Canada's 50 Tallest Proposals

[isaidso]

My interest in Commerce Court 3 just evaporated. It was very attractive before so it was all too predictable that it wouldn't stay that way. It's more office space but no longer architecturally noteworthy. Hopes for a nice office tower now rest with The Hub.

[GeneralLea]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

There are a number of examples out there with clear glass corners. It should be fine. It 's very simple and lacking depth. It doesn't come close to replacing the lost modernism which is very unfortunate.

This is my main issue with this project at hand. Toronto tends to have a very dense core that doesn't allow for some of it's more unique buildings to be seen from many angles, and this tower seems to continue this notion, although more concerning is it's lack of respect for the modernist buildings sitting there currently. I still prefer a tower of this size to be built elsewhere, and for the existing site to be renovated (maybe some retail on the Wellington street frontages if it's even economical.

[TorontoDrew]

I prefer the original but i still like this.

[MonkeyRonin]

Wrong thread.

[FrankieFlowerpot]

33 Sherbourne is only 127m - it doesn't belong anywhere near this list

[MonkeyRonin]

Oops, meant to post those in the regular proposals thread. The duplicate CC3 discussions had me all mixed up.

[hipster duck]

Originally Posted by GeneralLeeTPHLS

This is my main issue with this project at hand. Toronto tends to have a very dense core that doesn't allow for some of it's more unique buildings to be seen from many angles, and this tower seems to continue this notion, although more concerning is it's lack of respect for the modernist buildings sitting there currently. I still prefer a tower of this size to be built elsewhere, and for the existing site to be renovated (maybe some retail on the Wellington street frontages if it's even economical.

Maybe I’m a philistine, but CCS and CCE never did anything for me. The austere concrete design doesn’t seem to make the same modernist statement as the TD centre, to provide a nearby comparison, and Wellington is somewhat ruined by its blank, block-long streetwall. There’s something off about the courtyard as well, and I’m not sure how the two shorter buildings are supposed to relate to either the historic CCN or the stainless steel CCW. If it weren’t designed by IM Pei, I don’t know how much we’d be talking about it.

I’m not really a fan of the tower proposal but, to me, it’s replacing 1970s mediocrity with 2020s mediocrity.

[yaletown_fella]

The developers of Commerce Court 3 clearly have no interest in improving the pedestrian experience of enriching the architecture of the financial district. It's purely about cost cutting.

[Gresto]

I guess I'm alone in thinking this is an improvement. To each his own.

[uzi]

No, ur not alone. there are bunch of people at UT who think this is cool.

I sent an email to HPA last evening, wasn't expecting a reply but they replied few hours ago. In the email I wrote about how I'm a big fan of HPA's work and I think they are "the best architecture firm in Toronto" but I wasn't expecting such a boring design from HPA and I think they can do better for country's tallest building. they thanked me for thinking so "highly" of them and said this is not the final design, it's just to get the plan and density approved, the final design will be "far more interesting". now I don't know what they mean by interesting, will it get worse or get better? I guess we have to wait.

[travis3000]

Originally Posted by uzi

No, ur not alone. there are bunch of people at UT who think this is cool.

I sent an email to HPA last evening, wasn't expecting a reply but they replied few hours ago. In the email I wrote about how I'm a big fan of HPA's work and I think they are "the best architecture firm in Toronto" but I wasn't expecting such a boring design from HPA and I think they can do better for country's tallest building. they thanked me for thinking so "highly" of them and said this is not the final design, it's just to get the plan and density approved, the final design will be "far more interesting". now I don't know what they mean by interesting, will it get worse or get better? I guess we have to wait.

This is what I figured, no way would this recent design be the final. Very condo like and boring. I'd expect another re-design before (or if) it gets built.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

Maybe I’m a philistine, but CCS and CCE never did anything for me. The austere concrete design doesn’t seem to make the same modernist statement as the TD centre, to provide a nearby comparison, and Wellington is somewhat ruined by its blank, block-long streetwall. There’s something off about the courtyard as well, and I’m not sure how the two shorter buildings are supposed to relate to either the historic CCN or the stainless steel CCW. If it weren’t designed by IM Pei, I don’t know how much we’d be talking about it.

I’m not really a fan of the tower proposal but, to me, it’s replacing 1970s mediocrity with 2020s mediocrity.

I can't agree we are replacing 1970s mediocrity with 2020 mediocrity. There's a clear design concept to the 1970s version while the 2020 vision can be summarized as unsympathetic infill. There's no context to the inner courtyard or Wellington. The 1970 design has a dated approach along its street frontages however, the 2020 design is hardly an improvement. A solid limestone wall is replaced by a glass wall. This idea is exceptionally out of place for downtown Toronto in 2020.

[caltrane74]

A 75 meter spire/antenna?

crazy tall

[caltrane74]

Hoarding is going up for Yonge Street Life.

This is a massive tower, the hoarding will go for basically a city block.

299 meters.

[koops65]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

A 75 meter spire/antenna?

crazy tall

Try 89 metres... crazy is right.

[Nite]

Originally Posted by GeneralLeeTPHLS

This is my main issue with this project at hand. Toronto tends to have a very dense core that doesn't allow for some of it's more unique buildings to be seen from many angles, and this tower seems to continue this notion, although more concerning is it's lack of respect for the modernist buildings sitting there currently. I still prefer a tower of this size to be built elsewhere, and for the existing site to be renovated (maybe some retail on the Wellington street frontages if it's even economical.

The skyline would look much better if our tallest were spaced out more, like Chicago's, But this city would never allow a 300m tower even 500 m away from the core because of some shadow issue. The original height was 80-storey after all and was shortened because of shadow issues on St. James Church

From..

To..

Now..

[caltrane74]

The banks are building towers again, and its a good feeling.

[uzi]

who on the planet cares aobut shadows. why does Toronto has strcit shadow rules. look at Billionaires row, buildings are casting shadows at Central Park but no one cares. so y in Toronto.

[softee]

^ Plenty of people in NYC care. New York is just as bad as Toronto when it comes to shadowing issues and other forms of tall building Nimbyism. That being said, New York and Toronto continue to approve and build more tall buildings than any other cities in North America.

[FrankieFlowerpot]

In the G&M this morning - Union Centre is Toronto has been redesigned (Bjarke Ingels) and is now 264m tall

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/art...e-towers-to-reshape-downtowns/#c-image-0