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Bay Adelaide Centre West Tower (Brookfield, 50s, WZMH)

Re: Photos 11/03/07

"I stick with my original sentiment that this building could have been designed in the board room using excel."

:lol
 
Re: Photos 11/03/07

Somehow these renderings look even more boring than the old ones. Quite boxy. *Yawn*. It looks okay in the virtual tour though. At least its a building with some mass to it. That's about all you can say about it.
 
Re: Photos 11/03/07

Although I imagine Phase 2 will be a shorter version of Phase 1, the hotel/condo portion could end up being a redeeming aspect of the project.
 
Re: Photos 11/03/07

agree^doesnt the hotel look taller than phase 2 in that vr tour?
 
Re: Photos 11/03/07

Remember: such swellegant glass boxiness is "in" again (cf. 7WTC)
7wtc_med.jpg
 
Re: Photos 11/03/07

Remember: such swellegant glass boxiness is "in" again (cf. 7WTC)

This bring up an important point: architectural fashions change. When all of those 'boxes' were being built in the 60s and 70s, they were considered the peak of design. I well recall the astonishment and bewilderment generally expressed when the first PostModern towers were being built, which quickly changed into approval. For a decade, PostModernism was all the rage, but has since become passe.

I often wonder what current architectural fashions will stand the test of time. One feature that seems to have become dominant is the idea of a 'podium'. New buildings are largely judged by their podiums. Yet a few decades ago, podiums were relatively uncommon. For all we know, buildings constructed 20 years from now will have returned to a podium-less design, and all the buildings with podiums being currently built will be regarded with derision -- much like most PoMo is regarded now.

Another feature that I am sceptical about is the spire -- very popular around the world as a cheap way of increasing a building's official height. Sometimes a spire does add to a building's looks (as in the Empire State or Chrysler buildings), but a lot of times, it does not fit the overall building design at all (i.e. the NY Times building, which is merely a regular 'box' with a thin but tall rod sticking up from the middle of the flat roof, and counting toward the height for some reason). It is very possible that in a few decades, most buildings currently being built with spires will be consided rather laughable.

My point is that rather than trying to catch the current architectural leading edge, most 'prestige' buildings should focus on top quality materials and elegant design if they want to be still admired decades from now.

This project, while it may at first glance be considered little more than infill (if such a term can be applied to towers of their height) due to its conservative design, has a greater chance of still being admired decades from now than many 'leading edge' designs being built elsewhere, which are likely to look outdated and gimmicky.

This is my opinion, for what it's worth.

Bill

edit -- One thing that Toronto has going for it is that many of its buildings are among the best in the world of their styles. For example, the TD Centre and Commerce Court West are among the best of the International style, and the Royal Bank Plaza is one of the best of the early PostModern buildings. Even some Toronto buildings built in currently unpopular styles (such as Brutalism) are among the best of that style (in this case, Toronto City Hall).
 
Re: Photos 11/03/07

I don't understand why most people seem to love the design of SP!RE but not this. Isn't Bay Adelaide just a bulkier, taller example of the exact same style? Also, for all those haters of the influx of green glass buildings in this city, with the addition of this, RBC, Ritz and Shangri La, this area of the city will be getting tons of everybody's favorite - Blue Glass!
 
Re: Photos 11/03/07

This project has always reminded me of 7WTC, which I consider a great success. Simplistic, minimal, rational, timeless, transparent design. Modernism in its purest form - BA Centre will be a total Toronto tower... confident, sleek and elegant. It will respect its neighbourhood, and not cry for unnecessary attention. I believe the lighting feature at night will also be a welcome addition (I've always thought Toronto buildings deserve to be lit better at night). Those who think the building will be bland or boxy would perhaps enjoy living in Shanghai, Dubai, Vegas or heck even Calgary better - where the countless ridiculous cartoon buildings compete for attention in the most garish and petty way. Toronto deserves more credit - we're certainly a lot more sophisticated than that.
 
Re: Photos 11/03/07

It's not the most exciting, but it's a solid building that's timeless.
 
Re: Photos 11/03/07

A tower doesn't need to be boxy for it to look confident, elegant, and sleek. I'm also not objecting to boxy buildings. However we already have countless boxes in the downtown core. It would be nice for a change. Even a box with a simplistic, but inspiring top would be nice for a change.

AtagoGreenHillsMori-001.jpg


Something like the Atago Green Hills Mori Tower would fit nicely into the core without crying for attention or looking cartoonish.
 
Re: Photos 11/03/07

Agreed - this somewhat detailed and descriptive response is certainly better than your last one...

Pathetic. Not to mention boring, uninspirational, and characterless. Oh wait, I did mention those. My bad.
Click to expand...

Hopefully over time you'll learn that a higher level of discourse on Urban Toronto garners respect.

Atago Green Hills Mori Tower would indeed be a welcome addition to the CBD - but the reality is that the Tokyo office market is far more mature than anything in North America outside Manhattan. Toronto would be lucky to have a tower designed by Cesar Pelli & Associates even half as innovative as what he has created in Japan - he certainly wouldn't have a fraction of the budget at his disposal. We should be so lucky as not to be getting an RSA Battle House Tower in Mobile, AL as an alternative.
 
Re: Photos 11/03/07

This project has always reminded me of 7WTC, which I consider a great success. Simplistic, minimal, rational, timeless, transparent design. Modernism in its purest form - BA Centre will be a total Toronto tower... confident, sleek and elegant. It will respect its neighbourhood, and not cry for unnecessary attention. I believe the lighting feature at night will also be a welcome addition (I've always thought Toronto buildings deserve to be lit better at night). Those who think the building will be bland or boxy would perhaps enjoy living in Shanghai, Dubai, Vegas or heck even Calgary better - where the countless ridiculous cartoon buildings compete for attention in the most garish and petty way. Toronto deserves more credit - we're certainly a lot more sophisticated than that.
Click to expand...

I totally agree.

This project isn't a signature building, but it looks like it'll be a nice addition to the core that will age very well.

There are a lot of signature projects going up around the city, including a Liebskind condo at a prominent location, and there will likely be even more in the future.
 
Re: Photos 11/03/07

Do I remember correctly when thinking that the glass used on this building was suppose to change colour depending on the time of day? Is that still the case with the current rendering?
 
Re: Photos 11/03/07

I am most disappointed with the ground level offering nothing to the street. No storefronts, no canopies, no atrium, no nothing. Just another glass office elevator lobby and landscaping. Perhaps it is a consequence of the PATH that nothing is offered on ground level.
 
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