Canada's 10 Tallest U/C - Page 415

TorontoDrew · #**8281** Posted **Feb 17, 2023, 5:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

In general I like the aesthetics as it has a sort of gritty urban heft. But it's not a great location for it in such a prime part of downtown.

The tower itself doesn't bother me too much, but how it meets Yonge Street is very dated and not in a charming way.

WhipperSnapper · #**8282** Posted **Feb 17, 2023, 5:15 PM**

The tower isn't as tall or does the tower's footprint have the lot coverage of the newer developments. It's 20 storeys with 415 units. I wouldn't be of the opinion that 1500 to 2000 units (415 replacement) in two 50 plus storey towers on a 8 to 10 storey is a better form for the site.

WhipperSnapper · #**8283** Posted **Feb 17, 2023, 5:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

What I said " So technically if U of T builds new housing they could sell this prime bit of real-estate they own."

As in they build replacement housing first before locking the doors on this structure. They may also be hanging onto it for future campus growth, who knows?

UoFT will never have a surplus of student housing. I didn't see a point. I don't see this property's value offsetting the cost of building 415 equivalent units as replacement or otherwise.

TorontoDrew · #**8284** Posted **Feb 17, 2023, 5:35 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

UoFT will never have a surplus of student housing. I didn't see a point. I don't see this property's value offsetting the cost of building 415 equivalent units as replacement or otherwise.

We all know these older buildings are energy hogs. This happens all the time across the city, taking down older buildings like this for newer ones so the the finances must make sense. What might seem like a huge waste of money to most of us might be a smart investment to an organization like U of T. Much like how banks build Towers they don't need, it's about image. And who knows with Ryerson now calling itself the Toronto Metropolitan University and watching it invest in and around the core U of T may want to do something grand on that site down the road to maintain their status as Toronto's premier place of higher learning.

Maldive · #**8285** Posted **Feb 19, 2023, 7:51 PM**

160 Front West | 239.87m | 46s | Cadillac Fairview | AS + GG l u/c

Fab set by jackattack at UrbanToronto.

jackattack

jackattack

Progress sketches from Contra.

Contra

Contra

From CN Tower cam:

Torman404

[Concord Sky | 299m | 85s | Concord Adex | a—A l u/c

First crane going up a few days ago and a second crane install as well.

Bulloch

Heritage facade.

yrt+viva=1system

WhipperSnapper · #**8286** Posted **Feb 19, 2023, 8:02 PM**

Where are all these high rises with 300,000 square feet of space being taken down in Toronto? The closest was the Sutton Place Hotel and the new development incorporated the tower's structure.

It's a little extreme to take down a building over its energy usage. We aren't tearing down tens of thousands of masonry homes with plaster lath wall an inch from the inner brick layer. There are methods to improve energy efficiency without ripping everything apart .

Up at Yonge and Eglinton, they are demolishing just enough of the 60 year old apartment complexes in order to squeeze a tower on the site

Wigs · #**8287** Posted **Feb 19, 2023, 10:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

That would not fair well politically for UofT to ditch 415 family units to the market. To replace those units with new construction should be over $200 million. They won't get that for this property as, presumably, any new development would have to include 415 replacement rental units.

All things considered, tearing down 415 affordable units is wasteful. It's a mediocre modernist tower with a dark, dank retail mall. It's ugly. It doesn't have to stay ugly. There's so much modernization happening with buildings from this era across the nation that go virtually unnoticed over new tall proposals that may never be more than a computer generated rendering.

I'd be for it if they replaced 415 affordable units with a new build or 2 towers offering double the affordable units.

Unfortunately we all know that these buildings usually get replaced by buildings with overpriced "luxury" units.

WhipperSnapper · #**8288** Posted **Feb 20, 2023, 3:20 PM**

I'm not aware of any private holding company (excludes TCHC) demolishing 415 rental units however, I would think Toronto's rental replacement policy would prevent a developer from destroying affordable units and replacing them with overpriced luxury units. I don't believe the policy is as simple as number of units being replaced.

It is this policy that prevents this building from being replaceable although there are better opportunities in Yorkville than buying and tearing down a large building like this. This policy exists because for decades before the 2010s rental property values were fairly stagnant so no new rental housing was built despite decades of vacancy rates near 0%. It's presumably that if rental values stagnant or decline that rental housing construction will come to an abrupt end. The income revenue alone even at today's rates doesn't justify construction. It's still valid.

Maldive · #**8289** Posted **Feb 20, 2023, 7:13 PM**

Pinnacle One Yonge | 344.58m | 105s | Pinnacle | Hariri Pontarini l u/c

Phase 1 "Prestige" looking fine.

mburrrrr

SkyTower podium.

dufferin1

SkyTower podium rising on the left, Phase 1 on the right.

mburrrrr

dufferin1

Maldive · #**8290** Posted **Feb 20, 2023, 10:11 PM**

CIBC SQUARE | 241.39m | 50s | Hines | WilkinsonEyre l Phase 2 u/c

Undead

Phase 1 at dusk.

Undead

Phase 2

mburrrrr

Johnny Au

GeneralLeeTPHLS · #**8291** Posted **Feb 21, 2023, 12:11 AM**

I took an absurd amount of images of 160 Front today, so I'll only show afew for the sake of moderating my image count per post....the images I took today will go toward the main project thread instead.

The tower is really something to behold, and very photogenic. I heard some people beside wondering if it was a condo at first until seeing it's the "new home" for TD.
160 Front

Downtown on the 20th by Draulerin Photographics, on Flickr

Downtown on the 20th by Draulerin Photographics, on Flickr
CIBC Square II to the left

Downtown on the 20th by Draulerin Photographics, on Flickr

Canada House

Downtown on the 20th by Draulerin Photographics, on Flickr

Gresto · #**8292** Posted **Feb 21, 2023, 9:08 AM**

We are experiencing the apex of skyscraper construction in Toronto's history hitherto.

koops65 · #**8293** Posted **Feb 21, 2023, 9:39 AM**

Indeed, the top ten list wil be radically altered in the near future with the addition of 4 towers over 250 metres, and another at 218 metres, all 5 in site prep.

WhipperSnapper · #**8294** Posted **Feb 21, 2023, 12:49 PM**

three over 290 metres in prep sounds more impressive

TorontoDrew · #**8295** Posted **Feb 21, 2023, 2:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Where are all these high rises with 300,000 square feet of space being taken down in Toronto? The closest was the Sutton Place Hotel and the new development incorporated the tower's structure.

It's a little extreme to take down a building over its energy usage. We aren't tearing down tens of thousands of masonry homes with plaster lath wall an inch from the inner brick layer. There are methods to improve energy efficiency without ripping everything apart .

Up at Yonge and Eglinton, they are demolishing just enough of the 60 year old apartment complexes in order to squeeze a tower on the site

Feel better now?