Toronto Grange Park | ?m | ?s

I spend a little bit of time at this park (as well as Clarence Square and Victoria Memorial) and agree a less is more approach would be more than enough.
 
I'm basically on board with the design that was presented. I agree with the less is more approach. The more complicated a park becomes, the more likely it won't work out as the designers intended. Just look at Sherbourne Common. The complex water feature stopped working within a year.

I say, provide simple spaces for the public to use as they will. I think the proposed design does this. It also corrects some problems. E.g. by placing the playground in the north east corner it brings some life into what is currently a garbage strewn dead zone. By turning the central path into a circle rather than having a straight line down the centre, it opens up areas for play.
 
Tewder said:
Why so underwhelming though Lenser/Modern? This park is in the heart of downtown (stomping ground of residents and tourists alike), adjacent to one of the most important art museums in North America and OCAD, if there is any location appropriate for high design in Toronto it's here.

Good grief, Toronto doesn't lack for patches of green (in one deplorable state or another)... really, we're blasé now about overzealous garden intervention??
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I am with you.
There are hardly enough parks of decent size in Toronto that has a "formal" feeling. Most Toronto parks are informal and under-designed, I would say, and that include High Park, Moss Park, Trinity Bellwoods Park and Queens Park. Allan Gardens needs more design as well as Toronto Islands. Toronto doesn't really lack underwhelming parks with not much but grass in them.
 
Rumors are floating of considerable 'value engineering' in the latest plan revisions.

I'm told construction is envisioned to start post-Pan Am; and go through 2017.

I have not seen new renderings, so I'm not sure what's being tweaked, but I gather aspirations are being dialed back to fit budget.

For the design conscious here, esp w/ties to AGO or stakeholder group, please keep up to date; and be mindful that this project doesn't loose all its oomph!
 
Awful news - and that's considering a large contribution from the Westons. I wonder how much is the city providing for the project (and the envelope - s. 37, etc.)

AoD
 
Northern Light said:
Rumors are floating of considerable 'value engineering' in the latest plan revisions.

I'm told construction is envisioned to start post-Pan Am; and go through 2017.

I have not seen new renderings, so I'm not sure what's being tweaked, but I gather aspirations are being dialed back to fit budget.

For the design conscious here, esp w/ties to AGO or stakeholder group, please keep up to date; and be mindful that this project doesn't loose all its oomph!
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So friggin typical of all our public spaces!

Let me guess, they'll cancel the fountains, because oh gosh it's cold and they're hard to maintain! (Montreal, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Oslo, etc be damned) This city sometimes drives me bonkers.
 
Filip said:
So friggin typical of all our public spaces!

Let me guess, they'll cancel the fountains, because oh gosh it's cold and they're hard to maintain! (Montreal, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Oslo, etc be damned) This city sometimes drives me bonkers.
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Knocking the water feature off isn't as big a deal to me (it can be added later) as downgrading the quality of the materials or scale of the project. I would go bonkers if they ditched the paving units and went straight for cast in place concrete.

AoD
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
Knocking the water feature off isn't as big a deal to me (it can be added later) as downgrading the quality of the materials or scale of the project. I would go bonkers if they ditched the paving units and went straight for cast in place concrete.

AoD
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But we both know it'll never be placed in a future phase..

I am probably obsessive over fountains.. They are beautiful, they add ambiance and they're refreshing in the summer. Nothing like a gorgeous, balmy summer evening and the sound of water bubbling from a fountain!

I hate hate hate (along with overhead wires) the fact that Toronto barely builds them, and the piddly few we have, we don't maintain (unless it's on private property). I heard that the issue is parks has only 3 plumbers and well you know our 5 fountains are difficult to maintain.. So that's why we wait years to get our few and major fountains (Skydome/University) fixed! Why not just contract out to a plumbing service? Unions again?
 
Filip said:
But we both know it'll never be placed in a future phase..

I am probably obsessive over fountains.. They are beautiful, they add ambiance and they're refreshing in the summer. Nothing like a gorgeous, balmy summer evening and the sound of water bubbling from a fountain!

I hate hate hate (along with overhead wires) the fact that Toronto barely builds them, and the piddly few we have, we don't maintain (unless it's on private property). I heard that the issue is parks has only 3 plumbers and well you know our 5 fountains are difficult to maintain.. So that's why we wait years to get our few and major fountains (Skydome/University) fixed! Why not just contract out to a plumbing service? Unions again?
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You're not alone. I prefer hanging out in spaces with fountains vs. spaces without fountains. It's just much more soothing and relaxing to listen to.

Just a note: The beaver dam at Canoe Landing park has been out of service for years now, to add to the number of broken fountains in the city. I think the issue with this fountain is the part that is needed is not an off the shelf part, adding to the delay in getting it fixed.
 
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Tuscani01 said:
You're not alone. I prefer hanging out in spaces with fountains vs. spaces without fountains. It's just much more soothing and relaxing to listen to.

Just a note: The beaver dam at Canoe Landing park has been out of service for years now, to add to the number of broken fountains in the city. I think the issue with this fountain is the part that is needed is not an off the shelf part, adding to the delay in getting it fixed.
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Does the water / splash pad thing beside the beaver fountain work ?
 
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