Toronto The Well | 174.03m | 46s | RioCan | Hariri Pontarini

rdaner said:
^I think that those who complain that The Well isn’t an enclosed suburban mall have entirely missed the point! lol It is meant to incorporate the morphology and built form of successful urban districts. 95% of retail spaces in the country are on the street and seem to do just fine. If one needs an enclosed mall then go to the Eaton Centre.
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Time will tell if it's successful...
To me it it's kind of the worst of both worlds - it doesn't protect from the elements like the Eaton's Centre, and it doesn't provide the easy street access to shops on a Main street.
 
rdaner said:
^I think that those who complain that The Well isn’t an enclosed suburban mall have entirely missed the point! lol It is meant to incorporate the morphology and built form of successful urban districts. 95% of retail spaces in the country are on the street and seem to do just fine. If one needs an enclosed mall then go to the Eaton Centre.
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Speaking for myself as a former downtown resident. That’s exactly what I would end up doing. Going to Eaton Centre via the path in the winter so I wouldn’t need to carry a jacket. Queen west and King east were all great on perfect days. So not the blistering heat of the summer. Not rain days. Not ice cold days. That’s a lot of missed shopping days. So as suburban as it is i went down to Eaton Centre.

Now as for 95% of the rest of the retail on main streets. I love shopping the main streets of Quebec City. Or Stratford. Or insert whatever city. But the thing is these places don’t have an indoor option. Once the indoor option is there it is pretty priceless in Canada.

Downtown ottawa also loses a lot of outdoor retail to the Rideau Centre. As beautiful as sparks street is or the ByWard market is. They are a nightmare on certain days.
 
I have no doubt that the elements affect people, some more than others! I just think that this complex was well-thought out. Many of the businesses have outside entrances on Wellington or Front and there are several entrances from parking/street that minimize exposure to potential wind. And let’s not forget that there are 10,000+residents/workers here.

Nothing is perfect and I applaud everyone involved for being innovative, pragmatic and persistent in what was a massive undertaking. This district is not for everyone; they don’t want patrons in hoodies either! Finally if a business shuts down due to a few slow months then design may not be their biggest issue.

I view reactions to built environments as a very good test of others as it tells you so much! Are we ready as a city for developments like this because there are no more enclosed malls being built.
 
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rdaner said:
I have no doubt that the elements affect people, some more than others! I just think that this complex was well-thought out. Many of the businesses have outside entrances on Wellington or Front and there are several entrances from parking/street that minimize exposure to potential wind. And let’s not forget that there are 10,000+residents/workers here.

Nothing is perfect and I applaud everyone involved for being innovative, pragmatic and persistent in what was a massive undertaking. This district is not for everyone; they don’t want patrons in hoodies either! Finally if a business shuts down due to a few slow months then design may not be their biggest issue.

I view reactions to built environments as a very good test of others as it tells you so much! Are we ready as a city for developments like this because there are no more enclosed malls being built.
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I agree. There’s so many residents and businesses around here that I’m sure this will be successful. Not everyone lives next door to Eaton centre and if I lived near the CN tower this would be my stop.
 
The passage on the west end is now open! The community space at the corner looks almost ready to open. However I type this with a bit of sadness as this charming morsel of a park is no longer mine! 😩 In fact I was so traumatized that I ran down to the Wellington Market and got 3 sugar/cinnamon mini waffles and a coffee. Much better.


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innsertnamehere said:
Always love the cafe shots from around your travels!
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A keen observer will note the link between @rdaner 's tendency for frequent caffeination and extensive sugar consumption and his posting style. There is a certain amount of energy there to be used up. 😀
 
Was thinking about how folks will still flock to the distillery in the darker colder months (if programmed right) and that’s without brand name stores and in indoor food court. Is the wind tunnel effect so bad? Or is it wind tunnel and size?
 
jxmith_ said:
Was thinking about how folks will still flock to the distillery in the darker colder months (if programmed right) and that’s without brand name stores and in indoor food court. Is the wind tunnel effect so bad? Or is it wind tunnel and size?
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they flock during the Holiday Market as its a winter destination/event. In January it's a ghost town (exaggeration)
 
People go for other events too. But there's obviously a lot less stuff to do at the Distillery than at the Well. There's like two decent restaurants, a nice clothing store and a distillery.
 
generalcanada said:
800 spots in the bar? thats massive. almost bigger than the wellington market isnt it?
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The Well’s online directory suggests the beer garden will be in the atrium space and the rest will occupy the adjacent unit UG24.
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If the claims of 800 capacity are true (I have no confidence in BlogTO), I’m guessing it is probably an elevator lobby to a space upstairs.

Edit: link to the only recent shot I can find on here of where the beer garden will go. Can’t quote in an edit… courtesy @Paclo
 
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