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Re: Mississauga's Big Day Out!
From the Star:
Link to article
New shape of Mississauga
Mar. 29, 2006. 07:51 AM
Everyone's heard of the Bilbao Effect, but what about the Mississauga Effect?
Don't laugh, it could happen; especially now that the winner of that city's first-ever international condo design competition has been revealed. Selected from 92 submissions from 70 countries, the chosen entry is a stunning and sensuous 50-storey tower that dips and curves in all the right places.
Already it has been nicknamed Marilyn Monroe.
Created by a young Beijing-based firm, MAD, this is no ordinary architectural icon. It's a statement about the power of design to establish a sense of place and context.
"Suburbs around the world want to become metropolises," Yansong Ma, founder of MAD, said yesterday. "But we don't think they should. They have their own character. They should create their own identity."
Certainly, Ma's tower, named Absolute by the developers, Cityzen Development Group and Fernbrook Homes, will accomplish that.
"It had to be iconic," Ma insisted. "Since the early 20th century, the highrise has been the symbol of urban life."
MAD's highrise will be the most recognizable structure in Mississauga. Located at the corner of Hurontario St. and Burnhamthorpe Rd., it will be within walking distance of the city's only other landmark — Square One Shopping Centre excepted — and that's its city hall, designed in the early 1980s by Ed Jones and Michael Kirkland. It was also chosen by a competition, but in that case, the scope was national, not global. Still, the building is considered a post-modern classic, visited by architects from around the world.
By contrast, Absolute represents a distinctly 21st-century sensibility, a kind of neo-expressionistic esthetic that blurs the distinction between art and architecture. This is a highly sculptural work that balances the demands of form and function in a strictly contemporary fashion.
Of course, much remains to be done before construction starts next year. Ma and his partners visited Mississauga for the first time this year and have just completed conceptual drawings. Now they must start the more demanding job of producing detailed drawings. For that, they will join with a local architectural firm.
"We believe design counts," said Fernbrook president Danny Salvatore. "Great design makes sound business sense."
Too bad the rest of Mississauga wasn't built by developers who share his faith in architecture. But, he continued, the market has grown up and is now demanding projects such as this that stand out above the rest.
Even Mississauga's long-serving mayor, Hazel McCallion, declared herself thrilled with the decision. "We started 40 years ago in a hayfield," said the veteran politician, whose proudest claim is that her city remains debt free. "This is a dream come true."
In fact, it's a dream few Mississauga residents would have bothered with until now. Despite McCallion's boast, hers is a city desperately in need of an identity that goes beyond its lack of debt. You get what you pay for, of course, and in Mississauga that's been precious little.
But that's old news. What's interesting this time is that the private sector has moved in to fill the void left by officialdom. What McCallion and her council have failed to provide — namely a place where there's a there there — will now be addressed by a development consortium.
That alone makes the project remarkable, even without Marilyn Monroe.
In the meantime, the burning question amongst prospective buyers isn't price but location: leg, breast or thigh?
From the Star:
Link to article
New shape of Mississauga
Mar. 29, 2006. 07:51 AM
Everyone's heard of the Bilbao Effect, but what about the Mississauga Effect?
Don't laugh, it could happen; especially now that the winner of that city's first-ever international condo design competition has been revealed. Selected from 92 submissions from 70 countries, the chosen entry is a stunning and sensuous 50-storey tower that dips and curves in all the right places.
Already it has been nicknamed Marilyn Monroe.
Created by a young Beijing-based firm, MAD, this is no ordinary architectural icon. It's a statement about the power of design to establish a sense of place and context.
"Suburbs around the world want to become metropolises," Yansong Ma, founder of MAD, said yesterday. "But we don't think they should. They have their own character. They should create their own identity."
Certainly, Ma's tower, named Absolute by the developers, Cityzen Development Group and Fernbrook Homes, will accomplish that.
"It had to be iconic," Ma insisted. "Since the early 20th century, the highrise has been the symbol of urban life."
MAD's highrise will be the most recognizable structure in Mississauga. Located at the corner of Hurontario St. and Burnhamthorpe Rd., it will be within walking distance of the city's only other landmark — Square One Shopping Centre excepted — and that's its city hall, designed in the early 1980s by Ed Jones and Michael Kirkland. It was also chosen by a competition, but in that case, the scope was national, not global. Still, the building is considered a post-modern classic, visited by architects from around the world.
By contrast, Absolute represents a distinctly 21st-century sensibility, a kind of neo-expressionistic esthetic that blurs the distinction between art and architecture. This is a highly sculptural work that balances the demands of form and function in a strictly contemporary fashion.
Of course, much remains to be done before construction starts next year. Ma and his partners visited Mississauga for the first time this year and have just completed conceptual drawings. Now they must start the more demanding job of producing detailed drawings. For that, they will join with a local architectural firm.
"We believe design counts," said Fernbrook president Danny Salvatore. "Great design makes sound business sense."
Too bad the rest of Mississauga wasn't built by developers who share his faith in architecture. But, he continued, the market has grown up and is now demanding projects such as this that stand out above the rest.
Even Mississauga's long-serving mayor, Hazel McCallion, declared herself thrilled with the decision. "We started 40 years ago in a hayfield," said the veteran politician, whose proudest claim is that her city remains debt free. "This is a dream come true."
In fact, it's a dream few Mississauga residents would have bothered with until now. Despite McCallion's boast, hers is a city desperately in need of an identity that goes beyond its lack of debt. You get what you pay for, of course, and in Mississauga that's been precious little.
But that's old news. What's interesting this time is that the private sector has moved in to fill the void left by officialdom. What McCallion and her council have failed to provide — namely a place where there's a there there — will now be addressed by a development consortium.
That alone makes the project remarkable, even without Marilyn Monroe.
In the meantime, the burning question amongst prospective buyers isn't price but location: leg, breast or thigh?
