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Atrium on Bay Five Floor Expansion and Its Shadow Impact on Dundas Square

mdrame

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Starting a new thread for those who are concerned about the impact that the five-floor expansion on each of the Atrium on Bay towers will have on Dundas Square. The floor expansions will create a shadow effect on Dundas Square by as early as 5:30pm; this is a major issue because between May and September, thousands of people gather at Dundas Square to catch some sun while enjoying live entertainment.

The first set of pictures were taken around 5:30pm in early May and prove that adding those floors will void Dundas Square of sunlight starting at 5:30-6pm till sunset (which between May and September is between 8:30pm and 9pm).

The second set of pictures proves that people value being able to sit and enjoy the sun at Dundas Square; you can see that everyone is sitting in the sunny area and no one is sitting in the shadowed area.

I invite all concerned citizens to share your thoughts, or better to contact councillor Wong-Tam.
 

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^Yes. Very early....on a week-end, at least.

I'm not sure I'm concerned about shadows on the square though. It would still get a nice amount of sun every day.
 
Does anybody else actually like the shade? I personally like the shade from tall buildings downtown.

I find it really nice given our hot & humid summers. Large trees & patio umbrella's work as well though.
 
Unless the rotation of the Earth has shifted, the Atrium is still north-west of Dundas Square. It's the buildings to the south or behind the Eaton Centre you should be more concerned about. The sun will still shine through Yonge Street and Dundas Street for a few minutes each day. Does the sun shine on Times Square at some point during the day?
 
I actually like the shade to be honest. The square is sunny for eight hours from 9-5pm. You can't expect constant sun in the downtown core - it's pure density. Do you think a dense square like Times Square is a 'place for sun'. The answer is no, dense squares with many buildings and billboards aren't really the place for sun to begin with. We have so many parks and the waterfront where you can get some sun.
 
Unless the rotation of the Earth has shifted, the Atrium is still north-west of Dundas Square. It's the buildings to the south or behind the Eaton Centre you should be more concerned about. The sun will still shine through Yonge Street and Dundas Street for a few minutes each day. Does the sun shine on Times Square at some point during the day?
Don't forget that grid north is off from true north by approximately 18.5°.
 
I actually like the shade to be honest. The square is sunny for eight hours from 9-5pm. You can't expect constant sun in the downtown core - it's pure density. Do you think a dense square like Times Square is a 'place for sun'. The answer is no, dense squares with many buildings and billboards aren't really the place for sun to begin with. We have so many parks and the waterfront where you can get some sun.

The downtown core south of Yonge and Dundas doesn't have that many parks before you get to the waterfront. Public spaces generally should be sunny.
 
Unless the rotation of the Earth has shifted, the Atrium is still north-west of Dundas Square. It's the buildings to the south or behind the Eaton Centre you should be more concerned about.

By the end of June, the sun sets closer to northwest than west. About 30 degrees north of west.

Add in that as noted by Johnny Au, Yonge Street is about 18.5 degrees off north ... then at the end of June, the sunset is northwest.

If one was standing in the centre of Dundas Square, the sun would be behind the Atrium.
 
I actually like the shade to be honest. The square is sunny for eight hours from 9-5pm. You can't expect constant sun in the downtown core - it's pure density. Do you think a dense square like Times Square is a 'place for sun'. The answer is no, dense squares with many buildings and billboards aren't really the place for sun to begin with. We have so many parks and the waterfront where you can get some sun.

I prefer the shade as well. Between June and August, I always walk on the side of the street under shadows of buildings.
Maybe there is a reason for the unbrellas to be there in the photo? I don't understand the obsession with direct sun exposure as if everyone on the earth loves it. You are in the downtown of a large city, shadows are expected.
 
I did not know that JA. Thanks. :)
I found that out through trial-and-error (I was aligning Steeles Avenue with the top of the screen in ArcGis and I have to rotate the map by 18.5° clockwise, such that Steeles Avenue would align very beautifully with the top of the screen; not that ArcGIS is not anti-aliased, which makes it easier to tell if it is aligned or not).

It is convenient that Steeles Avenue is very much parallel to the other east-west arterial roads in Toronto (including Queen Street and Bloor Street) and that Yonge Street is perpendicular to Queen Street and Bloor Street (but not to Steeles Avenue) and that Steeles Avenue marks Toronto's northern city limits.
 
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