McMaster Graduate Student Residence | ? | 31 & 10 fl | Under Construction - Page 7

Crapht · #**121** Posted **Sep 16, 2020, 1:06 PM**

Street level looks great! Wide sidewalks. Can't really tell what is happening with the parking garage entrance but I like the look of this. Bae street has potential to be the biggest "big city" street in town.

SteelTown · #**122** Posted **Sep 16, 2020, 1:24 PM**

I remember way back when realcity made a concept building for that corner of Bay and King St. I believe he called it the Golden Horseshoe building, it was all gold.

I guess it was destiny the corner would have a gold facade.

Chronamut · #**123** Posted **Sep 16, 2020, 5:35 PM**

kinda reminds me of toronto's champaigne/gold coloured glass building downtown

king10 · #**124** Posted **Sep 17, 2020, 2:42 PM**

lol 50 Main St E still there instead of the Mac David Braley building.

lachlanholmes · #**125** Posted **Nov 19, 2020, 6:31 AM**

Committee of Adjustment meeting on December 3rd will hear variances for four sizable proposals. McMaster Graduate Student Residence is one of them.

North Elevation

East Elevation

South Elevation

West Elevation

A close up of the curtain wall feature with fritted glass that will run up the east and west elevations of the tower

---

The most interesting part of this Minor Variance application, however, is that we have now learned that McMaster is planning a second tower, at the corner of Bay Street and George Street - and the application includes some preliminary massing concepts showing a 20 metre tower separation.

When that tower goes up, along with Vrancor's tower at the corner of King and Caroline, the entire block will have been developed. Will this be the first entire block to see all its parking lots filled up?

Link to the CofA documents

Hawrylyshyn · #**126** Posted **Nov 19, 2020, 1:39 PM**

Awesome! Hopefully it all gets approved. Also, this one is 94.6m to the top of mechanical penthouse if someone wants to add that to the title

Innsertnamehere · #**127** Posted **Nov 19, 2020, 1:59 PM**

Mcmaster still owns the parking lot behind the Health Sciences building as well. I wonder what they are thinking there..

ScreamingViking · #**128** Posted **Nov 19, 2020, 3:35 PM**

Great to see this moving to a next step, and a vision for a future sister tower.

Last thing I recall seeing around here about the lot behind the Braley Health Sciences Centre was for twin 12-storey condo buildings (King & Bay Condos thread) but that's ancient history now.

I'd think something more ambitious would be coming at some point? Mac will have its hands full with the residence project for now though, and the one on Main West next to the main campus.

Innsertnamehere · #**129** Posted **Nov 19, 2020, 4:03 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

Great to see this moving to a next step, and a vision for a future sister tower.

Last thing I recall seeing around here about the lot behind the Braley Health Sciences Centre was for twin 12-storey condo buildings (King & Bay Condos thread) but that's ancient history now.

I'd think something more ambitious would be coming at some point? Mac will have its hands full with the residence project for now though, and the one on Main West next to the main campus.

By the looks of it they included the second tower in the MV application so that they have the variances approved ahead of time and can move right to construction when they want to proceed on the site. So it's not immediate, but I'm guessing it is "next on the list".

The lot at King and Bay is probably being protected for a larger development a decade from now or so. Probably a larger amount of classroom space in the podium and two residential towers above with student residences or something. And i'm sure they will max out the height limit like every single development application in the core these days seems to be doing.

Hawrylyshyn · #**130** Posted **Nov 19, 2020, 4:05 PM**

I'm also curious as to what the very center of this block will look like once it's surrounded on all sides. Will there be pedestrian access to it? Potentially turned into a public space?

Chronamut · #**131** Posted **Nov 19, 2020, 5:08 PM**

Lol guess noone cares about shadows for the heritage building they have now dwarfed and surrounded in their proposal lol..

or maybe they're just waiting to buy it up and tear it down.. there is that big concrete wall behind the george st podium still..

craftbeerdad · #**132** Posted **Nov 19, 2020, 5:57 PM**

Think of the parking lots people! They have feelings too.

This is so encouraging it's not even funny.

Markus83 · #**133** Posted **Nov 20, 2020, 5:07 PM**

Golly!! Won't anyone think of the parking lots?!?!

ScreamingViking · #**134** Posted **Nov 20, 2020, 7:34 PM**

Where will the children of today... park their cars tomorrow?

Chronamut · #**135** Posted **Nov 20, 2020, 9:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

Where will the children of today... park their cars tomorrow?

Itll all be hoverboards by then

or maybe everyone will just teleport

StEC · #**136** Posted **Nov 21, 2020, 11:53 AM**

This is exciting, the density in the core seems to be growing exponentially! I really hope we see some development across the street on the A&W side though, that entire lowrise strip from Bay to Caroline is ripe for development!

TheRitsman · #**137** Posted **Nov 21, 2020, 3:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by StEC

This is exciting, the density in the core seems to be growing exponentially! I really hope we see some development across the street on the A&W side though, that entire lowrise strip from Bay to Caroline is ripe for development!

More than density alone, I'm excited for the potential of a downtown university campus. That kind of talent and learning right downtown is what gives Ryerson and UofT it's ability to transition people into talent related jobs. With McMaster expanding so quickly, they may reach a comparable size to Ryerson, with a significantly larger research wing. McMaster has around 32,000 students, while Ryerson has 45,000.

Add to this, middle income, talented and intelligent people living and schooling downtown, they will need shopping, restaurants and bars to keep themselves entertained and these graduate buildings are situated right where things are happening.

Chronamut · #**138** Posted **Nov 21, 2020, 9:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheRitsman

More than density alone, I'm excited for the potential of a downtown university campus. That kind of talent and learning right downtown is what gives Ryerson and UofT it's ability to transition people into talent related jobs. With McMaster expanding so quickly, they may reach a comparable size to Ryerson, with a significantly larger research wing. McMaster has around 32,000 students, while Ryerson has 45,000.

Add to this, middle income, talented and intelligent people living and schooling downtown, they will need shopping, restaurants and bars to keep themselves entertained and these graduate buildings are situated right where things are happening.

Let's not forget that we have to have those jobs HERE for them to transition to. Too many times they get educations here and then go to toronto to get jobs. That has to end at some point. I don't want this city to just be a university city full of people who then leave the nest to go elsewhere. Id like to see it have the jobs that it needs when they graduate, with the pay they need to live in this city.

As for across the street the building beside the A&W was SUPPOSED to get the condo treatment out back leaving the front restored and revitalized, but I have no idea what happened to that proposal. Last I checked that wind storm we had last year has still shredded half the paneling that was covering up the original brick, so now it looks even worse than before. Baby steps though. I am willing to wait as long as things get done properly - and the entire city isn't cast in the shadow of several tall buildings everywhere. You already see that effect on the george st one between its entrance and the back of the federal building condo - no sun - ever.

You also feel it on that monolithic stretch from the ellen faircloud building on king to bay street - just feeling closed in on both sides. Doesn't feel good.

I'm all for 3-6 store regular building facades with the condo set back though like with the william thomas building - I think that was done so expertly.

TheRitsman · #**139** Posted **Nov 22, 2020, 3:29 AM**

I was very excited for LRT to get started because that section of King will likely be much more enjoyable to walk down afterward.

I think building 1000+ graduate residence and lecture halls downtown will attract businesses in the same way that MIP is.

mishap · #**140** Posted **Nov 22, 2020, 6:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheRitsman

I was very excited for LRT to get started because that section of King will likely be much more enjoyable to walk down afterward.

If train tracks are enjoyable, then yes. But a station would be more enjoyable. Don't forget, the city voted against a station at Bay despite projections that it might spur more density and development than any other potential stop along the line. For, you know, reasons.
Call me cynical, but I think they said no because a Bay Street station would only be one block from City Hall and, darn it, politicians might be expected to take public transit to work if that happened.