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Colouring concrete helps to give it a more aesthetically pleasing design for sure. It'll still lack the texture and sheen of granite and other kinds of stone, as well as traditional red paving bricks. It'll therefore still feel inferior to stone but to a lesser extent. It's surprising that we...

This being Canada, a fire like this one almost always means the end of the structure, its design, and its art forever. Still, if there was a good case to go the European "Notre Dame Cathedral" route, it would here with this National Historic Site of Canada and the mural work of the Group of...

I'm a huge fan so far because it's better than 99% of condos in this city, but the vertically-oriented fenestration detracts from the flowing horizontal curves. The vertically-oriented windows are giving end users what they want, namely splendid views and lots of light, but the building looks...

I'm a big fan of the Crossways' brick Brutalist architecture, it doesn't seem to be well managed based on the state of the retail part of the mall and the fact that they rejected a direct connection to the subway. It was originally an impressively metropolitan development that was ahead of its...

That's a good point about longevity, but concrete tends to lose its appeal in landscape design as it ages (and usually after just a couple of years as the clean white look gets stained and turns grey).

I wish Hamilton could do that and get its Market Square back. Had it survived, it could have been revitalized to look and feel like a traditional European market square with restaurants, large patios on the square, restored heritage buildings, and outdoor markets, concerts and other events.

I genuinely hope this project turns out well. Everyone was so excited by the Nathan Phillips Square revitalization that was focused on restoring the original design but with enhancements. The end result, while an improvement overall with the stage, restaurant and washrooms, highlighted the...

You can have a pond with a fountain built in. We don't have enough ponds in our parks to even know that.

A direct connection combined with GO and TTC fare integration would be amazing.

This project turned out to be a mixed bag. The facade is well detailed and interesting. It frames the public realm nicely, and the massing is visually appealing. The hotel is attractive and has a lot of windows into its common spaces, which adds interest to the street. There's an interesting...

It seems silly to drive downtown. I would replace it with a regular but well designed four-lane or even a two-lane road with shops, squares, and parkland all around it. Eliminate the road capacity and people will abandon the notion of driving to the area. Then watch the air quality improve, the...

It's kind of depressing to basically see a new Gardiner Expressway going up. When you don't actually see the construction, it's not that bad. It's just a "rehabilitation". But in reality, it looks like it's being torn down and replaced with a new structure. To waste so much in resources (even...

These are exciting changes for a neglected area that has so much potential to be a walkable and vibrant mixed-use area. The employment lands designations have really held the area back, reducing development to strip plazas and big box stores. There's no reason why we can't have retail like Home...

The short tower with the arches at street level next door looks more interesting. The arches are a more unique feature than any architectural feature this proposal has to offer. It also has masonry up to almost the top of the building, unlike this proposal. Strangely, this proposal has seen a...

Get a burger, fries and drink and then drive to the other end of the plaza for some transit project consultation.

Finally, one that isn't clad in cheap looking cladding! It's marvellous. It'll probably age better than any of the ones clad in corrugated metal.

True. That's not exactly a ringing endorsement for Chow from a light-rail efficiency perspective.

It's better to have empty retail than no space at all in my opinion. The demand can always materialize in the future with added density and as transportation patterns change towards transit-centric models. Also, commercial landlords can often find tenants if they lower their rents. We have...

The mechanical penthouse also doesn't appear to have any masonry or even a complimentary colour, which is unfortunate. Utilitarian mechanical penthouses tend to mar otherwise good designs.

It would be cool if they stored the trains in an indoor yard like Montreal does. It reduces weathering and opportunities for graffiti.