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

purist said:
I find it astonishing that, in a city the size of Toronto, a 78-story mega-tower could be in the hands of a local architectural firm with zero national or international profile and no track record of excellent or notable work...
I can’t think of another large city in the US or Western Europe where such a second-rate developer and architect would be able to get something this big off the ground. How does this happen?
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That is so true.

I think the reason why Toronto is putting up such mediocre almost-supertalls has to do with the fact that the 70 storey condo tower isn't really meant to stand out anymore; it's something we've arrived at through natural height inflation. 70 is the new 50, kind of like how an A is the new C in undergraduate university. There are numerous buildings being built in the 65-80 storey range, and none of them has any ambitions of really making a statement, perhaps knowing that it won't be long before they, too, are bested.

This is quite a bit different from other cities where really tall buildings are some daring once-in-a-generation event that some ambitious developer or corporation bequeathed upon the city. I think this is why the Bow in Calgary and Comcast Center in Philly are such landmark knockouts.
 
More Aura

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Curtianwall cladding lighting up Yonge Street

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7 floors down, 71 floors to go!!

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Going up!!
 
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purist said:
I can’t think of another large city in the US or Western Europe where such a second-rate developer and architect would be able to get something this big off the ground. How does this happen? Why is this project not in the hands of important, successful and/or extremely talented architects? In other words, people who aspire to create an architectural landmark for the city.
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Miami?

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They have cardboard buildings all over. Weather allows, though, they are quite comfortable to live in.

Miami, unlike Toronto, is not obsessed with modernism at all.
 
The building you've posted appears to be 30 odd stories. There are thousands of 30 story buildings as bad as that all over the western world. And a few dozen of them are found in the GTA. But Aura is 78 stories! My point was about the way in which developments of that size should aspire to greatness, define a city, and become a landmark destination. But to aspire to greatness, and to create something era-defining, one needs to be capable of it. The developer and the architect of Aura are quite definitively incapable of anything of that stature.

Also, I am not sure what you mean by 'obsessed by modernism'. The only thing i am concerned with is good architecture. I just think a city like Toronto should be aiming to be a place defined by excellence, rather than allowing itself to be defined by deeply mediocre buildings--especially at 78 stories.
 
Ok then, what about Scotiaplaza, FCP and the CN Tower?

Do those buildings all taller than Aura, more state the type of building Aura should have been? If so, they've already been built.

You make it seem Toronto doesn't make good buildings, yet we have a few that make the Bow look like a big joke. Nothing outside Chicago or New York can match the skyscrapers built here.
 
urbandreamer said:
Take a look at all the awful retail going in here and you'll understand what this development really is all about: A vertical Milton subdivision.
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Agreed ! And people should keep that in mind. This isn't a high end development at all.

A 75 story building in most cities would be a very high end development. Maybe that speaks volumes about condos sales in the GTA region.

And you know what maybe that's not a terrible thing ! We need this sort of retail downtown, at least I think so ! On the whole it makes downtown more attractive.
Given the area I doubt it'll really hurt any of the existing retail either.

UD, you summed it up well, if your downtown you can have elements of any world, including a milton subdivision with a marshals and chain restaurants!
 
The penthouse is $17 million and the suites starts at a million. - So while it might not be high end, at those prices it certainly isn't bargain basement.
 
caltrane74 said:
The penthouse is $17 million and the suites starts at a million. - So while it might not be high end, at those prices it certainly isn't bargain basement.
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I was exaggerating to a certain degree, but for Toronto, this isn't overly high end, of course the top floors will demand a hefty premium either way.

The retail you're seeing here, would never fly at the 1 Bloor development, none of it. Again that's not a bad thing.
 
purist said:
The building you've posted appears to be 30 odd stories. There are thousands of 30 story buildings as bad as that all over the western world. And a few dozen of them are found in the GTA. But Aura is 78 stories! My point was about the way in which developments of that size should aspire to greatness, define a city, and become a landmark destination. But to aspire to greatness, and to create something era-defining, one needs to be capable of it. The developer and the architect of Aura are quite definitively incapable of anything of that stature.

Also, I am not sure what you mean by 'obsessed by modernism'. The only thing i am concerned with is good architecture. I just think a city like Toronto should be aiming to be a place defined by excellence, rather than allowing itself to be defined by deeply mediocre buildings--especially at 78 stories.
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This is Yonge and Gerrard - not King and Bay or the waterfront. Just look at all the horrible buildings around this area.
 
urbandreamer said:
A vertical Milton subdivision.
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First off, all condo's are in essence vertical subdivisions. And secondly, yes the retail here and the general pricing is lower than in certain other buildings, but why exactly is that a bad thing? Is pricing out the middle class from downtown what you think Toronto should aspire towards?
 
I must have missed something. Although I agree that the street-level facade is a bit boxy, looking like a bunch of glass panels, I think this building will be a nice touch to the area. It's gonna be a monster, and I think that suits the area.
 
vegeta_skyline said:
the retail here and the general pricing is lower than in certain other buildings, but why exactly is that a bad thing?
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It would also be silly to expect high-end retail across the street from places like Drop Zone Liquidators and a variety store.
 
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