First: you're welcome!, to all who said 'thanks' or similar for my report.
More answers, thoughts:
I'm kind of mystified by the 25,000 sq. ft of retail space on the lower level with no connection to HBC. It seems like it would be a tough sell down there. I'd hate to see another Cumberland Terrace.
That is a bit odd. Where did you see that? I'd be astonished if they didn't try to connect to the mini-PATH up there. In that case, it would make sense. Otherwise I can only imagine it might be lower levels for the ground floor stores.
In my report, Unimaginative, near the end I have a breakdown of where the retail will be: 35,000 sq ft on the ground level, 45,000 sq ft on the level above, and 25,000 sq ft on the concourse level. The concourse, or basement, will
not connect to any other building. The only connection to another property will be via a retail-lined walkway from Yonge at ground level which will connect through to the subway entrance of 33 Bloor East, aka the Xerox building.
Very informative, thanks. On Global news at 6:00pm they did a piece on the project and announced that pricing ranges from $380,000's to $1,500,000's. They made no mention of suite sizes.
Silver Suites (floors 8 to 38) will range from 535 sq ft to 817 sq ft
Gold Suites (floors 39 to 59) will range from 535 sq ft to 1052 sq ft
Platinum Suites (floors 60 to 65) will range from 1065 sq ft to 1727 sq ft
The larger suites in Silver and Gold sections are the four corner suites, which are all two bedroom units. The Platinum suites are all very sweet.
I can definitively say that I like it now. One of my hopes for the project is that all of the balcony swooshes - not just the ones that reveal smooth curtain wall - play out obviously enough when the building is finished. I have my doubts about that one, but I'll be waiting with bated breath for a few years, I suppose.
I think all balconies will 'play out obviously enough' as you put it: as the balconies turn, the frit will go from semi-transparent to opaque. The line will be noticeable.
That is a fantastic update 42 but it makes me realize what I always suspected:
These development companies have architects design tons of buildings that don't even have a plot of land to sit on. How else could they have such a comprehensive deign ready, when they only bought this property from receivership in August of '09? Not to mention the ability to add floors if the demand is high enough. You can't simply slide some floors in on a design like this, the way you could with X for example. It would throw off the whole sweeping curves. I bet they have several versions of this building all on the backburner waiting for use.
I do not think that what you are looking at now was pulled out of HP's spec design book. They have had over half a year to produce a design for Great Gulf, and could have been consulted for ideas before that when Great Gulf were considering purchasing the site.
Interchange: Thank you for this very comprehensive set of pictures and description. You haven't left much room for questions; you appear to have got all of the info and brought it to us.
Certainly an interesting comment about the possibility of increasing the height to 80 or whatever, although I'm not sure I would hold my breath waiting for that. Increasing heights isn't as easy as one might think, what with both architectural / engineering considerations and, probably, the need to rework financial arrangements. But it's an intriguing possibility.
and...
I really like the design and secretly wish that the tower does not gain any more floors as such would make the roof design, which I think is the building's strongest design element, just that much harder to see at ground level.
If the building were to get taller, would the current curves be extended from their current end? Or would the current curves be stretched to cover the new height? An extension of the curves might not resolve as elegantly as they do now, while a stretching of the curves would change the length of the balconies of most units to a certain degree: while a balcony length change be enough to allow purchasers out of their sales agreements? If so, you would not want to do that...
In regards to the roof element... I don't think you'll see much of that from Yonge & Bloor no matter how many floors are added or not. I think you'll need to be a couple of blocks away to best appreciate it!
The whole tower isn't curtainwall, only the "flat" strip running up each elevation, and the lantern.
Yes, I should have been more precise.
The renders show a blueish hue to the glass, but I'd love it if the building actually turned out as icy white as the model. Something like Telus, but a little less reflective.
I did not ask about how clear, or tinted, the glass will be. I think the fritted balcony glass will dominate the design, and it is likely to look more like the Festival Tower than any other building in the city.
Interchange, what was HP's "inspiration" for the design?
David Pontarini volunteered to me that Aqua was a major inspiration: nobody could deny that, right? I don't see the buildings as particularly close relations, however: Aqua was a starting point only as I see it.
Thanks 42 for the pics I'm starting to love this building now. IMO, best design yet for the Yonge and Bloor intersection. is it just me or does the building look like a "1" from one of the angles? lol....it looks good anyhow so score one for GG and HP!
From the east it will certainly appear as a 1!
One quibble - I do wish they carry the non-linear motif all the way to the ground level - something that flows like the podium balconies would be nice, though it could be challenging for retailers. Think IAC in NYC...
...which reminds me: One Bloor has not gone to the Design Review Panel yet. (As both David Pontarini and Janet Rosenberg sit on the DRP normally, they will have to recuse themselves when it does.) I wonder if the DRP will ask for any changes such as what you are suggesting AoD. It will be interesting to see what if anything might change...
42
I decided I still don't like it. If aA had come up with something sort of similar, I could trust them. HP, on the other hand, can not be trusted, as their previous buildings just don't add up to their hype. I have a feeling this building was conceived, not in Toronto, but on a Florida beach in mid-winter.