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Toronto's Gateway Project

A

AlvinofDiaspar

Guest
From the Globe, by Rochon:

ON THE EDGE
A VISION FOR TORONTO'S WESTERN BORDER

LISA ROCHON
Imagination still has a fighting chance in the City of Toronto. Ideas are being floated around for the creation of gateways to the city, and the initial design for a flotilla of 24 stainless-steel masts by Sweeny Sterling Finlayson & Co. Architects deserves our attention.

Feel drowsy every time you or your visitors enter the city? Bored to death by the commercial dreck plunked down by the side of the highway? Here's something with the potential to jolt you from your somnolent state.

Measuring 40 metres high, the gateway masts resemble giant poles with enough flexibility designed into their fibreglass cores to allow them to bend with the wind. The work is called Gathering, and is meant to represent the "strength and flexibility of the city," architect Mark Sterling says.

Architecturally distinctive gateways have distinguished cities such as Paris and Tokyo. The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Mo., is a monumental curve in stainless steel, designed by legendary architect Eero Saarinen to rise 192 metres above the banks of the Mississippi River.

Imagine taking the exit ramp from the airport in Toronto or arriving from the cottage and seeing a mass of tall steel poles doing a kinetic dance on the edge of Highway 427. "There are 80,000 cars that go by there every day," says associate architect Chris Hardwicke, who designed Gathering with Mr. Sterling. The audience is ready-made.

The idea for a gateway near Highway 427 and Dixon Road is one of a series of recommendations championed by both the city's urban designers and the Roundtable on a Beautiful City initiated by Mayor David Miller. A request for proposals was issued by the city in 2004, and Sweeny Sterling Finlayson & Co. won one of the commissions. The IBI Group picked up two other potential gateway sites, the sprawling overpass at Highway 401 and Yonge Street and another one at O'Connor Drive near the Golden Mile.

Mr. Sterling estimates it would cost $5-million for all 24 stainless-steel masts, a pittance when measured against the money dedicated to road repair or the cost of sending lawyers to represent the city at the Ontario Municipal Board. So far, the City of Toronto has covered the design costs but is looking to the private sector to actually build the gateways.

Gathering's monumental poles are designed with an exterior cladding of multiple stainless-steel sleeves that are staggered to allow for optimal flexibility. Engineer David Bowick is working with the architects to investigate the possibility of using smart materials capable of harnessing the energy created by the fluctuating poles.

The gateways are meant to be evocative rather than literal constructs. "Gateway is something of a loaded term for us," Mr. Sterling says. "We were concerned that there might be an expectation about making something fairly conventional like a big hoop over the road that would say 'Toronto.' "

Let's not go there. Consider the advantage of the fluctuating poles. In high winds, the masts might become a large-scale piece of poetry. Not a bad way to start the average workday.

AoD
 
Re: Globe:A Vision for Toronto's Western Border (Highway Art

The IBI Group picked up two other potential gateway sites, the sprawling overpass at Highway 401 and Yonge Street and another one at O'Connor Drive near the Golden Mile.

Gateway to what? At those locations you have been in the city for a while already.
 
Re: Globe:A Vision for Toronto's Western Border (Highway Art

Imagination still has a fighting chance in the City of Toronto. Ideas are being floated around for the creation of gateways to the city, and the initial design for a flotilla of 24 stainless-steel masts by Sweeny Sterling Finlayson & Co. Architects deserves our attention.

The 300 to 600 foot high, 2km long walls going up along Gardiner makes for a heck of a gateway, and we really didn't even try.
 
Re: Globe:A Vision for Toronto's Western Border (Highway Art

That's the main reason I'd hate to see the Gardiner go (and yes, I know I'm in the minority on that one). The Gardiner grants amazing views of this city, and the place would be worse off without them. Let's keep the Gardiner (much cheaper than replacing it), and figure out how to beautify (I know, that's a strong word) the under side.

42
 
Re: Globe:A Vision for Toronto's Western Border (Highway Art

I would rather see the province actually clean up the massive amounts of garbage on the sides of the highways in the city than see silly schemes like these get implemented. I think clean, well-maintained highways are a good enough gateway, not the elongated landfills we have now.
 
Re: Globe:A Vision for Toronto's Western Border (Highway Art

I don't mind the idea at all. In fact, I really like it! I just don't get the locations (save 427/Dixon). The others ones are in the middle of T.O., not at a "gateway" at all.
 
NY

The "gateway" at North York might make some sense, in terms of having an available plot of land that is owned by the city and can be used for this purpose. I think if they build that one it means that unsuspecting tourists will exit the 401 at Yonge Street, see the gateway, drive to the tall buildings, and start looking for their hotel. Perfect!
 
I quite like the concept of interesting gateways. Depends on the design however, I'm not sure that a succesion of tall bendy poles waving every which way is the best way to go however... hey what the hell are those.. screech...crunch!...F*%$@#.. !
 
replace city signs

I've always thought those welcome to Toronto signs, needed upgdading. I'd like to see all the signs, on main streets changed, a bit more animated and unique.
 
Mr. Sterling estimates it would cost $5-million for all 24 stainless-steel masts, a pittance when measured against the money dedicated to road repair or the cost of sending lawyers to represent the city at the Ontario Municipal Board. So far, the City of Toronto has covered the design costs but is looking to the private sector to actually build the gateways.

As long as this does not mean that we'll get something that says
Welcome to Toronto
Capital of Ontario

brought to you by Pemberton
Changing Toronto's skyline one ugly building at a time​
 
I quite like the concept of interesting gateways. Depends on the design however, I'm not sure that a succesion of tall bendy poles waving every which way is the best way to go however... hey what the hell are those.. screech...crunch!...F*%$@#.. !
It's been done
wacky-waving-inflatable-arm.jpg
 

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