Toronto St Michael's Hospital Emergency Department Redevelopment | ?m | 2s | Unity Health Toronto | NORR

[AlvinofDiaspar]

LOL, Alvin, my tongue was firmly in my cheek on that one.

I understood what you meant, I was merely confirming that I correctly identified the conspicuous vent.

To their credit, at least it had some sort of architectural cladding on it - not straight up galvanized steel.

AoD

 

[AlexBozikovic]

As to preservation of existing building elements - I like the sentiment, but execution is a mixed bag (just thinking those disembodied window arches at the outdoor public space at Woman's...not so impressed).

AoD

Fair point! But the fact that a stand-alone element is so badly done reflects the general lack of creativity, taste and care around these projects. WCH in particular.

as with so much public architecture in Toronto, the standards are incredibly low.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Fair point! But the fact that a stand-alone element is so badly done reflects the general lack of creativity, taste and care around these projects. WCH in particular.

as with so much public architecture in Toronto, the standards are incredibly low.

Landscaping is an afterthought in this town, and WCH is a P3 project...so...

Though still not nearly as laughably awful as the new Toronto Courthouse - where the contrast between the quality of the building and the lack of attention to detail to the landscaping outside shocks.

AoD

 

[UtakataNoAnnex]

Is this the lovely feature of which you speak so highly?

...they should make it so that a whimsical horn sound emanates musically anytime ventilation passes though it. <3

 

[thecharioteer]

Agreed



The loss of that gorgeous staircase/entry way was a shame, most of the rest, not as much, but for being replaced by a steaming pile...... never mind.... LOL



My local site, I have to say, I don't see this as such a huge loss, I would hope they would save some of the stone in the lobby, but I've always found the inside and outside of TEGH, and I've spent too much time there as both patient and caregiver, to be depressing as all get out.

They are saving one of the original wings and restoring it as offices, so that's a nice bonus.

As with Women's College the most unfortunate thing, to me, is not so much what's lost as that the gain wasn't a bit better both from an aesthetic and a functional perspective.

Though, it is is a giant leap forward for TEGH in the latter respect, but it has still come up a bit short in spots (I've been in the new wing on the ground floor and some of the designs misses are quickly apparent). Sigh.

And then some hospitals just entirely vanish, like Wellesley Hospital (with only the Victorian fencing remaining:

1950's:

1972:

2022:

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

And then some hospitals just entirely vanish, like Wellesley Hospital (with only the Victorian fencing remaining:

1950's:

View attachment 484023

1972:

View attachment 484025

2022:

View attachment 484026

You can thank Harris' Health Services Restructuring Commission for that. If anything, given the size of the site we probably should have closed St. Mike's and rebuilt Wellesley instead.

AoD

 

[Northern Light]

A construction staging report gives us a timeline of the upcoming new build here.

https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2023/te/bgrd/backgroundfile-237210.pdf

* Mods* as this is a distinct from the project now showing as complete on the UT Map, I would suggest either that the new project get its own thread, or that this thread be re-titled as a general thread for St. Mike's redevelopment and that db be shifted back to construction.

 

[UtakataNoAnnex]

* Mods* as this is a distinct from the project now showing as complete on the UT Map, I would suggest either that the new project get its own thread, or that this thread be re-titled as a general thread for St. Mike's redevelopment and that db be shifted back to construction.

...but that would disrupt our discussion on musing about vents! >.<

 

[khris]

That timeline is strange, because demolition is done on the above ground portion, and it's not even August 2023 yet. Unless there's something else that's going to be demolished?
Here is what it looks like now:

 

[rdaner]

16 July.

 

[khris]

The pile drivers they are using are massive. There were two of them on July 27 and 28, but when I took this photo on the 25th, there was only the one.

 

[bilked]

 

[Passerby305]

The old Shuter Wing (which is, in fact, three buildings built at separate times) are prepped for external demolition. Going to be a slow and deliberate process given the active hospital uses on both sides.

The Art Deco 30 Bond Street entrance is a heritage structure and is not included. However, plywood was put up on some of its windows to protect the active building there.

View attachment 440525

By any chance, do you or anyone else on this forum have a picture of the building from this specific angle before the scaffolding was installed all around it?
The first core memory I have of my firstborn daughter is stepping out of that small door on the side of the hospital. It was a bitterly cold January night

 

[Northern Light]

Not actually part of this project, but of on-going work at St. Mike's...............

A permit for work you don't see very often............

Infilling elevator shafts!

 

[DSC]

Though did not think it merited a photo (one hole is much like another!); the excavation at Bond & Shuter is moving along very fast. It's not a large site so I suspect we may see something rising in a couple of months.