Toronto 160 Front West | 239.87m | 46s | Cadillac Fairview | AS + GG

[maestro]

This is an office complex in the ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT!

Have you not walked in the Financial District and realized that office towers alone do not encourage street animation? Take a walk in the Loop, in Chicago, and see how the large office complexes without retail, create dead zones. I have video of me walking down a street in the Loop at 6pm and there is not one single person in sight. People avoid streets that offer nothing but glass walls. We don't need to bring bad planning like that to the Entertainment District. We have created a downtown that's full of life, we need to continue with that success, not change course now.

Bit of a stretch calling this the Entertainment District. This tower completes the 30 plus year old Simcoe Place plan which always felt like an extension to the financial district. Better off to have it concentrated to areas than spread to thinly.

There is retail proposed in the podium. Whether it can animate the streetis up for speculation. What can be said is that not every street and not every building will have attractions at its base. That's just reality.

If it isn't the design itself than, it's the lack of enough retail or, the landscaping or,the overhead wires or. the neighbouring property across the street. You gotta love this forum.

 

[alklay]

Lets put a starbucks and a subway at the base, gosh that would be an improvement.

They want a large serious tenant. They aren't going to scare a corporation away by showing cookie cutter retail at the base. Perhaps this will change, perhaps there will be a couple shops in the interior of the building. You must also keep in mind that not only is there retail at ground level in this area but there are also underground retail. I think this is a silly thing to focus on.

I don't know where to start with this.

First, a decent space for a restaurant is not going to "scare a corporation away." In fact, it will do just the opposite.

Second, retail at ground level in other buildings "in the area" does not take away from the fact that this building adds nothing (in fact, subtracts), to the streetscape.

Third, retail underground also does not mitigate the fact that the building does little to nothing to animate the street. In fact, one could easily argue that underground retail actually pulls people from the street and further damages the pedestrian experience.

 

[interchange42]

The layout of the interior of this tower, like all the major office towers in the Financial core, precludes retail right at the base of the tower. Elevators fill the centre of each floor plate, and at ground level the area around them is required for circulation space: any major tenant in the building is going to want to impress with a lobby as spacious as the next tower has.

Immediately east of this lobby, and behind the heritage facade of the existing building, there will be a coffee shop/café of some ilk. Immediately north of the lobby there is the podium, and it will have retail.

You would have to move the elevators to the northeast corner of this building to be able to put retail in right at the corner of Front and Simcoe.

42

 

[Edward Skira]

Second, retail at ground level in other buildings "in the area" does not take away from the fact that this building adds nothing (in fact, subtracts), to the streetscape.

A 54 storey office tower with thousands of employees that replaces a parking lot adds nothing to the streetscape? In fact subtracts? Joking right???

 

[travis3000]

A 54 storey office tower with thousands of employees that replaces a parking lot adds nothing to the streetscape? In fact subtracts? Joking right???

He must be joking. This building would be a huge win for Toronto. I personally love it. Don't get caught up in non important details. It's a massive , impressive , architecturally stunning design office tower that would change the skyline of Toronto

 

[Automation Gallery]

A 54 storey office tower with thousands of employees that replaces a parking lot adds nothing to the streetscape? In fact subtracts? Joking right???

Hahaha, over a billion bucks of well designed office development going up in this intersection (Union Centre/160 Front), and still many here on UT are nit·picking
I guess some just want everything perfect

 

[ptbotrmpfn]

He must be joking. This building would be a huge win for Toronto. I personally love it. Don't get caught up in non important details. It's a massive , impressive , architecturally stunning design office tower that would change the skyline of Toronto

This is a gorgous building. Now that there are better renders of it cirulating, the details of the zig zag/corrigated all the way up will be interesting in the changing sunlight. didnt notice this detail before. Great addition if approved for real.It will certainly brightens up this view corridor from union station and front street.

 

[alklay]

I meant how the building meets the street (which is what the discussion was about), not the fact that the building replaces a parking lot.

 

[ptbotrmpfn]

I meant how the building meets the street (which is what the discussion was about), not the fact that the building replaces a parking lot.

I know what you meant. Stay hopeful. Its better then nothing but a parking lot. Id take it.

 

[chriskayTO]

Looks like a gigantic bike parking facility - on the main floor no less! Progress!

 

[kris]

A 54 storey office tower with thousands of employees that replaces a parking lot adds nothing to the streetscape? In fact subtracts? Joking right???

Dude. You are stupid! look at this streetscape

clearly those hooters add more to the area visually then any new fancy office tower.

 

[Torontovibe]

My god, sometimes I forget this is UrbanToronto and I wonder how I got on the Ford Nation site. You guys will take a statement and twist it to mean something completely different. You'll take things out of context and manipulate comments until they become ridiculous. Who said an office complex wasn't good for this site? Who said an office gives nothing back to the city? We were specifically talking about how this building effects Front Street at STREET LEVEL ONLY.

Front Street west of University is lined with touristy bars and restaurants for a reason. It is a main tourist zone leading to the CN Tower, Skydome, Ripley's aquarium and Roundhouse Park. It is a prime location in the Entertainment District, and yes, it is in the Entertainment District. That strip of bars and restaurants, should ideally, go all the way to Simcoe Street or even past it. (preferably, on both sides of Front Street) If you haven't notices, putting a number of restaurants/bars grouped together, creates a destination like Restaurant Row on King Street and the restaurant/bar strip on the Esplanade. It's not a new concept, it works for bars, restaurants, tourist attractions, art galleries and stores. Have you ever wondered why all the high end shops are grouped in one place? (Yorkville, 5th Avenue, Oxford Street) It's all about the SYNERGY created by putting similar businesses together. Why is that such a hard concept for some people on this site to comprehend? It's pretty obvious to most people.

It just makes sense to continue the synergy that the restaurant/bar strip on Front Street creates. An office tower is great, I just wish they would take into consideration that they are building it in an established tourist area that is lined with restaurants, so it only makes sense to continue that usage and adopt it to the office tower. A wall of glass at street level is never a good thing. I just wish the city would work with the developers to come up with a good compromise that provides office space but does not kill the animation on major streets like Front, King, Queen, John, Bay, Yonge and Queen's Quay. Our main streets are too valuable to the city and they need to be highly animated.

I never suggested that I don't want an office tower. I'm as much of a development geek as the next guy. I just want some balance so we can have the best possible outcome. A great downtown is one that is highly animated and lively, in all areas. (not just a few retail streets)

 

[stjames2queenwest]

I work in the entertainment district, and it is certainly lively. I understand that people are concerned about keeping it lively, that is valid.
Personally AT STREET LEVEL I think this will improve the area, it is a) much better than a parking lot b) a beautiful street level podium. There is food and retail near it, and much of street level here is older brick buildings (which I enjoy) but I think that the variety in facade alone here will have a positive impact and add the the "synergy"
Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but in my PERSONAL opinion I look forward to this contribution to the Skyline AND street level.

 

[ryguy7787]

How about instead of having a dull tourist trap of a restaurant like Texas Grill, Jack Astor's or Casey's we actually have a floor, high up in the air like at TD Centre and put in a one of a kind dinning experience like Canoe or Panorama Lounge.

 

[Tuscani01]

How about instead of having a dull tourist trap of a restaurant like Texas Grill, Jack Astor's or Casey's we actually have a floor, high up in the air like at TD Centre and put in a one of a kind dinning experience like Canoe or Panorama Lounge.

Agreed! Maybe a Jack Astors on the top floor? Perfect!