Toronto The Uptown Residences | ?m | 48s | Pemberton | Burka

Ah, semantics. Mike, you seem to be equating "luxury" with "getting your money's worth." But isn't luxury really about paying more for unnecessary and ever-diminishing returns, just because you can?
 
Photos by Sir Novelty Fashion

Taken from his original thread to be found here:
http://urbantoronto.ca/showthread.php?t=5935

Now let's mosey down to Balmuto, and the Cruptal Blown construction site, where a race is on between Crystal Blu and the Uptown to see who can shuffle around the jobsite the most without actually building anything.

The Uptown, for its part, has amassed some serious-looking equipment and has aquired for itself a middling pile of dirt.


Whereas Crystal Blu has... a backhoe. Evidently, it just dispensed with the sales centre. Notice the fence at the edge of the picture? That's the dividing line between the sites. Crystal Blu's footprint is insanely small.


But what's this? Crystal Blu has an ace up their sleeve!


Will the Uptown secretly built an ersatz zeppelin mast inside its ersatz art deco upper reaches? Will they build anything at all? The two sites taken together:
 
There is lots of activity happening on the Uptown site. Cranes digging holes, dirt being removed etc. There were two surveyors on the Blu site and the same lone, inactive piece of construction equipment as pictured above.
 
I can't wait to see these rise, side-by-side. I will get some shots on Thursday if I have the chance.
 
I would like to them side by side when they are finished. It would be interesting to compare how well each of them turn out, especially since they were both designed by Burka Varacalli Architects Inc. You would hope that two buildings built side by side at the same time, albeit from different developers, but designed by the same architectural firm, would have some continuity, at least at the base.
 
But these are by Burka Varacalli, as noted above, so you might want to lower your expectations. I know I have, and it will be lead some delight and surprise if they better them.

Yeah, good luck.

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My expectations are not that high for either. The winner of the two would be the one that won't make people shudder (as much) when looking at it.

I don't mind the design of Crystal Blu and I'm hoping that it turns out ok. I'm saying that on the basis that I want a better than average project for Bazis' first in Toronto. If it turns out to be no better than average, I fear that the same outcome will happen at 1 Bloor E, where IMHO it is important to have a very high-quality final product.
 
marcus_a_j said:
I don't mind the design of Crystal Blu and I'm hoping that it turns out ok. I'm saying that on the basis that I want a better than average project for Bazis' first in Toronto. If it turns out to be no better than average, I fear that the same outcome will happen at 1 Bloor E, where IMHO it is important to have a very high-quality final product.
Click to expand...

I've heard that Great Gulf will be involved in the construction management of the Crystal Blu site - if that is true this one could turn out to be a winner based on their recent track record with 18 Yorkville and the Hudson.
 
I think the CrystalBlu sales centre gave away the tower's final look quite a bit. Maybe, just maybe.

Is it just me, or did CrystalBlu sell remarkably quick? Or atleast the speed at which it went from newspaper ads in the Globe to construction was impressive to me. Strange. Location??? or what???
 
URBAN!TY said:
Is it just me, or did CrystalBlu sell remarkably quick? Or at least the speed at which it went from newspaper ads in the Globe to construction was impressive to me. Strange. Location??? or what???
Click to expand...

Price p.s.f. at Blue was priced better. That is to say it's not as expensive as it's counterpart a few metres north. I heard several comments that the standard finishes were not very good at Uptown considering the price point. Also there's more suites to sell at Uptown given it's larger footprint and height.
 
Views?

I'm curious if anyone in Crystal Blu is going to have a view. To the south is that god awful brown rental building... to the north will be the Uptown... to the west is the Manulife Centre. This building will be literally sandwiched right between with maybe only a few feet separating them. Just wondering who would buy these units if they know they'll be looking right into someone else's apartment.
 
^^ dt toronto geek,

I realize what you are saying, but I was actually asking in general why CrystalBlu did so well, not in comparison to its Uptown neighbour as you must have read my question. (Understandably.)

I guess the main reason, to answer my own question, is just that in that particular area there is still high demand, and CrystalBlu was the best proposal in the area to suit people's needs.
 
Crystal Blu is clearly a much sexier project. There is an exclusive feeling to the whole thing. (The model suite was also very good).

I think a huge failing for the Uptown was that they didn't bother creating a model suite. Not everyone can IMAGINE what it will look/feel like. I think most prospective buyers need to walk through the fake rooms so they can imagine themselves living there.

As far as not having a view... I just don't understand why someone would pay through the nose to live in a high rise just to look directly at their neighbours. You mind as well live in a fancy basement apartment. It must be awful for resale as well.
 
I thought the Uptown had a model suite. If it didn't, that's surprising and ridiculous! That's a MUST in a sales centre...
 
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