Toronto The Residences of 488 University Avenue | 206.95m | 55s | Amexon | Core Architects

I hope this is a joke of sorts. The Four Seasons is a tall sleek building, but one is enough. Exact copies just shows how lazy designers can be. This is a shorter, stumpier, frumpier exact copy of the same thing.
Someone get on this, and just say no!!
 
The tower does look like Four Seasons quite a bit. Not an exact copy, but sure close enough that I also thought maybe the posted image actually was 4S. That said, the 4S is a beautiful building and if this one looks like it I'm fine with that.
 
It actually looks to be exactly the same height as the Four Seasons. So you can't even call it frumpy and stumpy...

It is for all intents and purposes, an exact clone of the Four Seasons building in Yorkville.
 
copy of my SSC post:

and ya, looks EXACTLY like four seasons. ladies and gentlemen, we have a new standard of copy paste (though thankfully it's Four Seasons, something no one can complain about too much).

and WOW, that's gotta be the tallest height addition ever. doesn't that mess with the foundations of the building though? isn't that too much to add on?


overall i'm happy with the height, gonna have a big impact on the skyline from the east/west. gonna look good in context with RCMI being so close by, so the height will balance out.
 
I also think that it is a deep shame that they would completely eliminate the current precast cladding, which I think is both handsome and representative of a distinct era of modern architectural history. Do something to improve the base, sure, but does it really mean that you also have to strip this building of all of its original character?
 
steveve said:
what does this mean? (or is it a joke)
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I think the Four Seasons tower part of the rendering was subbed in to help visualize massing and is not intended to represent the actual tower that will be built.

Everyone seems to have ignored this comment and is freaking out about this building being a carbon copy of the Four Seasons, lol.
 
grey said:
I think the Four Seasons tower part of the rendering was subbed in to help visualize massing and is not intended to represent the actual tower that will be built.

Everyone seems to have ignored this comment and is freaking out about this building being a carbon copy of the Four Seasons, lol.
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Sorry, where is this comment? Do mean the one where they said that they would redesign it to make it 'look less like the four seasons'? I believe them, but I'm still shocked that they would feel comfortable putting forward a design that they clearly spent some time on (3d models don't build themselves) that was so comically derivative. I think they were hoping that it would slide past undetected. Lazy work that deserves our derision, even if it won't end up being built as shown.
 
If they must ripoff another design, I'm glad that they're ripping off one of the best new designs in the city, however so much of the Four Seasons' beauty is due to the quality of materials and execution, so there's some reason for concern here if this is to be a mid-market product.

Also, I think it's significant that local architects are starting to take inspiration from local designs rather than foreign designs.
 
Ramako said:
so much of the Four Seasons' beauty is due to the quality of materials and execution
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That's exactly it.
The Four Season's does not excel because of its design, which can hardly be described as groundbreaking in any respect. But rather because of the quality of materials used and the top notched execution and attention to details. It would be foolhardy to believe a mid-ranged building like this would excel in the same manner as the Four Season's.
 
bengaijin said:
I also think that it is a deep shame that they would completely eliminate the current precast cladding, which I think is both handsome and representative of a distinct era of modern architectural history. Do something to improve the base, sure, but does it really mean that you also have to strip this building of all of its original character?
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I wouldn't be surprised if more of this sentiment was expressed: after all, it's Toronto's prime example of "Yamasaki modern". (And in an era where Ed Stone's 1 Columbus Circule was worth rallying for...)
 
That's exactly it.
The Four Season's does not excel because of its design, which can hardly be described as groundbreaking in any respect. But rather because of the quality of materials used and the top notched execution and attention to details. It would be foolhardy to believe a mid-ranged building like this would excel in the same manner as the Four Season's.
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Agreed!
I cannot believe the sheer....gall, lack of pride, imagination or courtesy this firm is showing, planning something like this. Ridiculous.
Well, if they were looking to build an Icon, they sure aren't going to get it by copying the original. They'd at least be honest if they named it "The Copy", "The Stepchild" or dare we hope, "The Bastard".

I wouldn't be surprised if more of this sentiment was expressed: after all, it's Toronto's prime example of "Yamasaki modern". (And in an era where Ed Stone's 1 Columbus Circule was worth rallying for...)
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Yamasaki - good reference. I've always liked this building - the delicacy of the cladding was appealing. I was surprised to be walking by the building and seeing it in rough shape. The cladding looks chipped and spalled, and there are metal clamps on it everywhere, presumably holding back further crumbling. I guess this is why the owners might be happy to just strip it, but I'd personally rather see it restored. Concrete's come a long way since even the 1970's - a new composite could work wonders.
Having the base restored and a new addition play stylishly off it would be my best-case scenario, but if they're going to gut it, they should rebuild it properly. I don't think people are expecting the sun and the moon out of Core in terms of orginality, but this Four Seasons ripoff is low. Didn't anyone tell these people in school that plagiarism is a no-no?
 
^ CN - I've been at a loss for words, w.r.t. "Icon". You've expressed what I'm thinking pretty well.

I unite with others in this thread who feel that the building presently occupying this site should be restored. In Toronto terms, it has historic value.
 
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