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Lisa Rochon: Architectural mediocrity in neighbourhood renos (Globe & Mail)

Yes.

Causes: New money from foreign lands=ppl with no sense of Toronto history. Or suburbanites moving back to the old city but still loving the crapitecture of the 'burbs.

Upper Forest Hill and Bathurst-Lawrence are areas being destroyed by such barbarians. Very depressing to watch it happen. It's interesting to note that east of Yonge, an area some FH types consider being off limits (WASPy, perceived as being less wealthy), less homes are being destroyed. Maybe less money is smart money?
 
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It's a general trend in North America. It's rare to find people with enough knowledge about architecture to do these projects right. The truth is, that we're surrounded with mediocre or poor architecture, like at big box stores and new suburban neighbourhoods and it affects views of what's sophisticated architecture. It's just not as ingrained in our culture, but journalists and public figures can improve the situation.
 
It's definitely a plague. It amazes me how many people are ignorant of architecture and disrespectful of history. One tends to assume that people rich enough to carry out all these "renovations" would know better, but clearly there seem to be endless examples that wealth doesn't automatically buy taste or intelligence.
 
Nothing to be amazed at. If we want to maintain our heritage we need a heritage society that is properly funded and has the government legislation to enforce architectural standards in important areas and disallow people with money to just come and destroy heritage properties to put up McMansions or faux-style properties that would look perfect in suburbia, but destroy the character of a mature neighbourhood.
 
Tell me about it. I work on custom residential construction in, mostly, central areas of Toronto.
Almost every project we work on is some joker's idea of a dream. It actually sickens me. Work's work, though.

What gets me is the combination of drunken architect and megalomaniacal property owner in cahoots. There's some serious brain damage with some of these combinations of people, let me tell you. Their lack of basic knowledge as pertaining to construction is astounding and their idea of what looks good or fits a certain context is so out of whack, you have to feel pity for them..that, or be filled with a feeling making you want to smack them over the head with the nearest shovel.

And I'll say that just about the stone and brick projects.....don't even get me started with the stucco projects or I swear, you'll never hear the end of it.


I dare say, most of these proposals should not be given permits to build by the city.
 
lead82 said:
Nothing to be amazed at. If we want to maintain our heritage we need a heritage society that is properly funded and has the government legislation to enforce architectural standards in important areas and disallow people with money to just come and destroy heritage properties to put up McMansions or faux-style properties that would look perfect in suburbia, but destroy the character of a mature neighbourhood.
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I don't think they'd look "perfect" anywhere - post-WW2 neighbourhoods built of Modernist houses are being wrecked by these monstrosities too. Good contemporary design belongs everywhere, equally. And I don't subscribe to the idea that suburbanites are alien to the cultural life of a downtown represented by the titanium-clad buildings Rochon uses as exemplars of all that is good and true. People from the 905 throng our opera/ballet house and our museums and galleries in large numbers.
 
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