Toronto 875 Queen East | ?m | 7s | Harhay | OFFICEArchitecture

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skycandy said:
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The intricacy and variability of this stretch of the street level spatially and materially is just great and I hope to see more of this as density increases and major developments intensify our currently really lovely fine-grained streets that are often very flourishing urban spaces. The different levels and materials here create a more human and organic space to be in and a better space for the places inside the building than we often see on new developments (and there also appears to be some of this elsewhere on this building outside of this stretch).

So many new storefronts are barely fine-grain at all, too large for most businesses, or even if they are small have completely anonymizing reflective plates of glass (often tinted!) on the entire front that make the business within seem completely unapproachable and sterile. There's a couple storefronts near me on Dupont that were renovated to this new anonymous tinted glass style and they can't keep businesses in them. One of them was a bakery which otherwise would be the kind of place I'd be dropping into all the time if I felt like a treat haha but nobody ever seems to be in them and to me they always feel like they require a leap of confidence to casually go in. I'm sure a successful business could exist in them or someone could creatively adapt to the space and accentuate its best aspects, but it certainly doesn't make it easier for new small places. They don't allow for any expression. They're intimidating. So in that context of hostile spaces, looking at this seems like a dream of what a possible upgraded density Toronto could be like. Toronto would be a really nice place with lots of buildings like this everywhere.
 
I have lived in 30 storey plus downtown condos ever since moving to Toronto in 2005. This is the type of development that I want to live in now. It fits so well into the context of its surroundings and makes me want to walk around the neighborhood. Cant wait to see the final touches completed.
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DoubleA said:
I have lived in 30 storey plus downtown condos ever since moving to Toronto in 2005. This is the type of development that I want to live in now. It fits so well into the context of its surroundings and makes me want to walk around the neighborhood. Cant wait to see the final touches completed. View attachment 191558
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I live in a condo that was converted from a similarly-shaped office building. I do recommend this built form from a livability perspective.

Downsides you have to be aware of though: higher maintenance fees because the costs are spread over much fewer people. If there is some major problem (such as roof needing a retrofit) then that is a major cost for the building owners to take. This also means some amenities such as a building concierge are lost.
 
You know what we're missing here? 19th century, third-world hydro poles on BOTH sides of the street.

Why should one side of the street be so much more "vibrant" and "typically Toronto" than the other?

You should get an equal view of decrepit infrastructure on both sides of the street, it's only fair!

I'd be pissed off if I only had rusty poles on my side - I want both!
 
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I"ve read the criticism for the low storefront ceilings. Walking under this today though, I agree that they could've been higher, but they don't feel claustrophobic.
 
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