Toronto The King East | ?m | 15s | Lamb Dev Corp | Core Architects

It seems like all the new condos going up, that have retail, design it all the same. I'm getting tired of just seeing a wall of glass, for all retail spaces. It just lacks any kind of charm whatsoever. (and almost always, it's finished with grey metal trim) No wonder our new retail spaces are so uninspiring.
 
Although I appreciate the "clear" look they were going for with the top floors, I don't think it'll last long with the imminent blinds.
 
Torontovibe said:
It seems like all the new condos going up, that have retail, design it all the same. I'm getting tired of just seeing a wall of glass, for all retail spaces. It just lacks any kind of charm whatsoever. (and almost always, it's finished with grey metal trim) No wonder our new retail spaces are so uninspiring.
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I agree with your observation. There is almost a "one-size-fits-all" big box mentality when it comes to retail in new condos. Once the old buildings along King are all torn down, the street will just be an expanse of blank glass walls.
 
gristle said:
I agree with your observation. There is almost a "one-size-fits-all" big box mentality when it comes to retail in new condos. Once the old buildings along King are all torn down, the street will just be an expanse of blank glass walls.
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Precisely why I'm so opposed to what's going on in the entertainment district now. It's going to be a mess IMO.
 
When I was in Chicago and saw some of the beautiful retail display windows in The Loop, I couldn't help but be a little envious. Why does Toronto have so few beautiful retail display windows?

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These are far nicer than a simple glass wall, which is what we usually get with new buildings. I fear if all of our older buildings get torn down, our main shopping streets will become dull, walls of glass.
 
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Toronto used to have amazing buildings like these....some awful people tore them down over the years for greedy profit.

Although we still have many interesting retail shops, and thankfully, Toronto's boom isn't large enough that it will take down all these shops. Trends change. You can already see the hipster developments are moving away from the all glass look.
 
urbandreamer said:
Toronto used to have amazing buildings like these....some awful people tore them down over the years for greedy profit.

Although we still have many interesting retail shops, and thankfully, Toronto's boom isn't large enough that it will take down all these shops. Trends change. You can already see the hipster developments are moving away from the all glass look.
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Praise the almighty hipster! Haha... kidding. Seriously though, its to do with material costs. What's cheaper than thick brick and nice window trimmings? Why... one gigantic window, that's what! I'm surprised that the city doesn't mandate certain requirements for architectural beauty. Sure the price would be higher but in the long run a neighborhood such as this one would be absolutely beautiful and sought after, and most importantly would add to the character of our great city.
 
Can we avoid comparing ourselves to Chicago? These discussions gett boring. Toronto has the retail appropriate for a city of its size and appropriate for the years that it developed. Nothing more and nothing less.
 
bad neighbour said:
Seriously though, its to do with material costs. What's cheaper than thick brick and nice window trimmings? Why... one gigantic window, that's what! I'm surprised that the city doesn't mandate certain requirements for architectural beauty. Sure the price would be higher but in the long run a neighborhood such as this one would be absolutely beautiful and sought after, and most importantly would add to the character of our great city.
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I would agree. However, while the city may be partially culpable, it is the developer who is ultimately responsible. It isn't an issue of materials, but of design. Developers want to do whatever is the cheapest (and they don't just skimp on materials, mechanical systems can also get cheaped-out as well). Ultimately, they want to make their profit and walk away. The retail space is not their concern. They just make the space exist, the form or impact doesn't matter. How it looks or affects the street or neighbourhood is not their concern. Developers are not all that interested in city building; they are interested in selling units and making a profit, and they will generally fight anyone who gets in the way of that. I'll venture to say that, as many people working in the development industry probably live in the suburbs, they view the big box retail model as the superior model, and worth replicating downtown. There is a view among some of them that the older, traditional retail spaces - such as those found along King and Queen Streets - are deficient and "out of date," and need to be replaced with the box model. Hence, you get what the developer believes in and is the easiest for them to achieve, not what is necessarily good for the urban landscape.
 
Condos in Yorkville have done a good job integrating design variation and visual interest at grade retail level (ie. 10 Bellair and 100 Yorkville). Kudos also goes to projects in the St. Lawrence/King East area and Minto Midtown for creating an engaging pedestrian experience.
 
6 December 2012:

Some retail--a hair salon?--is open and the furniture store looks like they're rushing to be ready for Boxing Week.

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Not fond of the two large garage doors facing King--Toronto must get better at this and demand all vehicler access be via rear alleys.
 
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Not fond of the two large garage doors facing King--Toronto must get better at this and demand all vehicler access be via rear alleys.
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There are no rear alleys here. The site is too small for anything other than parking exits on King. The frontage on Parliament is pretty small. What they needed here to deal with this was no parking at all.
 
It's not a hair salon, its a spa. They had some kind of grand opening party last night full of nice looking people. Looks pretty nice inside. There's the futniture shop and I'm 99% sure the corner unit is going to be a Royal Bank. I was hoping for a restaurant, coffee shop, etc...but it's better than having a RAbba's or Subway so I can't complain. Still think there should have been brick instead of stucco on the West elevation as per the renderings.
 
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