Toronto Aura at College Park | 271.87m | 78s | Canderel | Graziani + Corazza

junctionist said:
LA's reputation as a cosmopolitan city is strongly bolstered by Hollywood.
Click to expand...

O gee, i thought it was because they are the second largest city in the US with a strong mixed culture, also with one of the largest port cities in the world, and over 800 museums and art galleries ....i can go on and on. but lets forget it. Come-on
 
Sure it has a many cultures mixed as well, but not the the degree of Toronto or NYC's multicultural composition. Cosmopolitan as a term, would not be how I would describe LA, least from my experience. 800 Museums?? That I didn't know and don't really beleive.
 
I assume the 800 include small storefront art galleries as well, and even possibly some kiosks at gas stations selling paintings produced on black velvet..

42
 
Automation Gallery said:
O gee, i thought it was because they are the second largest city in the US with a strong mixed culture, also with one of the largest port cities in the world, and over 800 museums and art galleries ....i can go on and on. but lets forget it. Come-on
Click to expand...

I didn't say it was because of Hollywood, but it wouldn't nearly be as distinguished without it. Chicago, for instance, also a vibrant arts scene, cultural diversity, and fine architecture as the birthplace of the skyscraper. Remember that the stars need art for the walls of their mansions, furthering demand for art and hence the presence of galleries.
 
urbandreamer said:
Mixing of cultures in Toronto? Seriously? Not from what I've seen the past several weeks....

Toronto has hundreds of indie art galleries--anyone that reads Slate would know that.

"I'd rather be homeless than live in the Aura penthouse." :p
Click to expand...

Why what happened the past several weeks? I would say we do mix well here, but maybe that is just my experience I don't know...I have a quite varied group of friends of many colours and ethnicities in my social circle growing up and now.
 
Construction begins on Aura, Canada's largest condo

Berardo Graziani is thrilled ground has at last been broken on Aura, the 75-storey skyscraper that will soon be the tallest condo tower in Canada.

“There’s a sense of relief,” says Graziani, a principal with Mississauga-based Graziani + Corazza Architects, the firm that designed the skyscraper, which had its official construction launch Friday.

Mayor David Miller and Councillor Kyle Rae joined Michael LaBrier, president of Aura’s developer Canderel Stoneridge, for festivities at the building site on the northwest corner of Yonge and Gerrard, currently home to a parking lot.

“For the last year and a half or so, all we were hearing from clients and people in the city was, ‘Is that thing ever going to go ahead?’ ” Graziani says. “We heard all kinds of rumours: that it was dead, that it was being sold. . .

More................http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/reales...ruction-begins-on-aura-canada-s-largest-condo
 
From the article:

The retail space will be housed within Aura’s four-storey glass podium, with primary access through the building’s north side along a resurrected stretch of Hayter St., which will serve as the pedestrian corridor.

“We located the main entrance to the retail at the corner of Hayter and Yonge because we think having the pedestrian traffic movement from that corner is key,†Graziani explains.

“The more knee-jerk approach would have been to put it at Yonge and Gerrard, but we moved it so all the main public spaces are along that northern edge.â€

Hmm...that doesn't sound like a smart move to me.
 
What makes Yonge so vibrant is the continuity of storefronts along most of that stretch. Eaton's Centre was a exception to this approach, and they've gone to some lengths to open the street space up, but once built as a wall, it's hard to really change the form.
 
Surely, there's a way to maintain that small scale and individuality at street level, yet build 50 floors higher above it? Yonge Street will change, because it just can't stay the same. We've come to a point where that street just can't go on in its present format. City's need to evolve or turn into antiquated places that have lost their potential.
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top