Canadian City Proposals

[MTLskyline]

Originally Posted by SkahHigh

Site prep has started for Le Drummond - 24 floors

Not a big fan. This will essentially be a bigger version of Le Metropol....

Getting tired of charcoal brick and grey aluminum everywhere.

Originally Posted by lake of the nations

Le Métropol by lake of the nations, on Flickr


Le Métropol by lake of the nations, on Flickr

[yaletown_fella]

Originally Posted by dleung

Foster's simple grid design is the opposite of "avant garde". Have to agree to disagree on Florian/1StThomas/ornament... I'd be embarrassed to live in either of those.

Looking back at my comment your criticism is valid. Im guilty of having a traditionalist bias. This design is a creative concept that demonstrates an excellent awareness of its context in the skyline. The podium of this proposal is where Foster loses me. Fixing the podium is what would seperate it from being an X-Condo quality building from a LAGO quality building.

My only beef is that (from what I can see in the render), the street level of this building dosent seem to embrace the golden ratio or Miesian aesthetic. Theres no creative integration of shops or a concourse, neither is there any landscaping or water feature. Hopefully this wont be a repeat of the U Condo townhomes fronting onto Bay Street?

The overhangs seems to have a brutalist aesthetic. It lacks the warmth and big city grandeur of buildings designed by IM Pei and partners. Place Ville Marie is modernism done right imho and would be welcome in Canada. Montreal has tonnes of massive slab buildings that meet the street well and offer well integrated atriums/underground shopping. World Trade Center Montreal comes to mind and proves that po-mo can be done tastefully.

Toronto desperately needs this. If I see another so called luxury building with exposed concrete pillars Ill probably puke.

The only large scale foster design Imo that would suit Yorkville is something more subtle like the 425 Park Avenue proposal. 425 Park Avenue gets everything right in my opinion. If only Foster could marry this contemporary "GE Building" Yorkville concept with the quality and attention to detail in his NY proposal, we'd have a landmark building.

[WhipperSnapper]

You're comparables are perplexing. It's a residential building on a very small site. There isn't a podium either.

[niwell]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Some of the ugliest buildings have the best bones. I wouldn't be embarrassed by how a building looked.

Probably the nicest place I have lived was a dirt cheap 3 bedroom condo in a drab 1970s commie-block in Ottawa. It was huge, well laid out and you couldn't hear a thing from the neighbours. As much as I love the "charm" of something built in the 1890s I wish I could transplant that unit to my current location!

[WhipperSnapper]

Buildings like 1132 Bay to me are representative of what I think of Yorkville. Modest looking building hiding an exclusive doorman building with 25 units over 18 floors.

Top of my list is always 423 Avenue Road. Dleung would love this. West Vancouver massing. Ugly on the outside. Deplorable on the inside. Full floor with windows on all sides with easily the best skyline view.

Found a listing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en-9gtXw7cc

[WhipperSnapper]

Re: U Condo townhouses.

Too often I get the impression that a building without ground floor retail is a failure. Not every building can support successful retail. Sure this is Bay Street and not Charles Street East but, the east side of Bay has always been difficult on the retail end. The last thing Bay needs is another drycleaner or Tims. These live work townhouses offer the opportunity for something more creative. Perfect for a live in studio or small office.

[yaletown_fella]

The entire U-Condos development is quite tastefully designed. While I agree the UCondo townhomes as live/work spaces is preferable to any of the 90s/early 2000's subway/dry cleaners retail podiums along that street I dont think upper Bay street is devoid of potential to become a respectable grand retail boulevard. Burano gives us an optimistic glimpse of what could come if development continues to spring up in the area.

Townhomes on the lot just seems like poor foresight to me, as does no retail in this Foster development.

[yaletown_fella]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

You're comparables are perplexing. It's a residential building on a very small site. There isn't a podium either.

I think the majority of buildings without podiums usually fail to enhance the pedestrian realm.

[TorontoDrew]

The Carlyle 128 Peter Street. Am I the only one who dislikes the chess board pattern on it? I think it would be a fine building without it.

Posted on: http://mycondopro.co

[Innsertnamehere]

looks preliminary, I find Aa designs are — at first and get better as they approach actual construction.

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

The Carlyle 128 Peter Street. Am I the only one who dislikes the chess board pattern on it? I think it would be a fine building without it.

Finally! Something you and dleung can agree on.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by yaletown_fella

The entire U-Condos development is quite tastefully designed. While I agree the UCondo townhomes as live/work spaces is preferable to any of the 90s/early 2000's subway/dry cleaners retail podiums along that street I dont think upper Bay street is devoid of potential to become a respectable grand retail boulevard. Burano gives us an optimistic glimpse of what could come if development continues to spring up in the area.

Townhomes on the lot just seems like poor foresight to me, as does no retail in this Foster development.

Bay Street is fully developed with additions like Burano and U. I don't see an opportunity to transform a residential street into a destination here.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by yaletown_fella

I think the majority of buildings without podiums usually fail to enhance the pedestrian realm.

I find most podiums the lowest common denominator. I prefer a building designed head to toe to fit its urban context over a tower simply plopped on top of a (lowrise) base.

The one rendering of the street level reveals the restored heritage on Scollard. No idea what interesting spaces will be available on Bay.

[Chadillaccc]

Our first look at the eastern half of Q Block East Village, also known as the Verve Block. At 25 storeys it looks to be identical in height to Verve 1, around 86 meters. Nothing special, but the podium does have some potential (aside from the loading bay)...


http://www.axiomcost.com/images/AXIOM.pdf

[gunnar777]

personally, I like Le Drummond, although I like just about anything in Montréal, which so sorely needs some new buildings.

[urbandreamer]

Here's some slightly better renderings of Carlyle's Peter & Richmond project by aA.

Having copied aA's point tower formula for mainstream glass & concrete towers, I can understand their limitations for window dressing: eg here's one where I knocked off Peter Street Condos

I'd still take 1000 of these aA-designed towers over 1000 designed by P+S or that dreck you see in Edmonton etc.

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

Finally! Something you and dleung can agree on.

Now all we need is WhipperSnapper to agree and this will be a day for the history books.

Moving past that it looks like they are starting to do some work on the sales office for this. It looks like a bit of a cross between 101 Peter Street and the King Charlotte.

[Chadillaccc]

I like the checkerboard-ish look of the building on Carlyle.

[Black Star]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

The Carlyle 128 Peter Street. Am I the only one who dislikes the chess board pattern on it? I think it would be a fine building without it.

Posted on: http://mycondopro.co

I must say....I'm a fan of this one.

[Chadillaccc]

This is our first look at this one. Doesn't look final yet but it is in line with what we've heard about it. As long as the crane is hidden and that god awful "Century Gardens" sign isn't on it, this one will be pretty cool. It is part of the larger redevelopment 2/3 of a city block. The tower sits on the site of a former strip mall which has already been leveled, and the park which surrounds it is about to be completely rejuvenated after 40 or so years...


Century Gardens - 100 meters