The quality of the renderings for this thing are very similar to those for DNA3. Same developer, same *ahem* architect. Go check those renderings out, then compare them to what actually got built for that project.
I expect that we will see exactly the same thing here, but on a much larger...
My first impression was "it's insane!" But, the more I look at it, the more I think this could be a refreshing change of pace from the usual tower/podium template. I wouldn't want to see this kind of thing everywhere but, for Bloor & Bathurst, this could really be a winner!
This is one of those cases where the structure they tore down was so bad, that blank empty space is actually preferable to what was there before. Since this is going to be another Canderel/G+C project, however, I only hope that it won't also be preferable to what will be there in the future.
Lingering and socializing is one thing. Shoeless, snoring, and drooling out the side of your mouth is something else. I've seen plenty of that when I was at U of T in various libraries & common areas. I think they pitched it right here. The contemporary bias is to treat any public space as if...
A number of people have made this observation. But it seems much less "chilling" and much more practical, if you put yourself in the shoes of someone who has 300 million dollars invested in the project. If you had that much money invested, and you knew that there was a very significant chance...
Just because they're putting in a new elevator doesn't mean they're getting rid of the old one. They are in two different locations. Structurally, I don't think you could take out the old elevator even if you wanted to.
Here's the old elevator: http://youtu.be/1vmiGASEVXc