Toronto Aura at College Park | 271.87m | 78s | Canderel | Graziani + Corazza

[MafaldaBoy]

August 14, 2013:

 

[Geekaroo]

So threads on UrbanToronto shouldn't be a place for architectural discussion and critique? Whether I like a project or not, I am interested in following the discussion on it. I don't agree at all that people who take issue with a project's design should post once and then move on. I wouldn't expect that from the fans of a project, and I don't expect it from a project's detractors either.

People need to learn not to take it personally when a building they like is being critiqued. In the real world, architects take plenty of criticism for every decision they make most of the time, so I'm sure fans of a building can handle the same critiques.

I DO, however, feel that a constructive criticism/ well-done critique is very different from simply attacking and provoking. Thedeepend, etc., likes to be provocative and troll this thread. Myself and others have continued to follow it because the construction/development process intrigues us, though we do feel that architecturally, the project is unappealing.

Ultimately, this thread seems destined to become a very uninteresting place where people are only allowed to "ooh" and "aah". If you want that, go to flickr.com and look through pictures. If you want solid discussion about the pros and cons of a project and its execution, hang out here at UT.

Completely agree. I do find that sometimes the critique is of a forum member's opinion of a project, and not so much the project itself. There are elements on Aura that I like, for example the massing, and elements that are missed opportunities, such as at street level. This, bear in mind is my opinion based entirely on what resonates with me. I am intrigued when a fellow forum member tells me that my opinion is incorrect.

My opinion may be unfounded, unresearched, and mainly uneducated. I can live with that, as it is only my opinion? But, my opinion is wrong? That just confuses me.

Having said that, I agree that there are missed opportunities in design and execution for a building of this stature in such a central, high traffic location. I, however did not attend any of the meetings, voice my opinion or seek to understand during the development process. Therefore, I recognize that I am sh** out of luck to change things at this point.

My lesson learned: If the development of a project has an impact on me, then I'd better be part of the solution, and not just a negative voice in the chorus when all is said and done.

In my opinion!

 

[KA1]

Here is an idea. Buy the property yourself and do your own development.

This reminds me of a story that I read in the school textbook in England.

A medieval king was not fond of Artists(painters). He decreed that to stay in his kingdom an artist has to prove his worth. To prove that, an artist's painting will be nailed to a tree in the centre of the city and residents will be asked to place a cross(x) at the spot they don't like. Only the artist whose painting does not have a cross mark will be allowed to stay in the kingdom. Needless to say, one by one, artists were being banished.

Then, another artist proposed to the king that ask your citizens to improve upon my painting. Any one who tries to improve the painting but ends up making a mess of it will, instead, be banished. Needless to say, no one dared to improve the painting and the artist got to stay.

To repeat another post, 'Ameen'.

 

[jje1000]

This reminds me of a story that I read in the school textbook in England.

A medieval king was not fond of Artists(painters). He decreed that to stay in his kingdom an artist has to prove his worth. To prove that, an artist's painting will be nailed to a tree in the centre of the city and residents will be asked to place a cross(x) at the spot they don't like. Only the artist whose painting does not have a cross mark will be allowed to stay in the kingdom. Needless to say, one by one, artists were being banished.

Then, another artist proposed to the king that ask your citizens to improve upon my painting. Any one who tries to improve the painting but ends up making a mess of it will, instead, be banished. Needless to say, no one dared to improve the painting and the artist got to stay.

To repeat another post, 'Ameen'.

To be honest, should we roll over and accept every bad project foisted upon this city?

To me, the problem lies not in the design, but in the execution. People made their voices clear and the design was tweaked to reflect these requests (podium changes, use of curtain wall). The final design was released and the renders made- not too bad a design!

However, once everything was done and said, units sold and the ground broken, we found out that the execution was less than par. Uneven floor heights, uneven window widths, poor finishes in the podium and basement. Do people not have the right to complain about that, especially given that the project is at a point where these things can no longer be changed?

In my opinion, people who complain about the design should shut up and contribute to the design process next time around. Those who complain about the finishes and workmanship of the project have every right to do so.

 

[philofra]

 

[caltrane74]

It would have looked better if they had stuck with the inset balconies as per the rendering.

 

[Ramako]

It would have looked better if they had stuck with the inset balconies as per the rendering.

They did. The balconies on the east side are inset, just like in the rendering. There are no renderings of the west side. Why they're inset on one side and not the other is a mystery to me.

 

[travis3000]

August 14, 2013:

Gorgeous photo , I can't believe there's still over 60m left.

 

[ChesterCopperpot]

This building is pretty much the first thing I see every morning depending on what side of the bed I wake up on. If I could describe it in two words - they would be hulking beast

 

[steveve]

Damn. The building looks terrifyingly ugly from that angle

I think that's a bit of an exaggeration. From afar to the south, I thing Aura's massing is pretty perfect, and the setbacks do work nicely with the curved portion above. The sharpest angle to view the building imo.

This building is pretty much the first thing I see every morning depending on what side of the bed I wake up on. If I could describe it in two words - they would be hulking beast

Nice view! Yes, it really is quite shocking seeing such a massive building being built outside the CBD. (four seasons didn't count since it was so sleek). A few more levels and we'll be at 200m.

*on a side note, Residences @ the RCMI wins my vote for the smallest and most awkward skyline impact of all time for a building of that height.

 

[drum118]

Aug 10
From Humber Bay Shores

 

[rpeters]

This building is pretty much the first thing I see every morning depending on what side of the bed I wake up on. If I could describe it in two words - they would be hulking beast

that's an awesome shot, it seems as though your location is about equidistant between scotia and aura,(little closer to aura) which allows us to get an idea of how much further there is to go since both those buildings are about the same height.

 

[adma]

At least the Mississauga City Hall doesn't have varying window widths and spandrel everywhere- the problem with Aura is the execution, not so much the design, and this thing is going to be a part of our city for a very long time. The argument that if you hate something, you should try to do better is asinine. You might as well not complain about anything then.

I'm not certain that Laryssa was referring to MCH negatively--indeed, if there were a Top 10 list of internationally significant Canadian architectural landmarks of the 1980s, it'd be in there or awfully close. Really.

Though funny she didn't refer to, uh, Marilyn--which, for the Mississauga's-doing-better-stuff-than-Toronto skyscraper-geek crowd, might as well be a proxy for *everything*...

 

[someMidTowner]

August 15th

 

[innsertnamehere]

it actually looks really, really good there. probably has something to do with the fact that you can't see the spandrel part of the building, but still.