Toronto Tableau Condominiums | 124.05m | 36s | Urban Capital | Wallman Architects

[wolfewood]

Nothing beats nice brickwork

Agreed. I'm pleasantly surprised to see that they didn't just throw up some black brick and call it a day. It's amazing what even a small amount of attention to detail can do.

 

[FMCS]

And the commitment to quality and design considering the extra costs!

 

[G.L.17]

Yesterday afternoon:

 

[someMidTowner]

That first shot is great! It really shows off the impact of the vertical bands and slab edge caps

 

[G.L.17]

Thank-you, someMidTowner!

 

[Miscreant]

I'm really looking forward to the hoarding coming down and the streetscape being cleared up here. Walking inside the pillars will be a cool experience.

 

[Loozrboy]

A little slow on the uptake I guess, but I didn't notice the black brick on the "heritage" facade until today. I was surprised, because I thought the idea was to replicate the original, but I think it's going to look pretty sharp. Sort of capturing some of the original detail without looking awkwardly tacked on. (Incidentally, I think the old building may have been a little nicer looking than those Streetview shots make it look).

But is that a big loading dock / parking entrance on that front? That's rather disappointing... at least it will match the building next door.

 

[stjames2queenwest]

This is awesome, from a pedestrian eye. The podium is really bold and exciting. I am really looking forward to the sculpture. I don't know of plans for any kind of lighting at the top. I would love to see something green up top, the same colour as the Shayne Dark piece. I'm not really expecting that though. Which is ok, this tower isn't as exciting from a distance, but it still looks very classy. What it does for the neighbourhood is great though. Has lots of energy.

 

[Josh]

Am I the only one who thinks the original building was on the ugly side of historic? The combination of brown and red brick just don't do it for me. The dark grey is a big improvement over the original.

 

[interchange42]

I didn't think it was so bad to be ugly exactly, but it was never a particularly important building to me.

Without a heritage designation, the reconstitution of the facade in totally new bricks, colour-coordinated with the greater development, works for me. It becomes a new type of façadism in this city, where while the design is true to the earlier building, this time the veneer of bricks are as modern as the underlying structure. Might it confuse the heritage preservation issue? It does add a layer of complexity.

42

 

[Josh]

I think the entirety of heritage preservation is a confused issue. There are many buildings that somehow don't qualify - the bata shoe building - and then ones like this which are mediocre at best that do.

 

[interchange42]

This one wasn't listed. This one was a voluntary recreation.

If this one were declared heritage, new brick in a new colour would not have been deemed acceptable.

42

 

[kris]

Wonder what Snoop thought of the podium?

 

[Miscreant]

I believe Snoop is gesturing there at the importance of heritage designations. They really are, he's telling us, that important.

 

[Armour]

I believe Snoop is gesturing there at the importance of heritage designations. They really are, he's telling us, that important.

Yeah, Snoop is the black male equivalent of Jane Jacobs. It would be really funny if he was some deeply intellectual guy re urban planning.