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The massing is really clumsy as is. It almost looks like a 'height bluff' to me, as a simple pulling-down of certain elements could easily result in a more graceful building. Maybe the strategy is to make the community feel like they've 'won' once they 'force' the developer to alter the proportions?

I can't say I'm particularly optimistic that that blurry image will sharpen into something nicer. Arquitectonica has to be one of my least favorite 'major' design firms. They love to go big and bold, which would be nice, except that their ugly, clunky moves outnumber their exciting ones two to...

For lovers and haters of tall buildings - whenever you are ready to take a break from yelling at each other, you might want to check out this exhibit on the subject that just opened at Harbourfront. And more directly on topic - I think the "nimbys" here have done a pretty good job at making...

Is this dependent on who wins? I wonder what the correlation is. It would be great to something happen with Ontario Place, and perhaps Exhibition Place more generally.

To resurrect one of Toronto's most interesting and controversial plans of 2010: What happened to this whole "Ontario Place Revitalization"? Front page stories in every paper and then more than a year passes with absolutely no follow-up? Does anyone have any insight into this? I saw nothing on...

+1 It will really change the feel of Queen St. in that area. The rendering from Queen St makes it look like it might as well be fronting directly onto it. I'm not certain it's a bad thing (the building itself looks pretty sick*) but it will definitely take some getting used to. Could make a...

I hope the fence gets replaced, but if the patio is packed anyways, they may go with an "if it ain't broke..." attitude. It wouldn't be the worst thing - a tacky frontage to a tacky tower - perfect for tacky dates! Seriously though, the indisputable upside is that this is a continuance of the...

This is a good article describing the Cronocaos exhibition/argument. And yes, adma, this piece of 'preservation' is exactly the sort of thing the critique zeroes in on...

Next, they are going to paint over the windows and then paint them again with sky reflections and little glints.

I'm reservedly with AoD on this one. As a compromise, this will have to do. Actually, the elevations in the planning report make this seem like a decent way to incorporate new and old, and I'm hoping the eventual result will look the same. I do have my doubts though... Dismantle + Rebuild =...

Wow. What a difference focus on a couple of details can make! Putting in a wood soffit is actually a fairly cheap thing to do, but it makes this project look so much more elegant.

I wouldn't go this far, but the end result is a little bit disappointing. Particularly considering that this is designed by our current RAIC Firm of the Year, who have executed excellent projects elsewhere (including directly across the street). I still like the way the plan relates to the...

I am reposting this from the 111 Bathurst thread as it seems to be an appropriate comment here as well. I guess I am still questioning your insistence that this is uniquely and grossly mis-scaled for the neighborhood. I'm also questioning why the shadows this will cast onto the park are worse...

I have read the secondary plan (and the 2006 secondary plan review), and you are absolutely right that the Minto/Freed project contravenes it. But so does this project in equal measure. And yet, you see no problem with this one, but any support of the Minto/Freed project sends you into a...

I have trouble seeing any real reason to object to this development. The scale of the building seems reasonable - both in terms of height and in terms of the parsing of the site into multiple smaller footprints. I think the west façade is out-and-out good, with a variety of rhythms, textures...

+1. The faceting, though fairly simple, veers these sufficiently away from the boxiness we are used to in TO. I like the way the two towers relate to each other through the base, and the way they relate to their neighbours. But I think that the quality of this project will be highly dependent...

+1. I think there are many ways to maintain a large glassy expanse (presumably it's for gym/party room functions) that fit in better with the stately aesthetics of the rest of the building.

Thanks for the confirmation, bar1967. I left a message with a couple of McConnell's assistants but have not heard back yet. Adam Vaughan's office gave me basically the same answer you received, but told me McConnell's office would have the most up-to-date info as the project is in her ward...

Sorry to hate, but I think everyone should take this pronouncement with a grain of salt. Brans89 also wrote like a dozen posts last year that MARS Phase 2 was going to restart in October 2010. In which he never provided proof and was, of course, wrong. I think this guy likes to claim that he...

Is it time to take the word "boutique" out of the thread name yet?