The Great Canadian Skyscraper Thread

[Maldive]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Canada Life doesn't have the tiers of a wedding cake though.

OK... Canada Life is a "birthday cake" with a lit candle on top.

But I see plenty of tears, don't you?.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

Well its definitely a masterpiece. That one can't argue.

I was thrilled at the sight of it, but the Romans said ewwwww.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

I never really gave it much thought but they are right. I think I hate it to now. I had a cousin visit from London about 10 years ago. I took him on a tour of the city and the buildings he hated were these for almost the same reason. He saw them as a monument of wealth and greed. I guess he was right but he was also a bit of a bum back in England living off the system.

That being said I think The Royal bank Plaza deserves a place in this thread. She still looks great, at least to me.

Royal Bank Building, Toronto (III) by Andrés García, on Flickr

Agreed, this one has held up very well over the decades.

[megadude]

Also a fan of this tower. The gold tinting is so perfectly subtle.

[Rico Rommheim]

One of my favourite towers in this country is the former CIL building. Built at the same time as PVM and CIBC (1962) and not 1960 as the SSP diagram claims. At 133m, it was the 4th tallest building in Canada.

I love it for it's simplicity and elegance. It was designed in part by Gordon Bunshaft of Lever House fame.


Perspective_2020_10_18 by Foofoo MacShoe, on Flickr


A_Black_Gift_2020_10_18 by Foofoo MacShoe, on Flickr


RL_2020_10_13_08 by Foofoo MacShoe, on Flickr


Octopus_Hands_2020_10_08 by Foofoo MacShoe, on Flickr


https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...st_2017_01.jpg

[MolsonExport]

^I like that one too. And its bigger sister, the CIBC tower in Montreal. What a perfectly proportioned international-style masterpiece. Once the tallest building in Montreal, Canada, and the British Commonwealth, during Montreal's most Wooty days.

wikipedia

Here it is years ago, with the far better logo:

emporis

[TorontoDrew]

The Édifice Price belongs here.

Édifice Price by T.M.Peto, on Flickr

The Whitney Block deserves a mention as well. It's too bad the tower portion has been empty for decades now due to fire codes.

[IMG]Whitney Block by Mark Kari, on Flickr[/IMG]

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Here it is years ago, with the far better logo:

emporis

I love this tower, and ya I miss the old logo. I forget if it was going to get a scrub down or if it already had it done. The tiles/panels were showing their age.

I'm surprised these have not been posted yet.

Less Is More Or V by Jack Landau, on Flickr

Blue Hour by Ernie Kwong Photography, on Flickr

TD Centre by James G, on Flickr

[Rico Rommheim]

Live the TD towers. Downtown Toronto's finest moment.

[Rico Rommheim]

It's true that Sun Life doesn't seem like a true Skyscraper. Certainly doesn't have the verticality of Commerce Court or the Royal Bank Tower. It's got the same massing as the Royal York actually.


SunLife_02_2019 by Foofoo MacShoe, on Flickr

Wedding_Cake_2020_10_18 by Foofoo MacShoe, on Flickr


SunLife_01_2019 by Foofoo MacShoe, on Flickr


Downtown_Layers_2020_05_01 by Foofoo MacShoe, on Flickr

[Harrison]

TD Centre is possibly my favourite office complex in the world, though I am biased since I am a huge fan of Mies. I love how the PATH connecting to it keeps the same styling and design as Mies envisioned - matte black is just so sleek.

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by Harrison

TD Centre is possibly my favourite office complex in the world, though I am biased since I am a huge fan of Mies. I love how the PATH connecting to it keeps the same styling and design as Mies envisioned - matte black is just so sleek.

Well, the lettering isn’t as he envisioned. It was much more impressive when all the stores had their names in the same copperplate typeface.

[kool maudit]

I'm in the City of London right now, and Sun Life would be right at home. It's one of those great, almost Roman... CHONKS. London loved these too, but Montreal had that little extra dose of NYC DNA. But something like the Savoy could have easily wound up in Mtl.

[Rico Rommheim]

Le 1000 de la Gauchetiere was the first skyscraper that I was able to call my favourite. When I was a boy I thought it was the 'coolest' building. Then I developed taste and critical thinking and I kind of banished it as a tacky and trunky underwhelming example of post-modernist architecture. It didn't help that Le 1000 was built on the southern edge of downtown, on a shadowy and forgotten street like La Gauchetiere.

As the downtown has developed south in the past 30 years the tower is looking less isolated and irrelevant and I'm starting to notice it a bit more. And my appreciation for it is slowly creeping back.

It's 205m from de la Gauchetiere street and 215m from St-Antoine street.
The Montreal height limit will allow Le 1000 to remain the city's tallest building basically in perpetuity.


Le1000_02_2018 by Foofoo MacShoe, on Flickr


Good_but_not_Great_2020_10_08 by Foofoo MacShoe, on Flickr


Two_Friends_2020_10_08 by Foofoo MacShoe, on Flickr


Le1000_01_2018 by Foofoo MacShoe, on Flickr


Lights_2020_06_25 by Foofoo MacShoe, on Flickr


Le1000_02_2018 by Foofoo MacShoe, on Flickr


A_Skyline_03_2020_10_18 by Foofoo MacShoe, on Flickr

[kool maudit]

I actually never liked that one. It doesn't have the height to pull off its gestures, to my eyes.

[Zeej]

I think it looks a bit awkward when viewed in elevation, but the perspective views are quite nice.

It takes advantage of its position in the centre of the skyline by culminating in a peak. It's kind of an obvious move, but makes sense nonetheless.

It should be noted, as mentioned above, that the tower's official height is 214m (700'), as the CTBUH changed the height criteria to be taken from the level of any building entrance (hence St. Antoine at lower elevation) rather than the level of the main building entrance.

Someone posted the original elevations on mtlurb a while back confirming that it is indeed 214m tall. Semantics, but still interesting.

A few other towers in Montreal benefit from a slight boost due to being located on sloped sites.

[TorontoDrew]

I've always liked Le 1000 de la Gauchetiere because it's different. it even made it onto the logo for this page. I also like the Marriot Cheese Grater.

[TorontoDrew]

Scotia Tower has always been one of my favorite Skyscrapers in Toronto. I think the design has held up and doesn't look dated at all. It also has one hell of an impressive lobby.

Goals by Dustin William, on Flickr

Caged Tower by Jason Cook, on Flickr

Sky Invaders by Lori Whelan, on Flickr

[hipster duck]

I like 1000 de la Gauchetiere. It would be better if it were 300 m tall, but the placement of its NYC-type setbacks seem to be reasonably proportional to its height.

What doesn't work for me is the curved, eastern face of 1250 RL. They should've stuck with the (cubist?) northern and western facades on all sides.

Toronto's Scotia Plaza + the old BNS is a great pairing.

[J.OT13]

Ottawa's version of the Toronto-Dominion Centre or Place Ville-Marie: Place de Ville, complete with an abandoned movie theatre, a very shitty underground mall and direct connection to the O-Train's Lyon station.

The original towers, PdV A and B, and attached hotel, the Delta (originally the "Skyline Hotel") were completed in 1967. They broke a long standing 150 foot height limit at 285 feet and 22 floors, with the hotel at 300 feet and 25 floors.


https://www.brookfieldproperties.com...ce-de-ville-i/

The second phase included the new tallest building in Ottawa, Place de Ville C at 367 feet and 29 floors. It remained the tallest from its completion in 1971 until 2019. The project included the short, 4 storey Podium Building and the Marriott Hotel (Holiday Inn at the time) at 315 feet and 26 floors, including a revolving restaurant (now just meeting space).


https://www.brookfieldproperties.com...e-de-ville-ii/