News   Mar 28, 2024
 466     0 
News   Mar 28, 2024
 387     1 
News   Mar 28, 2024
 740     0 

Bay Adelaide Centre West Tower (Brookfield, 50s, WZMH)

The window spaces on the old facade look like they actually line up with the floors of the new tower. I guess they're adding some extra bricks to make it line up that way.

Yes, they are removing a row of windows from the historical facade, and making each floor taller to line up with the new tower.

The details are descibed in the city planning report: http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/2006/agendas/committees/te/te060509/it006a.pdf

PS, by my count the core is now at the 26th floor, so we should see the next core narrowing the next time they raise the forms, in about a week.
 
Pretty incredible that resizing the proportions of the original facade counts as historic preservation.

An architectural review committee in the future should demand that for some project or other that if the historic facade is to be preserved, that it start on the 14th floor or some such, and be put on its side, or on a diagonal: have some fun with it, or put it in 3D's Piazza.

42
 
Pretty incredible that resizing the proportions of the original facade counts as historic preservation.

My sentiments exactly. The resized portion just doesn't look right. I thought historical designation meant that the building stays. Ok, if not that, then the facade stays. Ok, if not that, then the rebuild the facade using the old materials. Ok, if not that, then they have to rebuild the exact same facade. Holy cow, what's the point? They might as well build the Taj Mahal facade onto the building.
 
My sentiments exactly. The resized portion just doesn't look right. I thought historical designation meant that the building stays. Ok, if not that, then the facade stays. Ok, if not that, then the rebuild the facade using the old materials. Ok, if not that, then they have to rebuild the exact same facade. Holy cow, what's the point? They might as well build the Taj Mahal facade onto the building.

Here's the old versus new historical facade.

2342088686_97e7e4e1f7_o.jpg


Personally I have no problem with the new look. The lower portion looks almost identical.
 
Pretty incredible that resizing the proportions of the original facade counts as historic preservation.

Remember--that's what was planned in the 1999 Richmond-Adelaide scheme for the Concourse Building. So they resucitated that approach over here...
 
I just re-read through that heritage report, there were a few interesting points:

- Apparently the building was in pretty rough shape and had lots of water damage, both to the facade itself and the and to the anchors holding it to the structure. It was decided that the best way to preserve it was to dismantle and rebuild, and use a new structural frame.

- The middle section of the facade (floors 3-8) will be entirely replaced with new bricks to replicate the old structure, and the heights of the windows will be increased to match the new building.

- The upper and lower sections will use mostly the existing materials, with some new stone "as required".

- The proportions of the three sections will remain the same, and the overall height will remain the same.
 
^Everything authentic is lost though. Wasn't that the whole of slapping a clashing facadectomy onto a glass box?
 
I know "facadism" is a bit tacky, but as someone (I think earlier in this thread) mentioned, from the street most people won't see it that way. It'll appear as the building is itself there, and it's better than losing it completely. It has some lovely architectural details I'm glad are being preserved.

That said, I think it'd have integrated a little better if it were inset within the BA Centre, like the old Stock Exchange building is slotted within the TD Centre. Especially in the corner of BA, it could've created a neat little cut-out alcove with the tower's corner hanging over it. Or something to that effect.
 
It's not just a debate about looks though - it's also a question of whether we are actually preserving anything here, well, anything authentic...

42
 
Perhaps it can be said that they are perserving the spirit of the original facade. I agree that the original is not being fully integrated but at least it is not fully lost either. The sort of compromise upsets nobody and everybody at the same time.
 

Back
Top