There are a few things to be said about specific plans for the waterfront, but whether these plans will actually come to fruition, or end up just as plans, like so many before, remains to be seen. So far, I am not opposed to the development of business buildings, but seeing these projects as catalysts for further development doesn't make sense. For one, I would have put things which are more likely to attract the public and keep them there for a while, eating, drinking, walking, perusing, shopping, hanging-out, etc.
What the Corus building does is centralize a number of employees along the waterfront, who basically have nowhere to go and eat but back in the city or up to the St. Lawrence area- all reachable with in walking distance, but a little too far for breaks etc. I imagine a number of these employees will end up staying in the building, or driving to get food. Not great for an area searching to redefine itself as happening or alive. Furthermore, I find while the building will have some outdoor amenities, it is completely closed to the waterfront, ultimately blocking off another chunk of the waterfront to regular users.
I am not against this building being placed here, but I would have rather that it was elevated a story or two above the ground - at least for half of its length. A different configuration of this building, whether it remained grey or not (regretfully!), would have done wonders for the area and the overall perception of this building. This building honestly lacks any intelligence or thought in the process, besides being entirely economical and efficient. Creative design doesn't necessarily equate to having a building designed by Gehry, Hadid, or even Alsop - with whimsical accentuations (not necessarily bad), but rather it means looking at the design problem as a challenge and not as a task.
What D+S do best is usually look at the building as a task or just another building. Architecture is half creativity and half problem solving, but it is entirely creative problem solving. I think the argument that we cannot or shouldn't look to other cities, or designers for inspiration is a complete load of horse shit and I refuse to buy that argument. We do not live in a vacuum in Toronto, although many think we do. We are living in a time when people are traveling more, experiencing more, wanting more diversity and change in their daily routine, that we are compelled to look beyond our four corners to see what else is happening. And why the f--k not? I have traveled quite a bit, live in Vienna (Amsterdam sometimes too) where they are not afraid to take a gamble or two to experiment and learn about the mechanisms, elements and intricacies of architecture and design. That doesn't mean that whatever other cities do, that our is to copy or emulate, but rather that we start to see the possibilities, and try and see the potential that lies right here.
And lastly, what I think Toronto suffers from is not knowing what it is yet. We are a young city, and completely naive, but overly conservative. So much of what happens in the city is the result of bad planning, lack of foresight and above all lack of imagination and thought for the future. We live in this city like we are only here for a couple weeks and then its back to Brampton or Richmond Hill to our little suburban houses. I think many of us on this board feel the same way that I do, and that is that we are far too timid and afraid of getting any attention other than 'stay the course of mediocrity'.
p5