ushahid
Senior Member
they havent done much projects in Toronto but they have a decent portfolio.
Portfolio | Slate Asset Management
www.slateam.com
In many ways, Toronto is more a provincial backwater than 40 or 50 years ago. Is Yonge Street a major throughfare or not? Why set this building back behind a completely non descript low rise commerical building (the old Ira Berg store)? I appreciate the building immediately south is a handsome art deco structure that should be preserved in some way, but why not put some groundbreaking, handsome architecture right on Toronto's signature street for all to enjoy? A truly sophisticated city would laugh at the current norm of placing tall and substantial buildings behind so-called heritage buildings.I'm forever wondering why in this City it is considered a win by City Planning / City Councillors to get something reduced by 4 storeys. What was wrong with 48? The stubbier 44 will look slightly less sexy on the skyline than the 48.
Oh well, at least it wasn't redesigned into some typical Toronto podium-box so I guess we must take wins when they come. Let's please build this.
Perhaps more to the point, this building isn't going behind anything. They're bulldozing that entire block of low rise and only saving the art deco facade, which will be moved back to widen the sidewalk.Why set this building back behind a completely non descript low rise commerical building (the old Ira Berg store)?
Final Report up:
Approval recommended at 44 storeys.
TWENTY MONTHS (and counting) to reduce the height by 4 storeys (for no good reason) and make minor tweaks to at-grade landscaping. Absolutely ridiculous. City Planning is a key culprit in our supply and affordability crises.
Studio Gang just finished a building here in SF. It certainly isn't the craziest of buildings, technically speaking (just a rotated floorplate), but I think they do a really good job of approaching buildings, especially residential, with interesting cladding, without relying too much on all glass.
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