Toronto Ripley's Aquarium of Canada | 13.11m | 2s | Ripley Entertainment | B+H

By comparison, the ACC just down the street occupies 665,000 square feet or 61,800 square metres.
 
I was at the New England Aquarium in Boston and it was really cool. It seems to me like a "serious" aquarium and one that I think we should emulate. I wish this thing was on the water, like the New England Aquarium is. Although we don't have the ocean, so I guess it's not quite the same, but still.
 
Every aquarium I've been to (in the USA) has been on a waterfront. It's only in Canada where you get aquariums that are not on the waterfront. (Vancouver Aquarium, Marineland and now this) What's up with that? lol Aquariums should be located by water, whether an ocean or a lake. I also do not like the way it relates to the convention centre.
 
Art Vandelay said:
I'm not liking Phase 2A. I don't like how it cuts up the space between the CN Tower and Rogers Centre.
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Me neither. What is that building supposed to be? It looks so out of place. It would make more sense to have it integrated into the aquarium. Looks like we're on track to screw up another vital piece of land. We should hold an international design competition for this entire complex/square.
 
Not a fan of the design either. The Ripley's aquarium design looks like a generic community centre that pretty much any architect can reproduce. I also think that anything on this parcel of land should have a lot more density than what this design shows.

Toronto should be looking at transforming Bremner into a well-designed urban thoroughfare, not a Toronto version of Niagara Fall's Clifton Hill.
 
It's a proposal and will require the community to speak for it or against it. So - it may/should come eventually....
 
MetroMan said:
I preferred the reorientation of the plaza like this:

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It gave it more of an open public square feel where people can congregate and contemplate the tower.

This design takes away from the existing plaza space without addressing the new pedestrian environment created by the addition of these buildings. Also, the aquarium partially blocks the view of the base of the tower when viewed from the Roundhouse.

Reorienting the plaza so it faces the CN Tower head on, in line with one of its "fingers" was the correct approach and the proposed design misses that point.

I also don't like how it completely turns its back on the Metro Convention Centre. In fact, according to the city documents, there will be a service alley on the Convention Centre side.

This just seems like a meagre attempt at looking unique. Maybe it's the Ripley's name but this to me appears to be a cheap Niagara Falls type attraction rather than a serious oceanographic institution. If we're to build an aquarium, I hope it includes a serious curatorial, research and academic component.

Fortunately, the City has issues with how the new structures provide zero parking for visitors and no parking for school buses. Back to the drawing board please!
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Well said. :)
 
Funny That

"Fortunately, the City has issues with how the new structures provide zero parking for visitors and no parking for school buses. Back to the drawing board please!"

Ok, so where is the parking provided for school buses and visitors at the CN Tower? Is there not a huge lot provided by the Rogers Centre? I really don't think if that is the reason that it is in fact valid. The underground parking for the convention centre should be more than ample to handle visitor parking and the lot down the street beside the round house for the buses can handle the existing traffic

As for the design, well, I am not an architect, but I think it looks fine. Whether it proceeds, that is a different matter because this has been tossed about for years now.
 
khristopher said:
I always see the buses at that parking lot across from Rogers Centre.
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It is the only lot in the city that I have noticed actually has two different prices posted...one for cars and one for buses!

I take that as an indication that they get bus business aplenty!
 
Parking

There is a lot of parking in the area. Skydome lots, Queens Quay area garages, etc. And the large Bus designated lot across from the dome.

I think a giant Ripleys sign next to the CN Tower looks as tacky as you can get. Of couse the CN Tower once had a huge Pepsi ad on it.

Why an aquarium? Surely it won't have large marine mammals stuck in small tanks.
 
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The people behind the Aquarium have been trying for this for years. A few years back they wanted to rent the old restaurant section of the CBC and some basement space for the Aquarium but CBC couldnt get out of its lease. Im assuming someone thinks that such a tourist attraction downtown will make money. Quite honestly I am inclined to believe so as well. People come to Toronto and Go to the CN tower and maybe a show then they are thinking what else is there to do arround here? I always thought the Science Centre should be centrally located as well.
 
We can only hope that this proposal, which I agree sits like a drab sore thumb at the base of the tower, fails as so many have before it. Wrong building in the wrong place.
 
I was really hoping that any project here would include the extension of the skywalk to actually connect with Rogers Centre.

Does not appear to be the case and this (if I am reading these siteplans correctly) looks like it ends the possibility of that happening.

Never understood how we built and all weather stadium and realized that people would need an all weather walkway from transit to get them there......but managed to leave a gap between the two!
 
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