Toronto 401 Bay Street | 143.86m | 33s | Cadillac Fairview | WZMH

I can appreciate and agree with that AG ... but I thought the old brown tinted glass was actually sharper looking
 
Yes @Automation Gallery, of course energy efficiency is important, but you can achieve that without sacrificing aesthetics. It's mind boggling that this combination of materials in these colours is considered appropriate recladding for this tower by Cadillac Fairview or the architects.

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Ive been reading this forum since the beginning (mid/late 90's) and I don't ever remember a building causing me to actually yell out loud in anger at my computer.

:mad:
 
interchange42 said:
Yes @Automation Gallery, of course energy efficiency is important, but you can achieve that without sacrificing aesthetics. It's mind boggling that this combination of materials in these colours is considered appropriate recladding for this tower by Cadillac Fairview or the architects.

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I get the sense they just don't care. I mean, you don't hire Pellow - who specialize in car dealerships and low-rise industrial buildings - if you really care what the thing looks like at the end. What I can't get around is the leasing - do they really think they're going to attract higher-paying tenants in something that looks like a Reno or Atlantic City reject? It's all pretty gobsmacking...
 
I can imagine the office tower was simply part of the package. First and foremost was acquiring the department store. The tower has limitations preventing it from attracting top dollar. Still, this could have pulled more successfully with different spandrel. (if curtain glass was the only direction) How much would that really add to the budget? I think we can resign this to the guy in charge of this project at CF simply having poor tastes in design.
 
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ProjectEnd said:
I get the sense they just don't care. I mean, you don't hire Pellow - who specialize in car dealerships and low-rise industrial buildings - if you really care what the thing looks like at the end. What I can't get around is the leasing - do they really think they're going to attract higher-paying tenants in something that looks like a Reno or Atlantic City reject? It's all pretty gobsmacking...
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Actually, I think the operating logic may have been that the head of Pellow (dec'd) was in the Parkin office back around the time of the Simpson Tower.
 
maestro said:
I can imagine the office tower was simply part of the package. First and foremost was acquiring the department store. The tower has limitations preventing it from attracting top dollar. Still, this could have pulled more successfully with different spandrel. (if curtain glass was the only direction) How much would that really add to the budget? I think we can resign this to the guy in charge of this project at CF simply having poor tastes in design.
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I don't know. If anything, I think I prefer the idea that noone really cared. That anyone could have signed off on this and, misplaced as the feeling might be, been proud of it is even less believable than: "eh, whatever."

adma said:
Actually, I think the operating logic may have been that the head of Pellow (dec'd) was in the Parkin office back around the time of the Simpson Tower.
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Again, too much agency. That means Pellow was selected. I prefer the idea that they were just the cheapest.

From the leasing flyer:
Long a part of the downtown skyline, 401 Bay Street stands 32 floors tall at the intersection of Bay and Queen West, the intersection of commerce, world class retail and municipal government. Beginning now, the tower will undergo a complete transformation in both look and performance. All windows will be replaced with high energy efficient insulated glass units. All other surfaces on the exterior will be covered by architectural metal panels. These changes will usher in substantial energy cost savings for many years to come, and greatly reduce long-term building maintenance costs to the benefit of tower occupants. 401 Bay Street offers an abundance of amenities to its tenants including; panoramic views, superior safety and security services, plenty of adjacent underground parking, famous restaurants, efficient and virtually column-free floorplates and superior quality finishes.
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The above only speaks to the tower's increased energy efficiency, not its outward appearance. And what's more, those energy savings are only touted as being beneficial because they save money for tenants, not because they project a beautiful or impressive aesthetic.
 
For that matter, Pellow also "inherited" the Adelaide Place complex from the Parkin firm's successors (the present-day NORR)--150 York was credited to Pellow.
 
ProjectEnd said:
I don't know. If anything, I think I prefer the idea that noone really cared. That anyone could have signed off on this and, misplaced as the feeling might be, been proud of it is even less believable than: "eh, whatever."
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For sure. I'm not that optimistic.
 
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