Toronto The Globe and Mail Centre | 83.21m | 17s | First Gulf | Diamond Schmitt

[modernizt]

Even at ground level this building lacks any kind of interesting or well-considered detailing, and the mechanical vents on the top "box" appear to be an afterthought. There's just nothing to focus your eye on. Even when going for a fully-glazed expression, it's beneficial to introduce different qualities of glass, touches of texture such as metal extrusions or - my personal architectural fetish, the reveal. But here we have none of that.

Its proportions are clumsy and the streetscape along King Street is completely unsympathetic and out of scale with the rest of the street - in fact I would argue that everything between Yonge and Berkeley is fairly consistent and even newer buildings along King East feel "in place" until you reach this jarring part of the streetscape. (I can excuse something that doesn't "fit in" in many places, but King East I cannot. And it doesn't stand out in any way that benefits it - just a blank two-storey glazed facade with not one point of interest to justify it.) It would work in the Financial District but not at this intersection on the Corktown end of King East.

I'm a big fan of massing that shows a clear programmatic "stacking" or shifting, and I love the visual effect of a massing that consists of stacked boxes. But it's not handled nicely here - the proportions feel all wrong.

The effects created by the highly reflective glazing are interesting, but that's simply not enough. I wish I could like this, but count this as yet another Diamond+Schmitt miss for me.

I think what frustrates me with this project is how the parti/concept is strong and even a mildly better effort could have created something so much more interesting. But instead they made it as clumsy and bland as possible. Interesting from a distance is not enough - you need interesting detailing to make a project successful, in my opinion.

 

[Tulse]

Starbucks - check, bank - check, really hoping to see a Subway here for the trifecta.

It has a Freshii instead.

Of course, there is also a huge frontage on King Street that will be retail as well.

 

[Edward Skira]

This complex now has a National Bank, Royal Bank, CIBC and BMO. Scotiabank is across the street. All they need is to get the TD into the spot on King and they'll be done. This area went from absolutely no banks east of Church not that long ago to every major Canadian bank.

 

[Tulse]

There's just nothing to focus your eye on.

Unless you're referring solely to the ground level, I strongly disagree -- certainly the interior corner on the southwest side of the building is both eye-catching and eye-watering, as one tries to work out what is the corner and what is the reflection. It's a bit like Escher in solid form.

Even when going for a fully-glazed expression, it's beneficial to introduce different qualities of glass, touches of texture such as metal extrusions

The whole approach of the building involves two very different forms of glass, demarcating different projections of the form. And the second level does have the nice touch of oxidized metal strips that in colour recall the brick of the nearby buildings.

Its proportions are clumsy and the streetscape along King Street is completely unsympathetic and out of scale with the rest of the street

With Time and Space and other projects going up nearby, it will be very much in scale with building in the area.

 

[condovo]

^^^ Time / Space are not on King St and, anyway, they're way out of scale too (and garbage architecturally).

 

[modernizt]

There are no oxidized metal strips on this project- the vertical fins are what I presume to be an aluminum finish.

(Even if they were some sort of corten - I would never buy the idea that it's a response to the context. But that's a moot point given the above.)

As for the stacked effect and that neat trick of the eye at the southwest corner, it's an interesting moment in the design but does not a good building make.

 

[Tulse]

Yes, Time and Space is a horrible project, but projects like that are setting the scale for the neighbourhood. It's my understanding that the Staples lot is to be redeveloped as well, and certainly it currently is not in keeping with the form of King Street further west. I think the Globe and Mail building simply marks the southern endpoint of the lower-midrise buildings of old King. Past Berkeley the western character of the street largely dissolves.

And sure, the vertical strips on the building are not corten, but I think it is pretty clear that they are contextual -- they provide a warm, palette-compatible strip of colour at the same height at the surrounding buildings, softening the glass:

If one wants to argue about poor impact on streetscape, the SAS building across the street is a far better example, with its weird metal columned colonnade.

 

[jxmith_]

Was at a condo meeting earlier tonight, and a fellow resident had mentioned that there was a rumour of some retail, tied to St. Lawrence Market taking up the front of the building. Was wondering if anyone had anything on this

 

[Tulse]

There's definitely retail going into the entire King side of the building (there are For Lease signs), and I believe the eastern section is already leased, based on the signs there.

 

[Ramako]

The King side is intended to be restaurants.

 

[nfitz]

With the sidewalk work ongoing, I've started to wonder how they are going to replace the trees. I'd assumed that they'd construct cells between the sidewalk and the road. But apparently not (from Thursday).

Does anyone know what the plan is? Probably discussed earlier and I missed ...

 

[DSC]

With the sidewalk work ongoing, I've started to wonder how they are going to replace the trees. I'd assumed that they'd construct cells between the sidewalk and the road. But apparently not (from Thursday).

Does anyone know what the plan is? Probably discussed earlier and I missed ...

Ah yes, the trees! The St Lawrence Neighbourhood Association and the St Lawrence BIA are 'not happy" about the removal of the trees but it is, apparently, a 'done deal". First Gulf had to repair the sidewalk on King in front of their new building and at same time wanted to raise the level of it in front of the former Sun newspaper part of the King frontage to create level entrances. This all seemed like a good idea but then ..... We received the following from First Gulf :

"With regards, to tree pits, you (and your neighbours) are correct to identify no new tree pits. We have worked hard with the City of Toronto and others in the past (like yourselves) to come up with a design that would accommodate trees. We landed on a design that would include precast panels with pavers above to allow the appropriate soil depth and conditions for trees. This was not a typical City standard, and through the SPA and Streetscape approvals program, it became abundantly clear that not all City departments could agree that this was a feasible and acceptable solution. Ultimately the City’s engineering department required that the slabs would need to meet highway bridge requirements to accommodate the mounting or sitting of heavy vehicles. This would have increase the slab thickness to approximately 12” and would have required large amounts of rebar. Not only did this impact the cost exponentially, we were caught between best practices observed by some departments, City standards by others, and ultimately liability by the engineering department. We were caught in the middle of a complicated matter that was not resolved at the time and part of an ongoing working committee that was trying to establish the review and design of standards for tree plantings in boulevards that could accommodate heavier loads."
"We very much wanted trees along King Street East and unfortunately found it impossible to find a solution that appeased all City department and assured the well-being of and trees being planted. "

Translation. If they could not plant trees in proper tree trenches (too expensive!) they were not going to plant ANY trees and actually removed about a dozen quite healthy ones (which had survived very well in the old fashioned "holes' for decades. . For a huge corporation who clearly made LOTS of money on this development it is shameful and the City does not come across looking good either. Who authorised the removal of healthy trees? Who approved the removal of tree cover when it is City policy to plant MORE trees.

 

[nfitz]

That's absurd. There's no reason they couldn't have left the existing trees and pits, and built up the sidewalk a bit.

 

[DSC]

UPDATE on Sidewalks and trees. They have now stopped putting down bricks and have filled in the area between concrete sidewalk and road with asphalt. This could mean that the City has forced them to stop and re-do things so that they can plant trees or they realised they had screwed up or it could mean they think asphalt looks better. I guess we will see! The SLNA, the BIA and Pam McConnell's office certainly expressed their annoyance about the senseless tree destruction.

 

[grey]

Has anyone heard about a retail leasee on the 2nd floor associated with the St Lawrence Market?