity

rousseau · #**6766** Posted **Oct 18, 2013, 2:01 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramako

Ice has now topped First Canadian Place from the lake:

Toronto Skyline by MafaldaBoy, on Flickr

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Mtl

From that angle, Toronto looks impressive at night, but oh boy, during the day, it looks very bland, a display of banal generic towers. Too bad the best towers of the Financial District are hidden behind such a wall of mediocre projects.

I kinda agree. I like the massing of the skyline coming in from the west on the Gardiner, and it's pretty cool to look at when you get to the end of the DVP and turn onto the Gardiner from the east (not to mention driving through on the Gardiner), but I've always found the lake shots underwhelming. I can't help but compare it to lake shots of Chicago, which are always magnificent due to the massing along the lake and the individual signature towers.

In my opinion I don't think Toronto really has any really spectacular individual buildings, though L Tower is a nod in the right direction.

Chadillaccc · #**6767** Posted **Oct 18, 2013, 2:05 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Witty Nickname

Autumn Sunrise by Witty Nickname, on ipernity

Wow, Brookfield Place, Telus Sky, 3 Eau Claire, and the Guardians are going to do wonders for this view! Not that it isn't already incredible

Ramako · #**6768** Posted **Oct 18, 2013, 3:34 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by rousseau

I kinda agree. I like the massing of the skyline coming in from the west on the Gardiner, and it's pretty cool to look at when you get to the end of the DVP and turn onto the Gardiner from the east (not to mention driving through on the Gardiner), but I've always found the lake shots underwhelming. I can't help but compare it to lake shots of Chicago, which are always magnificent due to the massing along the lake and the individual signature towers.

In my opinion I don't think Toronto really has any really spectacular individual buildings, though L Tower is a nod in the right direction.

I'd still take Scotia Plaza over L Tower, and I know I'm pretty alone on this but Canada Trust Tower has a great presence, especially from the lake.

With respect to the skyline from the lake, there's some hope yet. Harbour Plaza is a twin tower design, but its white fritted glazing might add some nice contrast against the blues and greens, much like First Canadian Place. One York will do a good job of covering up Maple Leaf Square, which I personally thing is one of the worst offenders. Though One York will be a plain office box, it will be of a much higher quality and appearance than those mediocre condos.

There are also a number sites/proposals have the potential to further redefine that view. Oxford Place, 43 Simcoe, 45 Bay, 1 Yonge and 60 Harbour are all relatively close to the lake and will all be quite tall.

caltrane74 · #**6769** Posted **Oct 18, 2013, 3:48 AM**

One York, will completely block Maple Leaf Square, which should put an end to the generic condo bullshit. Blue - Silver Curtianwall glass, and then white fritted glass and the even more monstrously tall Harbourplaza tower condos will create a behemoth tall (by Canadian, not Chicago standards) skyline.

TallBob · #**6770** Posted **Oct 18, 2013, 5:19 AM**

Chadiliaccc: I don't think 3EC will be really visible from that vantage..... Unless it's 800'!

isaidso · #**6771** Posted **Oct 18, 2013, 6:53 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkahHigh

I agree. Downtown Toronto's Financial District has some amazing skyscrapers such as Scotia Plaza, Royal Bank Plaza and Brookfield Place, but the towers near the lake all look generic and boring with brown and grey colors...
I mean, we barely see Scotia Plaza from that angle...

There's no denying that the buildings they're blocking are many notches more sophisticated and impressive than what's blocking them. Toronto will get a bigger skyline, but is it better looking? If one prioritizes quality over quantity, the answer is a big fat NO.

isaidso · #**6772** Posted **Oct 18, 2013, 6:57 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by rousseau

In my opinion I don't think Toronto really has any really spectacular individual buildings, though L Tower is a nod in the right direction.

Scotia Plaza, Royal Bank Plaza, TD Centre, and L Tower are very good, but I agree that there's nothing special about the rest. One only need to globe trot around the world and that fact becomes plainly obvious.

Massey, One Bloor, and Oxford are promising, but we'll have to wait and see.

isaidso · #**6773** Posted **Oct 18, 2013, 6:59 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by caltrane74

If this angle of the Toronto Skyline is generic, than all other skylines must be no-frills, life brand, and President's Choice.

The height isn't generic, but architecturally it is.

Quote:

Originally Posted by caltrane74

Variations on glass, steel and concrete materials. Not much any modern skyline can do about that.

Sorry, but that's absolute rubbish. Truly spectacular modern skyscrapers are being designed and built yet you seem to think that the stripped down sterile boxes we build is all that's possible. Have you actually left north America ever?

caltrane74 · #**6774** Posted **Oct 18, 2013, 10:29 AM**

There is no world in which the Toronto skyline of past is a higher quality skyline than today.
This skyline is lower quality than the current t Hamilton's skyline. I dare say, even Niagara Falls of today is a better skyline than this... Plus most of the other major Canadian cities. This skyline is pure concrete garbage, with a couple nice bank towers.

kool maudit · #**6775** Posted **Oct 18, 2013, 10:31 AM**

yeah, that wasn't better. superficially, it looks like a big indianapolis or something. but hamilton? there's a huge '20s hotel in that photo, a near-1000-foot bank headquarters, twin towers by mies van der rohe. hamilton doesn't have that.

caltrane74 · #**6776** Posted **Oct 18, 2013, 10:39 AM**

Well maybe Winnipeg or Ottawa then. But the skyline is pure concrete at this time. You might not like the silver plated steel and glass towers of today, but they have reduced the concrete onslaught to almost nothing.

kool maudit · #**6777** Posted **Oct 18, 2013, 10:40 AM**

as great as southcore is, there is an argument that could be made for toronto's having reduced the height limit south of the gardiner to 7 or 8 stories back before harbour castle etc. were built.

it would have added a layering effect.

Beedok · #**6778** Posted **Oct 18, 2013, 10:48 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kool maudit

yeah, that wasn't better. superficially, it looks like a big indianapolis or something. but hamilton? there's a huge '20s hotel in that photo, a near-1000-foot bank headquarters, twin towers by mies van der rohe. hamilton doesn't have that.

Hey, in 1974 (counting the antenna thing) Hamilton was the third tallest skyline in Canada, which wasn't long before that photo was taken. (Vancouver had a bunch of buildings about the same height though. Also Hamilton's skyline sadly hasn't changed since.)

caltrane74 · #**6779** Posted **Oct 18, 2013, 10:50 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by isaidso

Truly spectacular modern skyscrapers are being designed and built yet you seem to think that the stripped down sterile boxes we build is all that's possible. Have you actually left north America ever?

Yes.

Look familiar to you?

caltrane74 · #**6780** Posted **Oct 18, 2013, 10:56 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beedok

Hey, in 1974 (counting the antenna thing) Hamilton was the third tallest skyline in Canada, which wasn't long before that photo was taken. (Vancouver had a bunch of buildings about the same height though. Also Hamilton's skyline sadly hasn't changed since.)

Hamilton doesn't have a bunch of concrete apartments blocking the view of the main skyline like Toronto does and did. Thats why I dont wax nostalgic about the past like most people do, I'm glad the Toronto skyline is expanding in height, size and footprint.