Urban Toronto Marketing Brochure for Development Industry

[xania13]

RUnning an idea past UT forumers:

REcently saw a marketing advertorial in international architecture magazine extolling the virtues of a number of Archi firms doing tremendous work in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It generated an idea that could have a very influential impact on the development community in Toronto

The idea is essentially the following
Create a glossy marketing vehicle extolling the virtues of using international architects, by showcasing some of the tremendous residential projects that are going on around the world, and showing that banal architecture can be replaced by exciting, eye catching architecture

As a best practice, provide the example of ABSOLUTE TOWERS - YANGSONG MA. Following on the success of the INternational Design competition for the absolute towers, sell the value of hosting international design competition for future Toronto projects

Instill on the development industry the sense that good architecture is good city building, and as purveyors of new housing stock, they have a responsibility to beautify the public realm. This could be very inspirational.

Send this out to all major developers in city and try and get buy in

Product could be launched by Urban Toronto, which would be a vehicle to legitimite and validate our existence as not only a group of informed and passionate individuals about Toronto's built form, but a group that is ready to take action and positively influence the industry.

What do you guys think?

 

[Mike in TO]

The absolute towers may not be the best example. There is a lot of skepticism in the development industry as the whether Fernbrook and Cityzen will be able to 1. pull off the towers 2. keep costs under control.

Also most builders are well aware of what is being constructed in other jurisdictions - in fact many go to various international conventions and there is a large international tour arranged each year for high-rise condo builders in the GTA to travel abroad, meet with other builders and tour their facilities. Domestically they are more concerned about what works here and what home buyers respond to. They also generally believe that here in Toronto we are well ahead of anything that is going on the U.S. and are increasingly looking outside North America for new ideas and innovation (the last major tour was in London).

 

[maestro]

No doubt the absolute towers will end up dumbed down to be no more than Matrix cylinders with a slight twist in the cantilevered balconies.

I'm more interested in extolling the virtues of urban form not only from a cost effective point of view but also as grand and exclusive the towers in Dubai/Abu Dubai appear, the actual new city is a suburban shit hole that makes Mississauga look positively enlightened. Allowing wasteful free space around landmark towers is hardly exclusive to Dubai either (Re: Chicago Spire)

 

[xania13]

by putting the topic in this thread has essentially killed all discussion, as this section is by far one of least accessed sections. Possible to move it to more visible thread?