Toronto Sherbourne Common, Canada's Sugar Beach, and the Water's Edge Promenade | ?m | ?s | Waterfront Toronto | Teeple Architects

They said they are not permanent. I'd like to believe them. They legally have to have lighting installed in the park in order for it to be open. They probably don't have the lights ready to install yet, so they put in what was available.

I just fear that the longer they wait, the less pressing and more irrelevant the issue may seem to them. In reality, the cheapness of the lighting will stand out for a generation if not improved.
 
I just fear that the longer they wait, the less pressing and more irrelevant the issue may seem to them. In reality, the cheapness of the lighting will stand out for a generation if not improved.

The permanent lights have been ordered and paid for. There is no reason for them to not go up at this point. Its just a matter of having them delivered.
 
This is from Waterfront Toronto CEO's report to their 20 Oct9ober Boaqrd:

The last of the Dockside public realm elements, Sherbourne Common, was officially opened on September 24, 2010. Work on certain components of the park, including the deep services along the water’s edge and the surface promenade works in that area, continue, as does work on Sherbourne Common north. All work will be completed by the end of the year. The deep sanitary sewer connection from Dockside to the Scott Street Pumping Station is in a position to be awarded, pending funding confirmation, with work commencing this fall. The eastern portion of Lower Sherbourne Street will be stopped up and closed in order to complete boulevard work on the east side of the street. This work is being done in advance of a major reconstruction of Lower Sherbourne, which will commence next year and be operational prior to the opening of George Brown College (“GBC”).
 
This in the WT Newsletter today (with a picture):
East Bayfront Construction Update


Over the next month, permanent light poles will be installed along the Water’s Edge Promenade, and the streets in and around Corus Quay. The lights, which will replace the temporary ones installed earlier this summer, include a timber tampered pole with a cast metal base featuring an oak/maple bark pattern.

The light poles, which were designed by West 8 + DTAH for the downtown waterfront, will also be installed at Canada’s Sugar Beach. The lights will be adapted slightly for the park by extending the height of the poles from nine metres to 12 metres, and by including three special light fixtures at the top which can be positioned to prevent light glare during concerts and other events.
 
I get that newsletter too and I was going to post it, because the "timber tampered" poles sound like cheap wooden poles. That's definitely a concern for this jewel of a public space. It was actually hard to tell what they're going to look like from the picture they included.
 
Considering that West8's vision for the waterfront consists of timber throughout, I'm not surprised. The bridges are going to be timber, but they're quite beautiful. As are the wave decks. I don't think this is going to be your typical wooden telephone pole.
 
From Waterfront Toronto:
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I believe that the actual light standards will be larger than the illustration, so they should look less like matchsticks or toothpicks when you see them. ;)
 
Does anyone know if the pavilion in Sherbourne Common is completed, or when it is scheduled to be?
 
Does anyone know if the pavilion in Sherbourne Common is completed, or when it is scheduled to be?

Not complete yet but the work continues apace so I think it's a matter of days not weeks. As one could go into the - very small - glassed in area at the opening ceremonies I think the inside is actually done and the work is mainly adding the cladding on the external walls and putting in the soffitts. Of course, just because it is 'finished' does not mean it will actually be open. (The WT website describes it as being:
Pavilion
 Location: south side of the park on the southeast side of the pond
 Size: 143.6m2
 Materials: The exterior of the pavilion is clad with Rheinzink (alloy of natural metals mainly consisting of zinc) in pre-weathered blue-grey and the underside of the roof is clad with Rheinzink in a bright, rolled finish.
 Uses: washroom facilities, café, park mechanical operations and UV filtration (in basement)
 
I can't get over how much I like going down to these parks. They've been built with amazing quality and the views of downtown are unbeatable!

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As much of an improvement this is, it's still very tiny. There needs to be some bigger parks downtown. The lower don lands park could be much larger. Instead of developing condos/retal/offices or whatever is going in there, it would be nice to just see a massive park extending to Cherry St.
 

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