Toronto 45 The Esplanade | 130.85m | 39s | Republic | Arcadis

[DSC]

The materials should be posted soon but this is a project we are managing. The colonnade has been retained but modified to be more open (no columns). It will provide a curved podium transition from setback condition offered by 75 The Esplanade, out to the plane of the enclosed colonnade design of 25 The Esplanade providing covered protection along much of this stretch of sidewalk. It's a novel concept and one we will improve throughout the application process.

Sounds good to me but, as always, "the devil is in the details"!! Any possibility of some cooperation with the City on the Green P parking garage immediately to the south? Rebuilding at least part of it in conjunction to 45 The Esplanade might be a win-win situation for everyone?

 

[RepublicDevelopments]

Sounds good to me but, as always, "the devil is in the details"!! Any possibility of some cooperation with the City on the Green P parking garage immediately to the south? Rebuilding at least part of it in conjunction to 45 The Esplanade might be a win-win situation for everyone?

We've designed the buildings (two towers) to accommodate the redevelopment of the parking garage in the rear but the timing and strategy of a rebuild there is probably a question for CreateTO. In principle, we always like to accommodate stakeholders where possible in order to reach the optimal outcome for as many people as possible.

 

[Rufus8]

The city could retain the site as transitional housing, homelessness isn't one thing with one solution so the building could be used as a collection of one stop homeless recovery options, supportive & independent. As for reuse why tear it down? The province is needing more LTC beds it could be used for that. I just wish there were more creative solutions, one that involved recognizing how impactful these redevelopments can be to the neighbourhood - you know the people who actually already live in the area. Tearing it down sounds like great fun on paper but it is hard for the community to lose the sidewalks and road safety for years, we've just come thru 75's construction could we not have development based on what the community needs? *cough* What am I saying!? Of course we can't.

 

[UtakataNoAnnex]

Welp...nothing like hearing it from the horse's mouth on the rare occasion here. It certainly takes off some of the ambiguity. Kinda refreshing really.

 

[mburrrrr]

Possibly two towers!
Assuming the 2nd south tower could be replacing the Green P below the 6th floor terrace of 25 The Esplanade. If I recall correctly, this terrace was a $1.00 100 year lease (~65 years remaining for what that’s worth……65 cents plus inflation).
We don’t have balconies but the common terraces are awesome.

I should be able to maintain my clear view down the laneway.

I might have to update my 2019 sketch.

 

[Rufus8]

I've got an even better idea - why not make residency in the city encumbent on income? You would have to show your tax return in order to be permitted to live in the city and anyone who failed the test would be immediately hauled off, they clearly have no valuables so just drag them to a waiting bus and drive them to ooohhh I don't know Elliot Lake perhaps. Of course the coffee shops, theatres, grocery stores, et al would lose their staff but the worthy citizens of Toronto could learn to make their own coffee or cook their own meals or walk their own dogs or clean their own homes......(SARCASM)

 

[urbanexplorer]

I've got an even better idea - why not make residency in the city encumbent on income? You would have to show your tax return in order to be permitted to live in the city and anyone who failed the test would be immediately hauled off, they clearly have no valuables so just drag them to a waiting bus and drive them to ooohhh I don't know Elliot Lake perhaps. Of course the coffee shops, theatres, grocery stores, et al would lose their staff but the worthy citizens of Toronto could learn to make their own coffee or cook their own meals or walk their own dogs or clean their own homes......(SARCASM)

This just took an…interesting turn . I don’t think anyone here, including the rep from republic developments has the power to make the kind of sweeping changes to housing policies you’re getting at in your last two posts unfortunately. Have you ever thought about getting involved in local politics?

 

[The Preservationist]

Homelessness and inadequate housing is a real and serious issue in Toronto. While I enjoy watching some of the high end projects rise in this city it's always in the back of my mind there are people living in the parks and alleys at their bases.

 

[adma]

Yes. I recall watching it go up.......I can't seem to get a lock on the date, but that certainly asserts that it is no older than the '80s at most.

I think it opened in 1987 or so. And in fact, it was one of the very first large-scale examples of "retro" Postmodern in Toronto (i.e. the old Bofill-precast-classicism trick)--so it was something of a landmark in its time; Toronto had seen nothing quite like it.

As is so often the case in Toronto, it pays to view things in historical context--unfortunately, there's limited means of freely imparting that historical-context awareness out there, and too many people who view our preexisting built environment as a dehistoricized fait accompli (i.e. "the building w/the cool arcade" without sizing up the context in which it was created)

 

[Red_Bulmer]

Why would you say that?

They've supported them elsewhere?

In general the City supports weather protection for pedestrians.

That's not to say that that is what we'll get here; but I'm not thinking that its out of the question either.

Actually they don't support colonnades, they are essentially banned. I can think of one recent building that's getting a colonnade, Dundas and University, but that is to preserve heritage and build a subway entrance.

 

[Northern Light]

Actually they don't support colonnades, they are essentially banned. I can think of one recent building that's getting a colonnade, Dundas and University, but that is to preserve heritage and build a subway entrance.

Evidence please.

The development you cite is the one I had in mind off the top of my head.

The subway entrance is unrelated to the Colonnade.

There is no existing Colonnade either; the compelling argument here would be a combination of heritage preservation and sidewalk capacity as the sidewalk outside the building facade along Dundas is somewhat constrained.

I'm unaware of another proposed colonnade being shot down by Planning; but perhaps there are some, if so, please offer up examples.

I also didn't suggest the City was pushing for them, merely that they support weather protection for pedestrians, and had approved a colonnade elsewhere (which they have)

While lacking in the historicist grandeur........there are other recent examples.

First, the definition from Mirriam-Webster:

I would add for our purposes, contains a pedestrian walkway between said columns and an adjacent building.

This is Monde down on Queen's Quay East:

Going back to the 80s we have Waterpark Place:

Waterclub also has this design feature:

These features are common throughout many developments.

 

[Red_Bulmer]

Evidence please.

The development you cite is the one I had in mind off the top of my head.

The subway entrance is unrelated to the Colonnade.

There is no existing Colonnade either; the compelling argument here would be a combination of heritage preservation and sidewalk capacity as the sidewalk outside the building facade along Dundas is somewhat constrained.

I'm unaware of another proposed colonnade being shot down by Planning; but perhaps there are some, if so, please offer up examples.

I also didn't suggest the City was pushing for them, merely that they support weather protection for pedestrians, and had approved a colonnade elsewhere (which they have)

While lacking in the historicist grandeur........there are other recent examples.

First, the definition from Mirriam-Webster:

View attachment 372791
I would add for our purposes, contains a pedestrian walkway between said columns and an adjacent building.

This is Monde down on Queen's Quay East:

View attachment 372788

Going back to the 80s we have Waterpark Place:

View attachment 372789

Waterclub also has this design feature:

View attachment 372790

These features are common throughout many developments.

I don't know about that newer one with the stairs, I suspect they allowed it for safety, so that the stairs are not icy in winter.
Just knowledge I picked up from a book about Toronto like 10 years ago, I can't remember which book. It was probably a Coach House Book, maybe uTOpia, Local Motion, or Stroll?

 

[UtakataNoAnnex]

If they banned colonnades, one would think they would also ban sandwich boards, planters, bike posts, trees or anything else that would impede pedestrain traffic.

...personally I like 'em, because they'll great to run to cover in unpredictable weather when sans-rain geared. So more of these, please!

 

[sunnyraytoronto]

The worst Colonnade ever designed is the colonnade of the Novotel,... at North York City Centre!
- it's all dark marble granite - limiting any natural sunlight
- pedestrian colonnade sidewalk is dis-continuous and confusing at the Novotel entrance
- pedestrian colonnade sidewalk intersects with hidden driveway for underground parking - entrance and exit,... and loading docks

It's so dangerous, City of North York eventually converted their boulevard property adjacent to the colonnade sidewalk from grassy boulevard to gravel boulevard making it easier for pedestrain traffic,... but it was inaccessible to wheelchair.

Gibson Square Condominiums | 137.46m | 42s | Menkes | Rafael + Bigauskas

Aroma Espresso Bar just opened their location in the podium of the south tower (5162 Yonge). Looks nice. Outdoor patio, too. Will try to get some shots unless someone else beats me to it.

urbantoronto.ca

Eventually, after part of it was dug up for the underground pedestrian tunnel between Menkes Gibson Square and North York City Centre which already connects to North York Centre Subway Station underground,.... that City gravel boulevard next to colonnade sidewalk was paved over as new pedestrian sidewalk (as seen in above image) - only for that most dangerous half from Yonge Street to Novotel,.... the grassy boulevard west of Novotel remains

 

[egotrippin]

The materials should be posted soon but this is a project we are managing. The colonnade has been retained but modified to be more open (no columns). It will provide a curved podium transition from setback condition offered by 75 The Esplanade, out to the plane of the enclosed colonnade design of 25 The Esplanade providing covered protection along much of this stretch of sidewalk. It's a novel concept and one we will improve throughout the application process.

Nitpicking, but if you remove the columns it's not a colonnade. Sounds like a cantilever as described, unless I'm misinterpreting.