Toronto Massey Tower Condos | 206.95m | 60s | MOD Developments | Hariri Pontarini

67Cup said:
I like the long, thin vertical windows on the podium which, to my mind, echo the the neo-classical columns of the two heritage structures on either side. Perhaps it is overdoing the allusion, but I would like to see a drawing with some kind of triangular structure near the top of the podium to echo the classical pediments of the two former banks. And my first instinct is to preserve classical symmetry by avoiding the slant to the north of the podium in the rendering.

I will now duck to avoid the return fire of the critics.
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Lol! Somehow I get the feeling you're joking? Po-mo is anathema to architects these days, and your ideas sound entirely in the spirit of 80s hi pomo ... But I suspect you might know that already ;p
 
UrbanFervour said:
Lol! Somehow I get the feeling you're joking? Po-mo is anathema to architects these days, and your ideas sound entirely in the spirit of 80s hi pomo ... But I suspect you might know that already ;p
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Naaah, you give me too much credit for deliberate irony. I have enough sense to know when I may be fired upon but that's about it.

But, more seriously, I do like those tall, thin, vertical windows and I think they are there for the reason I identified. That being the case, I would be interested in seeing a drawing that would take the conceit a little bit further. I have a faulty visual imagination and would be interested in seeing what the space might look like if the allusion were carried out a little more completely. It might well look like a labrador's breakfast, but I would be interested in seeing it laid out visually.

The podium is flanked by two heritage building in a somewhat fussy and ornate neo-classical style. How should the podium relate? Perhaps by way of utter contrast, say with an oblong glass cube? Well, that's already been tried over at Shangri-La and earlier and in a more extreme fashion at the ROM. Maybe it's time for a different approach, even resurrecting some post-modern ideas. Post-modernism, if badly executed, could be embarrassingly bad, of course, but that need not always be the case,

There is a potential at this site for a beautiful little urban courtyard between the heritage buildings. Put in a fountain, perhaps with a statue of Queen Victoria peeing into the basin - wait a sec, I mean a cherub, I think. At any rate, install some statuary in the fountain, made of some metal that will rapidly oxydize and discolour, anything but burnished aluminum. Lay out some comfortable benches and ensure that there is a boulangerie and patisserie around the corner. When I retire in the not too distant future, on a pleasant day in May I shall buy two croissants in a paper bag, eat them on the benches, gaze covertly at the secretaries in their short skirts and say to myself, "If I were thirty years younger..."
 
someMidTowner said:
pretty decent
2012_02_21_01_28_07_massey_tower.png
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I like it. It's better than I imagined it would be. The top is a bit funny. Doesn't feel top heavy so much as it's missing some kind of distinctive ornamentation or something... it's like staring at someone with a tall forehead. But that said, I like the buildings's slender stature and the gentle curves at the corners... and the height of the podium speaks sort of parallels the height of the classical structure below it. Not too sure about the face of the podium, or what it's supposed to represent. But the angle of it is cool.

Seeing this render, I'm thinking that the domed edifice to the north looks awfully lonely.
 
Kinda like it, but I'm asking myself, do I really, or am I just grateful it's not another Clewes-o-matic grey box, or a P+S green glass example. If this was in any other city, would we be singing it's praises, or have recent announcements just been a tad bit disappointing (ie 90 Harbour, etc) and we're making the best of it?
 
Lenser said:
Seeing this render, I'm thinking that the domed edifice to the north looks awfully lonely.
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It is kinda off on its own now, isn't it? It does seem silly that the both buildings were not included in the same project. However, on the bright side, that very isolation may help preserve the building going forward -- the plot it is on is far too narrow for useful tower redevelopment, and certainly any future project on that site would use the building as its centrepiece, rather than a mere appendage.
 
Yes, it does appear singular right now. My guess is that, for whatever reasons, it wasn't ever even on the table when they were planning the tower next door. Besides, a tower project encompassing both buildings might have been quite schitzo... better, perhaps, to have incorporated only one older building at a time, rather than kludge it all together and hope for the best.
 
…or they simply don't own the old bank to the north and the owner doesn't want to sell.

Meanwhile, serious discussion of the design remains premature. To repeat, it's an early study, not what's proposed to be built. We have a couple of weeks' wait before we see the final version!

42
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
Big Daddy:

Geez, one more or less split decision over 60 Mills and you're spreading doom and gloom?

AoD
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There was no "doom and gloom" in my post - just sarcasm. The Design Review Board has made a number of questionable revisions to projects and I would hate to see that happen here.
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
Like - but again, the podium needs more work - wonder if they are having an above ground parking garage a la Trump?

AoD
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Parking will be above-ground, starting around L3, with L2 housing amenities. They are exploring a fully-automatic, robotic garage.

This is a supremely complex development, both technically and politically.
 
At street level, if the aim is to treat the historical facades decently, that will be tough job - as will making sure that the above ground parking doesn't look like - well - above ground parking. The tower will be more a matter of taste. If it is set back a ways, it will look like it is behind the two buildings, not looming over them.
 
Kinda like it, but I'm asking myself, do I really, or am I just grateful it's not another Clewes-o-matic grey box, or a P+S green glass example. If this was in any other city, would we be singing it's praises, or have recent announcements just been a tad bit disappointing (ie 90 Harbour, etc) and we're making the best of it?
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Har! Good question. :)
 
interchange42 said:
…or they simply don't own the old bank to the north and the owner doesn't want to sell.

Meanwhile, serious discussion of the design remains premature. To repeat, it's an early study, not what's proposed to be built. We have a couple of weeks' wait before we see the final version!

42
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Which is precisely what I meant when I guessed that the north building wasn't ever on the table during the discussions.

I'll be curious to see what the next rendering looks like.... substantially different, or more or less the same spirit as captured in that first render?
 
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