Toronto 100 Yorkville at Bellair | 61.57m | 16s | Invar Building | Hariri Pontarini

[ganjavih]

I think the weathered brick is great.

 

[urbandreamer]

10 March 2009 photo update

Thankfully the retail part looks good:

 

[condovo]

I know of lot UTers don't like this project but I think it's a winner. I also like Yorkville Avenue's emerging streetscape Thanks for the pics UD.

 

[Solaris]

the previously pink-ish cladding is turning out alright in the above photos ... perhaps the colour faded a bit?

 

[greenleaf]

I have no problem with the architecture. The buildings look great in context and I think the ground floor retail will look nice (I'm looking forward to anthropologie - they make nice things).

It's the pinky-peach cladding and high end version of the Zip condo teal glass that bothers me (the materials for the rowhouses look great). I just don't like teal glass or that colour cladding.

 

[confusion]

I love how this buildings design meshes with the one next door. They have similar architecture, and I like that in a neighbourhood.

 

[ProjectEnd]

Architecture should be about challenge, not comfort.

 

[condovo]

Not necessarily. It all depends on the context.

 

[MBS]

Of course architecture is about comfort. Architects design for people. Which means making it comfortable for them. You can create a challenge for yourself by designing something spectacular looking, while maintaining a comfortable, livable atmosphere.

And about this building... I think it is a success and a failure with regards to context. A highrise glass/precast tower doesn't seem to respect the nature of yorkville ave. However on the Scollard side they seem to know exactly how to benifit the area. I think this project would feel more appropriate if it fronted on bay or avenue streets and backed onto one of yorkville's intimate streets.

 

[condovo]

Having walked by this building a number of times, I can say that the precast is of supreme quality. I actually thought it was stone when first installed. Of course, the cladding on the retail portion is stone and looks great so far. If only West Harbour City looked more like this, as the renderings seem to have suggested.

 

[ProjectEnd]

Of course architecture is about comfort. Architects design for people. Which means making it comfortable for them. You can create a challenge for yourself by designing something spectacular looking, while maintaining a comfortable, livable atmosphere.

But what is comfort? Furthermore, how does one know if they are comfortable and, if they believe they are, how could they become more comfortable? The idea that 'comfort' is a goal to be reached, rather than a byproduct to be enjoyed clearly falls down in many ways. Comfort then, is best left to the throw pillows and nifty shower curtains of interior designers.

When I speak of 'challenge,' I am not simply referring to a difficult task, as you have implied, but speaking more broadly about the impressions (good and bad) that one is left with when and after viewing a building. For example, If one sees a structure and is indifferent to it (or comfortable), they will simply walk by. If he or she likes it, they may give it a second glance or may even stop for a picture. When one is challenged however, they become more engaged since they seek the reason for their discomfort. If this reason is found then perhaps that person will view the building differently. If not, it could irk them for years to come, allowing for future visits and multiple viewings. Regardless of whether the outcome is positive or negative, because that person was challenged, the experience becomes that much more fruitful.

Architecture is about challenge.

 

[Hydrogen]

I don't find the towers hideous, but they don't strike me as something to be loved, either.



As for the rowhouses, the best I can say is that they are Forest Hill's loss.

 

[urbandreamer]

Howie Mandel must have bad taste: he bought a unit for himself.

 

[Tewder]

I love how this buildings design meshes with the one next door. They have similar architecture, and I like that in a neighbourhood.

Interesting. I think my one major issue is with the 'salmon' colour and its clashing with the yellow brick of the older facade. Each colour fights the other. It makes me uncomfortable, so maybe it's a good thing??

 

[Urban Shocker]

I'd have thought you'd be over the moon that it isn't grey.

The Crockett/Tubbs colour scheme isn't entirely to my taste, but the two buildings are reasonably well matched tonally.