Toronto Birch House & Indigenous Hub | 50.3m | 13s | Dream | Stantec

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Love this installation!
 
I want to like what they were trying to do but any of the lightness created by those thin strands of material is undone by the literally massive columns holding it up.
The horrendous design as a backdrop isn't helping. I'm not sure what the team at Quadrangle was thinking when they penned that one.
 
...I wouldn't call it horrendous though. A little janky, a little out there...horrendous most certainly not, IMO.
 
Birch House pre leasing happening now, occupancy starts October 1st in some units:

Dream Impact (MPCT-UN.TO) Financials showing occupancy starts in 2024
 
The art is cool - the buildings... I don't know... They're very well meaning, and I appreciate the indigenous symbolism and iconography embedded into the design (the bricks meant to resemble a woven basket, the precast resembling birch bark, etc)

It just feels very very poorly detailed and cheaply executed. The two brick colour selections for the residential "basket weave" portion do not go well together, and the coursing pattern gets messed up because the precast does not line up in an elegant or well thought out way. The silver towers above seem to be using the least expensive aluminum panel window wall system available and the curves reveal all of the unsightly seams between the panels. The townhouse facades on the south and east sides feel like an afterthought with the weirdly textured precast framing an absolute mess of window wall and pale grey spandrel.

I could go on...

Again, I really do appreciate the thought that went into everything here, and the main Anishnawbe Health building with the red fins is really turning out nicely. I just wish they would have kept it simple and robust for the other 80% of the site.
 
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Birch House Indigenous Hub is designed around the Indigenous and Native people of the area. The art is unique to its Indigenous people and can be seen throughout.

Art does not need to be liked by everyone, and I would not change a thing if this was designed by and for the Indigenous community. We are full of culture and diversity in Toronto, this is one example of their culture.
 
Borrowing a question from another thread, do we know what services and programming will be available here? Health services for the general public or?
 
Borrowing a question from another thread, do we know what services and programming will be available here? Health services for the general public or?
Look at https://aht.ca/ where it states:

Welcome to Anishnawbe Health Toronto (AHT)
When you become an AHT client, we welcome you with a holistic health care approach provided through an intra-disciplinary team of Western and Traditional health care practitioners.

Who can access services at AHT?
First Nations, Inuit or Metis Peoples (status or non-status and their families).

Becoming a Client at AHT
Primary Care – If you are not currently a registered client with AHT, you’ll need to get in touch with us and register. Please contact our reception (416-360-0486) to arrange a primary care intake appointment. If you have your Ontario Health Card and Status Card, please bring them with you, however it is not necessary for your intake appointment.

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Supports – New clients can self-refer to the program for intake and appointment is necessary. You should expect intake appointments to last up to one hour, depending on your needs. We use this time to get to know you a bit more and address any wellness concerns you may have. You will also learn about all of the services at AHT that are available to you and your family.

Hours of Operation:
Monday -Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
 

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