Toronto 50 Bloor Street West | 230.11m | 70s | Morguard Corporation | Pellow + Associates

Sure it's better than the previous proposal, but seriously? Another f*****g box?

Ugh! Just look at all these damn boxes, this must be a really boring city. Why don't they dream big? Where are the freaking starchitects? [/sarcasm]

0xc5yW6.jpg

http://www.layoverguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Seoul-South-Korea.jpg
 
My problem is that it seems to mostly be comprised of glass cladding, which I’m SO sick of since almost every single building in this boom has the same blue crystal tower look. Hopefully it’s not just another glass tower. And why on earth would there only be one tower in this much space? There’s easily room for at least two. Having only one tower and the rest of it consisting of a giant podium along Bloor is a waste of space. And I hope there are no setbacks, and that it remains as tall as it was originally proposed so that it has a monumental presence from the street.
 
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Thanks for the rendering. I'm really, really liking this one, no gimmicks, clean elegant lines.
I agree the whole 'box' argument is as overplayed as the 'shadow' argument once we acknowledge that buildings have walls, sit upright on a plot, are enclosed, and contain things - hence as forever box-like.
 
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What’s the building depicted in the rendering at the north-west corner of Bloor & Bay? I don’t remember a huge double-tower being/proposed there.
 
My problem is that it seems to mostly be comprised of glass cladding, which I’m SO sick of since almost every single building in this boom has the same blue crystal tower look. Hopefully it’s not just another glass tower. And why on earth would there only be on tower in this space?

800 BC: Really? Another mud hut?
1840: Cripes, I've about had it with these brick buildings. Why won't anyone try something different?
1967: Methinks this concrete fad is a little played out.
3245: *rolls eyes* wow, a transparent aluminum orb. never seen one of those before.
 
Ugh! Just look at all these damn boxes, this must be a really boring city. Why don't they dream big? Where are the freaking starchitects? [/sarcasm]

Sarcasm aside, whether a city is boring or not really doesn't depend on architecture.
Seoul and Tokyo have forgettable buildings, but they are ten times more lively and interesting on the street level than a typical beautiful North American city. The small restaurant scene at Shinjuku at 8pm any week day is simply breaktaking, probably more than King W and Yorkville combined. I was so amazed by how vibrant all those small narrow streets are. Even the areas far from the core have retail and small restaurants on most side streets.
East Asian cities, despite their general architectural blandness, are a whole different level when it comes to street liveliness.
 
Sarcasm aside, whether a city is boring or not really doesn't depend on architecture.
Seoul and Tokyo have forgettable buildings, but they are ten times more lively and interesting on the street level than a typical beautiful North American city. The small restaurant scene at Shinjuku at 8pm any week day is simply breaktaking, probably more than King W and Yorkville combined. I was so amazed by how vibrant all those small narrow streets are. Even the areas far from the core have retail and small restaurants on most side streets.
East Asian cities, despite their general architectural blandness, are a whole different level when it comes to street liveliness.


Why not aim for cities that have lively street life AS WELL AS aesthetically pleasing architecture? You make it seem like since Tokyo has a good street vibe, they can build whatever bland buildings they want.
 
Boxes can be aesthetically pleasing, especially in a city like Toronto where the street is mostly a grid pattern. Manhattan is pretty boxy too - even the parks are boxes!

central-park-skyline.jpg
 

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To be honest, I count more buildings with setbacks and aesthetic rooflines than I do boring boxes in this NYC photo... I'm not sure if this photo helps prove your point.
 
Is it though ? Many of those buildings aren't quite boxes, have parts that stick out / irregular roof lines / ... gives it a little more depth / character.
 
Ugh! Just look at all these damn boxes, this must be a really boring city. Why don't they dream big? Where are the freaking starchitects? [/sarcasm]

http://www.layoverguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Seoul-South-Korea.jpg

Again, where I've said ALL BOXES are boring? I've just said that it will be nice to have something really different for such a prominent location than another glossy box. Next time try to understand what people say before attempting to make a sarcastic response.

Oh, and yes, that pic of Seoul is damn boring.
 
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Again, where I've said ALL BOXES are boring? I've just said that it will be nice to have something really different for such a prominent location than another glossy box. Next time try to understand what people say before attempting to make a sarcastic response.

Oh, and yes, that pic of Seoul is damn boring.

What the, where did the goalposts go?
 

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