Toronto FlyOver Canada | 25.02m | 4s | CLC | Sturgess

UtakataNoAnnex said:
Even if this building ended up being the greatest thing since Frank Gehry, I can't help think the narrative for this being built is still in the realm between a gimmick and a passing fad all served up with a cheeze sandwich.
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It isn't the greatest thing since Frank Gehry by a long shot.

AoD
 
Architecture aside (I think we can all agree this one ain't spectacular) I can say that this thing will likely be huuuuuge from a tourist perspective. As gimmicky as you may think it is, a similar Disney attraction (Soarin) regularly has two-hour lineups for a five-minute experience. My biggest concern about this attraction is actually queue management. I think people are grossly underestimating how many people are going to line up for this. Now imagine a day with a Jays game and good weather, where this insanely long queue would be flanked by CN Tower and Skydome visitors.
 
someMidTowner said:
Architecture aside (I think we can all agree this one ain't spectacular) I can say that this thing will likely be huuuuuge from a tourist perspective. As gimmicky as you may think it is, a similar Disney attraction (Soarin) regularly has two-hour lineups for a five-minute experience. My biggest concern about this attraction is actually queue management. I think people are grossly underestimating how many people are going to line up for this. Now imagine a day with a Jays game and good weather, where this insanely long queue would be flanked by CN Tower and Skydome visitors.
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I did say it's in a, "...realm between a gimmick and a passing fad...". So my concern becomes: Would it be a dud out of the gate or become a dud later on?

So outside my opinion of this project, which I'll admit isn't high, how sustainable will this thing be for the long term? It would be pointless tragedy if this project turns into a white elephant graveyard down the road...especially when it seems to be using evolving technologies to my understanding - to which always seems to leave the new-fangled thing of today obsolete for tomorrow. Therefore, this project would serve better if it was a museum, threatre or an art gallery, IMO.
 
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New, from PLANT Architect:

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FlyOver Canada: A landscape takes shape
for T.O.'s cross-country tourism destination
​
8c0c99ae-e341-4cdf-8dfe-74a15f17baca.jpg
​
When FlyOver Canada opens near the base of the CN Tower in 2023, you'll be able to see all the way across our home and native land from this Toronto vantage point. "FlyOver Canada utilizes state-of-the-art technology to give you the feeling of flight and showcases Canada like you've never seen it before," the website for this new tourism destination explains. "You'll hang suspended, feet dangling, before a 23-metre spherical screen as our film whisks you away on an exhilarating journey across Canada."
PLANT is pleased to be providing landscape architecture and local architecture services to Calgary-based Sturgess Architecture, the firm leading this project. Construction will begin next year on the real multi-level landscape that PLANT has designed for this spectacular virtual-reality attraction. The entry-level plaza, publicly accessible patio roof, and upper-level extensive green roof will provide engaging up-close and long-range views. From the top of the CN tower, FlyOver's roof will read as a stylized prairie-to-forest-to-mountain landscape. Along the new building's perimeter, logjam-like paving incursions will knit this attraction into Toronto's signature entertainment and tourism precinct.

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292 Bremner Boulevard - FlyOver Canada - Public Art Plan

Summary​
The purpose of this staff report is to seek City Council approval of 292 Bremner Boulevard, FlyOver Canada - Public Art Plan. The Plan, which is included as Attachment 1 of this report, outlines the method by which the owner will commission public art along the privately owned area of the site.

The Public Art Plan provides a framework and description of the commissioning of public art including: site context; development overview; public art sites and opportunities; selection process; program budget; timeline; project team; role of the art consultant; context plan (figure 1); site plan (figure 2); and drawings showing art opportunities (figure 3).

The attached plan meets the objectives of the City's Percent for Public Art Guidelines and is supported by the Toronto Public Art Commission.​



flyo.JPG
 
Ugh. Lumpy little thing.
Gawd, the base of the tower is becoming an architectural mess. It's enough to make one yearn for the super-simple open base of yore with its reflecting pool. The base of the tower's main access structure is a bit of porridge, but it's pretty much tucked out of sight. I find the later open stilt-and-siding ticket shelter an awkward abominination, too cheap and too graceless to be attached to Canada's most famous building. And now this.
First off - the aluminum-siding walls are a cop-out. No care, no ornament, no intelligence. This thing is essentially blind on three sides, and although the green space at the base of the tower is not terribly substantial, it keeps the space and the vistas open. The design is a style that's fast becoming a cliché, and rendered poorly at that.
It's pleasing to walk down to the base of the tower along the SkyDome's walkways and stairs. This is going to obstruct and close in that view. It's already evident from the plans that a terrible choke point is going to be created between this new thing and the ticket pavilion.
If the tower is not going to reconsider installing this attraction, it should at least reconsider the design. Something that benefits that space, the flow between levels, its elevated lookouts and the fountain.
 
the fountain right next to it is in desperate need of repairs and maintenance. It’s very sad and embarrassing to see this at such a high-traffic tourist spot:
www.cp24.com

‘Public squalor': Vandalism of water fountain prompts calls for city to improve preservation of public art

A decades-old water fountain in the heart of one of Toronto’s most visited areas was heavily vandalised with graffiti last week, prompting a social media outcry urging the city to do more to preserve public art.
www.cp24.com www.cp24.com
 
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