Toronto Eau du Soleil Condos | 227.98m | 66s | Empire | Richmond Architects

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I just don't see the appeal of living in a 70 storey tower as part of a residential TOD master plan . Elevators suck in my opinion of course. What rationale is there to build so tall and potentially so dense here? Are there any limits to those proposing supertalls? When I think of Manhattan, I think of short blocks made up of side up side midrises and highrises reaching as high as 50 metres. Humber Bay Shores reminds me of singular developments attempting to outdo one another like some Asian/ Middle East fetish developments than one that provides a coherent , softer form of high rise development like Cityplace's Toronto scaled Vancouverism.

I hope Kraft gets developed with many short blocks with mixed use perimeter block buildings with a modest tower (by HBS standards) thrown here and there. That would stand out among the VCCs and M Citys. I expect an inward focused, giant scaled Burnaby type master plan perhaps with an open air mall with tall towers on top.

Humber Bay shores overlooks the downtown skyline, so there is incentive for high buildings for the views.
 
Height is not actually the focus of my post. I still find a view of downtown as incentive to build tall towers a pretty weak argument. You're overlooking water for the most part. 15 storeys gives you a good view. There are also plenty of neighbourhoods, east and west, that would offer the same or better views of downtown in modest high rises.

I care more about partaking in vibrant urban street life than admiring the view from afar. I'm a little biased in this regard.
 
Eau du Soleil on a sunny but frosty day. Interior work continues, as evidenced by the activity of the hoists. Everyone must be happy to be inside today!

Humber Bay is thinly frozen over, though that is not clear from the photo. Patches of ice extend a considerable distance into the main lake, as can be seen in the otherwise irrelevant third shot.

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The accent line continues to climb the Water Tower and more cladding has been installed on the balconies of both towers. It certainly looks as if the accent line will impair the view from a number of units. It does look good from a distance but I wonder how desirable it will be to prospective purchasers of the affected units. One reason for buying here is the view of the lake. This decorative band of cladding will negatively affect that view. Well, one hopes that at least it will not moan like the screens on the E condos.

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It's the same thing with E Condos with its metal grates or Theater Park and the zigzag bands:



Personally, if I cared enough about this, I would have checked the architectural plans and the location of their unit respective to where the bands will go.

Either you have a simple glass box that benefits the owners and their views, or have something a bit more visually unique but at the expense of some views. Can't have it both ways all the time.

The accent line continues to climb the Water Tower and more cladding has been installed on the balconies of both towers. It certainly looks as if the accent line will impair the view from a number of units. It does look good from a distance but I wonder how desirable it will be to prospective purchasers of the affected units. One reason for buying here is the view of the lake. This decorative band of cladding will negatively affect that view. Well, one hopes that at least it will not moan like the screens on the E condos.

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