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What would you build?

G

Glen

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For shits and giggles.....

Toronto has a large number of small lots downtown. Seeing the push for increased density, if it was up to you what would you like to see on such small lots? To keep this simple lets use a figure of 30' frontage with a 100' depth. I know in HK you could build a 25+ story tower on such a lot, but Toronto does not seem to have any such small scale pencil towers. So lets keep in mind existing architecture.

Suggestions?
 
Something along the lines of 500 Wellington West by Freed is architecture I'd be happy to see more of.
 
If it's on a commercial street, I'd like to see something that will keep the street commercial. Deep retail units at street level, walkup apartments (with an elevator for disabled people) above. No internal hallway, if possible, to dramatically cut down costs. Maybe five floors?
 
RE:What would you build?

Glen said:
For shits and giggles.....

Toronto has a large number of small lots downtown. Seeing the push for increased density, if it was up to you what would you like to see on such small lots? To keep this simple lets use a figure of 30' frontage with a 100' depth. I know in HK you could build a 25+ story tower on such a lot, but Toronto does not seem to have any such small scale pencil towers. So lets keep in mind existing architecture.

Suggestions?
Click to expand...

a public restroom with LCD monitors on the stall doors that broadcast the comedy network 24 hours a day.

the project would receive such reviews as..

"you'll bust a gut" says the toronto toilet times.

"two thumbs up your ass" says the sunstar

"does that comedy stink or is it just the stuff coming out of my ass" says the daily rag
 
In my spare time I make "fantasy" proposals, and one is for the lot across the street from simcoe tower (at NE side of simcoe and front streets).

It was a 50-odd story hotel with its prime feature being the skylobby, which had a massive glass atrium jetting out onto a rooftop patio, with pretty insane views down front street.

However when I tested it in google earth, I was upset to find that the office tower proposal just south of it (300 Front west I believe?) completely cut off the southern views.


Also, on the site that is 16 York, now with those three buildings proposed, I had a "Hallmark Center's plaza meets Seattle's Columbia Center" idea going on.

Thats what I would build.
 
Fig3.jpg
 
Or is it just more gross accommodation for the car. I thought living in down/mid town Manhattan was a nightmare for drivers....why would you want a car there?
 
I think Toronto has to work on spreading the skyline out. the lots are to small for large towers and the population in the union area is going to be insane in the next couple of years once everyone moves into the condos that are going up. The people in china (hong kong) can only build small skinny towers cuz of their population…
More parks need to be placed in for children and people with pets.
Also something about transportation needs to be done in Toronto- BIG PROBLEMS for the future!
other then that just start building condos and offices east and west of the downtown core. make the skyline bigger in a sense and take the load of that one area.
Toronto has potential for growth. I just hope it will stay clean 
 
I'd build a great mixed use 30 story building covered in a mirrored seemless curtain wall jutting out at all various angles to reflect the city around it. The building would act as a disco ball of sorts, reflecting beams of sunlight in all different directions. Picture a mixture of the Prada showroom in Tokyo and a bathroom mirror.
 
Depending on how these lots of organized and where they are, the responses could be quite different. For isolated lots far away from established centes with high-rises, I think it'd be best to have buildings at a scale that isn't dramatically different from what's already there. Maybe 5 stories more, but nothing more than that.

For lots that are clustered within the same block near the fringe of the core, perhaps one can have circulation and other public elements (e.g. lobbies, retail) at these sites with a podium that respects the scale of the existing urban fabric, while having the rest of the building above it set back and cantilevered over other already occupied lots. All sorts of by-law and other legal issues around though.

AoD
 
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