TCHC: West Don Lands Affordable Housing (589 King St E, 2x 4 + 8s, Core Architects)

[RiverCity1]

Nice pics!

Question: Do the bricks get powerwashed to remove the stains at some point? Or is this left to nature, rain, etc., to fade away. You can see the large area of stains at the back of the senior's building (last pic) which sticks out like a sore thumb that has been there awhile.

 

[CanadianNational]

These new ones are not much more exciting than the old regent park buildings, IMO. They're not bad at all, but they are unremarkable and a little dull. If just one of them has used a different hue, that would have been welcome - up against the black of S&P's creation across the street. I'm thinking it's about time Toronto started easing off it's dark brick fascination - ever since the Opera House was built, it's been showing up everywhere. It could date as badly as white brick did from the '60's. Also - does anyone else think that these particular colours in this particular locale could be unfortunately reminiscent of soot-stains?

 

[mrxbombastic]

In all honesty these two buildings lack any charisma. They don't allow the residents to engage the street in any meaningful way.

No balconies mean the units are very inward facing and lack a sense of connectivity to the outside. From a facade standpoint, they are generic with some slight fare in the offset bricking and mildly oppressive at worst. While I wont make claims about these units becoming ghetto-fied, I will say that given their inward looking built form its easy to see how problems could develop. With the whole "eyes on the street" feel throughout the greater development and area this type of thing can be prevented.

As a disclaimer im not saying the TCHC buildings are prone to social issues because they are TCHC. Rather im saying these are prone to issues because they replicate much of the same issues with older TCHC buildings, namely their insulated interaction.

Wish for the best for this area as one day i may move there myself.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Of mixed thoughts about the low-rise - it isn't bad, and I don't think they will turn into ghettos just because of the lack of a softening edge. However, there is something nagging me about them - the facades are really severe, to the point of having a light resemblance to Third Reich architecture.

AoD

 

[Edward Skira]

Add trees, some landscaping, some people and some buildings in and around and they'll be just fine.

 

[urbandreamer]

These buildings are fantastic: crisp minimal modern flats that have a very European feel to them. More please.

(Sure, change them up with pitched roofs, ornamental details done the right way--err the NimbyTect way duh!--different materials etc but overall, I'd love to see hundreds of these in a row--imagine how different--ie better!--Humber Bay Shores would look if it had this scale/aesthetic.)

 

[junctionist]

Add trees, some landscaping, some people and some buildings in and around and they'll be just fine.

Socially speaking, I doubt they'll be Regent Park-style failures. But they'll probably will be seen in the same light after a few decades. The buildings are very stark.

 

[RiverCity1]

Sept 14th

 

[TheKingEast]

This city and its fear of color. What a depressing place to come home to. Do dreary and boring. What a shame.

 

[Torontovibe]

^^ Every building in the West Don Lands is turning out to be greyer than the next. Literally, every single building going up is predominately or completely grey. I am really surprised that more people aren't concerned when a whole neighbourhood is one single, ugly colour. I think it's a huge mistake and I will keep shouting it, until someone does something about it. If developers are on this site, WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU GUYS THINKING? (CityPlace, Fort York, Liberty Village, Regent Park, Corktown and now ALL of the West Don Lands?)

Talk about playing it safe. No wonder so many people refer to Toronto as conservative. Take a few minor design risks, every now and then. Dreary and boring is an understatement!

Do we really want this whole city looking like Metropolis/Toronto Life Square? (of all places to emulate, yuck)

 

[urbandreamer]

^What works well with the chic grey and blacks in this neigbhourhood? (Chic because the architecture here & at River City is superior to most Toronto projects)

Bold magenta pink and Irish green street furniture--ie light poles, benches, garbage cans, flowers etc.

 

[Johnny Kay]

Does anyone know about the retail going in on King? Someone mentioned Sobey's earlier in the thread. Is that for this building? If there any proof a Sobey's would be moving in here?

 

[TheKingEast]

^^ Every building in the West Don Lands is turning out to be greyer than the next. Literally, every single building going up is predominately or completely grey. I am really surprised that more people aren't concerned when a whole neighbourhood is one single, ugly colour. I think it's a huge mistake and I will keep shouting it, until someone does something about it. If developers are on this site, WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU GUYS THINKING? (CityPlace, Fort York, Liberty Village, Regent Park, Corktown and now ALL of the West Don Lands?)

Talk about playing it safe. No wonder so many people refer to Toronto as conservative. Take a few minor design risks, every now and then. Dreary and boring is an understatement!

Do we really want this whole city looking like Metropolis/Toronto Life Square? (of all places to emulate, yuck)

Developers would probably say that buyers like grey. We've had a chance to redesign this city over the last 10 years and dropped the ball big time. Save for a few projects everything is grey and bland. Hell, I'd be cool with red brick. Why grey?

 

[Michael62]

and a couple of years ago the mantra was "green glass, green glass, everything is green glass... it's so depressing and boring... when can we get something different than green glass... why can't we get more bricks?" It's endless on this forum, whiny, whiny whiny

 

[TheKingEast]

and a couple of years ago the mantra was "green glass, green glass, everything is green glass... it's so depressing and boring... when can we get something different than green glass... why can't we get more bricks?" It's endless on this forum, whiny, whiny whiny

Way to miss the mark!