Toronto Living Shangri-La Toronto | 214.57m | 66s | Westbank | James Cheng

I sincerely respect and appreciate wopchop's posts because we know he's in the industry so he knows of what he speaks, but I still say there's something different happening at the top of Shangri-la when compared to Bay-Adelaide Centre or the Four Seasons towers. When I view all from the same POV at different times during the day the screen-wall or "fins" at the top of BA & Four Seasons look like screen-walls, Shangri-la has a strong reflective quality to it. I don't doubt that the glass is consistent but something is making the PH terrace glass reflect for some reason, unlike similar setups at BA or Four Seasons.
 
I must admit I too thought it was the same glass as Wopchop suggested. However, I am confused that why at night in the shot it looks so different. During the day, it makes sense to me that with the open terrace behind it would look lighter.

The only reason I could think of is that maybe during the summer when one would be out on the terrace with the full circle of glass it might get too hot outdoors and so maybe the glass is "reflective" to defer some of the heat outwardly? Just a thought.
 
I would have to look into the details further to be certain, as I don't work at Shangri-La, but my understanding is that the glass is the same.

One explanation is rather obvious. If you've ever been on a floor enclosed in curtain-wall at night on a construction site, you will know that it is very, very dark. Appropriately, the glass on ever floor that is enclosed in that shot, looks dark. If you were to stand on the penthouse terrace, it would still be rather light at that time (much moreso than any of the lower floors), and that may explain why the screenwall appears brighter. Remember, that photo isn't taken in the dead of night. It almost looks like twilight, to me.

But I've never really looked at Shangri-La at night, so maybe I'll take a gander soon and see if I can notice this, or if it's just that photo.

I don't understand the reflective quality that you are referring to. They appear like screen-walls, to me. They don't appear as transparent as the screen-walls at BAC or the Four Seasons, because the level 66 penthouse terrace is not completely open air. There is a structure behind it, which creates shadows, and this limits the amount of light passing through the screen wall. You can see this phenomenon quite clearly in the photo by nicetommy, where the glass at the southwest corner appears almost clear, while the rest of the western facade does not.
 
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Bay-Adelaide Centre & Shangri-la comparisons, sunrise & 2pm (two examples of different sun conditions) -

 
Bay-Adelaide Centre & Shangri-la comparisons, sunrise & 2pm (two examples of different sun conditions) -

I think BAC's glass fins look as dramatically different from the rest of its cladding as Shangri-la's does in the second photo there. It's just not as noticeable off hand because they are so much shorter.
 
They were working on the artwork today, looking very interesting indeed....also, there was signage installed "Shangri-La Hotel Toronto" on the University side....looking really sharp...unfortunately no camera with me today...
 
29 April 2012

The official unveiling is on Wednesday. I got a quick glance at the ground level and it looks very nice and miles ahead of what currently lines University Avenue.

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^^^
thanks for the great preview picture.

Makes me wonder: This art work is called "the Rising" or something along that line. With the Canadian Flag juxtaposed does this mean that both the SL and Canada "are about to "rise"?
 
from the star:

http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1170547--toronto-heritage-landmarks-get-new-lease-on-life

y Susan Pigg Business Reporter

Heritage architect Scott Weir keeps a little piece of Toronto history on his desk — a handmade brick from the 1830s.

Deeply embedded is the paw print of a cat that he figures was wandering the brickyard back in the day.

The delightful find was uncovered recently during one of the most challenging heritage restorations Weir has ever overseen — the complete dismantling and rebuilding, row by mortared row, of a relatively rare piece of Toronto history called Bishop’s Block.

Reviving one of finest examples of Toronto’s Georgian past, and one of the few buildings left in the city from the 1830s, was a passion for Weir, as well as for developers of the sleek new Shangri-La hotel that shares the block at University Ave. and Adelaide St.

“A lot of buildings in Toronto are sheets of glass and steel. But this brings character to the site, to have the old building next to the new,” says Michael Braun, an executive with Vancouver-based Westbank Project Corp. which is building the 66-storey hotel and condos slated to open in August.

“It signifies what Toronto was and what it is becoming.”

As skyscrapers push ever higher into the Toronto skyline, and prime downtown redevelopment sites grow even scarcer, the pressure to bulldoze history and build condos has seldom been more intense, says Weir.

Keeping ahead of it all can be a challenge for city planners because developers are looking for any sliver of land left within walking distance of the subway, many home to historic properties that have yet to be officially designated.

MOD Developments, which plans to turn a 1905 Bank of Commerce building into the grand new entrance to its 60-storey Massey Tower development across from the Eaton Centre, sees great opportunity for the condo boom to breath new life to derelict landmarks.

The bank, which has been empty since 1987, is now undergo a $3 million worth of restoration and will form the elegant entranceway to the almost 700-unit condo tower.

“This is the most complicated, challenging project that any of us have ever worked on. And we all love it,” says MOD Developments founder Gary Switzer.

“We’re all rising to the occasion because this is such an extraordinary site. I love dealing with heritage properties and doing projects that I think improve the city.”

Where it used to be seen as sufficient for new office and condo towers to just include pieces or facades of heritage buildings, tougher heritage preservation laws make complete demolition more difficult and stress the need to protect the integrity of the building beyond just the façade or a few details, says Mary MacDonald, acting manager of heritage preservation for the city’s planning department.

“There have been a number of developers now who see that having a heritage property can lend a certain distinction to condo projects,” says MacDonald.

“Developers seem to understand now that you have a ready-made landmark there and it’s a lost opportunity to try to rid yourself of it because there are a lot of people who are interested in not just living on sites where a heritage property has been retained, but also living within a heritage property.”

That’s why, for example, the conversion of old churches to condos is now a booming business in Toronto neighbourhoods, says MacDonald.

Bishop’s Block had been so neglected by the time Westbank began the development of the five-star Shangri-La, scaffolding was erected just to keep the bulging façade from crumbling into Simcoe St. or Adelaide Ave.

Taking the building apart brick by brick, under the careful supervision of heritage experts at E.R.A. Architects proved to be a blessing in disguise: the bricks could be culled and carefully cleaned, the Shangri-La could excavate below for underground parking and archeologists could dig up one of Toronto’s oldest blocks with abandon.

A treasuretrove of artifacts, uncovered in the dig, will be part of a rotating display at the site. E.R.A. was even able to save and restore some of the old windows.

In the next few months, the 8,000-square-foot Bishop’s Block will become the site of Canada’s first SoHo House, a private club, restaurant and event space for the film, media and creative industries that started in London in 1995 and now has houses in Europe and North America.

“It didn’t take long to find a tenant, but it took a long time to find the right tenant,” says Braun, “someone who appreciates what this building is. It just felt like a really good fit and something that would enhance the rest of the development.”
 
If anyone paid attention to detail and made sure the street level looked attractive was the builder of shangri la. The Ritz could've, but didnt. I think the four seasons will too with the huge fountain and restaurant.
 

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