Ont Gov't building at 880 Bay, at Grosvenor St (ORC, 44s?, WZMH)

[khris]

Wow sweet! It reminds me of these towers in Moscow:

 

[Dugmor]

Ugly.

 

[Ervin]

That's one badass building.

 

[wyliepoon]

Call me a traditionalist, but I would like to see a lot more old-style setbacks to &Co's massing model, rather than stacking equal-sized blocks on top of each other. The resulting building could be more slender and taller. More setbacks could also mean more green roofs/roof gardens.

 

[Observer Walt]

... Which government offices/ministries might move or be consolidated here?

Almost certainly the Ministry of the Environment will move from their present location in an aging office building at the SE corner of Avenue Road and St. Clair. The Ministry of Health also has significant space on Yonge Street in North York.

 

[p5connex]

Not too impressed. I think I see some Dutch influence in this proposal, but the massing is all wrong, not to mention that it feels very bulky and awkward. I could imagine with some refining and a few more iterations, that this could work, but it would most likely work best as two separate buildings with a similar approach.

p5

 

[Dan416]

I like the idea, but I'm also not a fan of the massing and would prefer to see the tower fronting onto Bay. But these renders seem very preliminary anyway so maybe it'll turn out better. Consolidating a lot of these government offices downtown near Queen's Park is an excellent idea.

 

[Archivist]

Observer, many ministries, including my own, now have space in North York. I think the rents up there are slightly cheaper, which is probably why so many have moved up there. I would think that before that relatively cheaper space is cleared out, that we might wholeheartedly abandon 777 Bay (former Maclean Hunter) which is chock a block with bureaucrats. At any rate, it's all speculative, though I would be sorry on some level if Environment did move and there was even less office space up on St. Clair.

 

[jamesnumber2]

This building looks huge any idea the square footage?

 

[Redroom Studios]

I like the idea of the stacked blocks, but agree with several others that this ends up looking like very bulky Siamese Twins uncomfortably joined along their full height. Two seperate towers would def look more attractive and I'd love to see them placed at a 45 degree angle to the site. Of course 2 seprate towers would be more costly to build and maintain...

 

[interchange42]

I'm confused. In one way, I'd like the building to be closer to Bay but prefer the setbacked placement in comparison to the rest of the block

I like the idea, but I'm also not a fan of the massing and would prefer to see the tower fronting onto Bay. But these renders seem very preliminary anyway so maybe it'll turn out better. Consolidating a lot of these government offices downtown near Queen's Park is an excellent idea.

I assume that the placement of the tower west of Bay is to provide greater separation between it and Burano, to improve views for all.

I like the idea of the stacked blocks, but agree with several others that this ends up looking like very bulky Siamese Twins uncomfortably joined along their full height. Two seperate towers would def look more attractive and I'd love to see them placed at a 45 degree angle to the site. Of course 2 seprate towers would be more costly to build and maintain...

Two separate towers also mean smaller floor plates, and when a major reason to create this complex is to bring scattered ministry offices together, the more people from one ministry that can be located in a contiguous space, the better the coordination of the resulting offices will be.

And in regards to the 45° angle... with Burano practically across the street, with two of its facades at something other than 45°, it could be tricky to make another off-grid building look good so close by. Tricky, but not impossible...

Of note: all should remember that these are essentially massing studies, and not completed proposals for the building. Nice to have something so detailed to bounce around ideas about though...

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[Art Vandelay]

So what former Premier is going to get his name on this building? Ferguson, Hearst, Hepburn, Mowat, MacDonald, Whitney and Frost already have named buildings in the area. Personally I like the sound of Harris Block.

 

[interchange42]

Good question. Are there any buildings around Queens Park named after William B.? None that I am aware of, and certainly Daivs's longevity in the position bodes well for future consideration. It certainly won't be the Miller block for his short-lived successor. If the Liberals continue is power in Ontario, Davis's chances are a little less, but which partizan would they name it after? Not Peterson, who left the post under such a cloud. The Harris suggestion is quite a good laugh though: has anything been named after him in this province? Common sense says 'no'.

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[Edward Skira]

I assume that the placement of the tower west of Bay is to provide greater separation between it and Burano, to improve views for all.

I would think they are also ensuring the government building directly to the north has some unobstructed views as well.

 

[OldManKensey]

Observer, many ministries, including my own, now have space in North York. I think the rents up there are slightly cheaper, which is probably why so many have moved up there. I would think that before that relatively cheaper space is cleared out, that we might wholeheartedly abandon 777 Bay (former Maclean Hunter) which is chock a block with bureaucrats. At any rate, it's all speculative, though I would be sorry on some level if Environment did move and there was even less office space up on St. Clair.

I've always loved the landscaping out in front of the building at St. Clair and Avenue. which I suspect is a direct result of MOE. It would be a shame to see it removed or abandoned.