Toronto College Park Redevelopment | 344.29m | 96s | GWL | Hariri Pontarini

[NY99]

I suppose I ought to share my contribution to this architectural debate, originally made in the Concord Sky thread:

I think thats what gets me the most. Its such an ingrained habit that even well-designed developments like this will do it. Another, even worse example, is the proposed College Park completion. For absolutely zero reason, they decided to separate the beautiful masonry podium from the handsome tower cladding by adding in a staircase-shaped curtainwall gap.

Why? I have no goddamn clue. It makes the building look worse!!

It has being repeatedly observed in studies that people prefer symmetry in building design. Not only that, but all else being equal, a symmetrical design is simpler, lowering building complexity and therefore costs. Win-win!

Despite these facts, the pupils of the Toronto school of architecture have this to say:

Thoughts? I’ll try to tone down the snarkiness, as I know some UT contributors are in the architectural field themselves — most of you do great work I’m sure!

But the tower designs here do genuinely bother me a lot — because they're close to being great. With the asymmetrical clutter, I almost feel like they dishonour the legacy of the site by deviating so much from the gorgeous original tower proposal.

 

[Ramako]

I suppose I ought to share my contribution to this architectural debate, originally made in the Concord Sky thread:



Thoughts? I’ll try to tone down the snarkiness, as I know some UT contributors are in the architectural field themselves — most of you do great work I’m sure!

But the tower designs here do genuinely bother me a lot — because they're close to being great. With the asymmetrical clutter, I almost feel like they dishonour the legacy of the site by deviating so much from the gorgeous original tower proposal.

It looks like a bunch of different ideas inelegantly glommed on to each other, as though they gave one architect the north side, another architect the south side, then switched to a third architect half way up. A setback here, a balcony there, a random cut out here, some glass over there, and some random precast over here. Incoherent, asymmetrical, disjointed mess that is typical of Toronto architecture. All it's missing is the inevitable mechanical box that someone at Hariri Pontarini will remember to staple on at the last minute.

 

[UtakataNoAnnex]

...I think HP Sauce is trying to work too hard with the hand that was given to them here. As the site itself is a hodgepodge of ideas built up over the years on the original project that fell though some 90 years ago or so.

Either way, they really do need to tone it down a bit. Not make it boring or mediocre...just make so it's easier to look at.