Toronto Festival Tower and tiff Bell Lightbox | 156.96m | 42s | Daniels | KPMB

Way too muscular and abruptly edged. I like the facilities for what they are but in shape and size it is horribly monstrous to me and overshadows in more than one way the demise of the row across the way.
 
Parkdalian said:
Toronto's architecture doesn't depress me; Toronto's architecture critics do.
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What an obnoxious thing to say. I don't even remember anyone using the word 'depress'. And although I'm flattered you consider me a 'Toronto architecture critic' you should really try traveling a bit more if you think this city and it's buildings are the pinnacle of beauty and are infallible.
 
This building hits the street, and brings it to life with people and motion. The clean lines and modern architecture are very sleek and bold, and it is now the major hotspot on King Street West. Nothing else comes close. - The tower is blah, but the building itself is outstanding. - I would take back the blah on the tower, if it was 10 or 15 storeys taller however.
 
spaced said:
What an obnoxious thing to say. I don't even remember anyone using the word 'depress'. And although I'm flattered you consider me a 'Toronto architecture critic' you should really try traveling a bit more if you think this city and it's buildings are the pinnacle of beauty and are infallible.
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And yet, at various points in our history, we have achieved buildings and spaces that are the pinnacle of beauty. Unfortunately, many of these buildings have been compromised or destroyed by subsequent generations. You can travel and see cities that have done it more consistently, and preserved and added to their achievements over the years for a more impressive cityscape. But when you get back, you shouldn't see everything in Toronto as inferior, for there are many examples where it doesn't get better than what we have to offer.
 
spaced said:
What an obnoxious thing to say. I don't even remember anyone using the word 'depress'. And although I'm flattered you consider me a 'Toronto architecture critic' you should really try traveling a bit more if you think this city and it's buildings are the pinnacle of beauty and are infallible.
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You said the tower was "ugly" - that is criticism of Toronto's architecture. Therefore, you are a Toronto architecture critic. And a depressing one at that. As for whether or not Toronto's architecture is the "pinnacle of beauty" - those ideas are nowhere contained in my post. I was simply expressing my dismay that someone could argue that the tower of this building is "ugly" - since it's not even close to being that.

And if you want to suggest that I should travel more (And how much traveling do you think I've done?) I'm going to suggest that you should travel less, and pay closer attention to what the buildings in Toronto look like - rather than what you think they should look like because of what you've seen in other cities. One's house doesn't have to look like every other house in order for it to be beautiful, after all.
 
After a couple of months with little programming of interest to me ( Sprockets etc. ... ) I'm delighted by the new lineup - the Italian and Indian film series especially. And they're still booking new "outside" festivals into the building. I do, however, wish they'd do a few more of the unique live entertainment / film combinations similar to what they did at the beginning ( for The Passion of Joan of Arc and Metropolis, for instance ). With so much going on locally, and taking one cultural group at random as an example, the tie-ins between Lightbox's Indian ( Kapoor ) festival, the ROM's upcoming Bollywood poster exhibition, and Luminato's offerings ( Taj, for instance ) only add to our allure as a city of culture ... whatever you're interested in.
 
Parkdalian said:
You said the tower was "ugly" - that is criticism of Toronto's architecture. Therefore, you are a Toronto architecture critic. And a depressing one at that. As for whether or not Toronto's architecture is the "pinnacle of beauty" - those ideas are nowhere contained in my post. I was simply expressing my dismay that someone could argue that the tower of this building is "ugly" - since it's not even close to being that.

And if you want to suggest that I should travel more (And how much traveling do you think I've done?) I'm going to suggest that you should travel less, and pay closer attention to what the buildings in Toronto look like - rather than what you think they should look like because of what you've seen in other cities. One's house doesn't have to look like every other house in order for it to be beautiful, after all.
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Well I guess that makes you a 'Toronto Architecture Critic' and therefore you depress yourself as well (...?) And if you read my post I said the tower was ugly from some angles. That doesn't mean the entire building is a failure which I though I made clear (I personally think (and have thought all along) that the base is more successful than many of the people here do). Your obvious put down of me personally is a bit confusing as many others have criticized portions of this building. But maybe in your world everyone just praises everything Toronto and shouldn't bother wishing for anything more, right? Or is it just that you think you are so right that everyone else is 'depressing'? Though if memory serves me right you have a history of petty bickering on this forum and your statements shouldn't have shocked or annoyed me in the first place.
(Apologies to anyone else other than Parkdalian who have read this far. These petty arguments are one of the reasons I usually just scan through this forum for photo updates these days).
 
Funny about TIFF-Bell-Festival-Lightbox-Tower, or whatever it is really called. No arguments about the value of this building, the facilities, and the street life it helps to generate, but I have looked at the tower for about a year and I haven't been able to warm to it at all. I love the materials used, but from a distance I find the tower unfriendly, aloof, and forbidding. I think it is probably my least favourite addition to downtown Toronto since Metro Hall.

The facilities inside are nothing short of amazing, though.
 
more falling glass to watch out for

A section of John Street is closed after another downtown condominium experienced problems with falling glass.

Building inspectors plan to look over the Festival Tower atop the Bell Lightbox at 80 John St. after glass fell from the 27th floor around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. No one was hurt.

The street has been closed as a precaution between Adelaide and King Streets. There will be limited pedestrian traffic allowed in the area on the east side of the street.

http://www.citytv.com/toronto/cityn...6567--glass-falls-from-another-downtown-condo
 
We haven't reached the freeze/ thaw season yet, I wonder how they approach something like this... do they have to check every window now?

The tower doesn't do much for me, but I do like the look of the film centre, and the interior really is quite nice. My only criticism is that I wished there was room for some outdoor space, I think these sorts of cultural centres do better when they become a lively gathering place outside their doors as well.
 
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