Toronto Aria | ?m | 19s | Fernbrook Homes | Rafael + Bigauskas

Urban Shocker said:
Actually, no. You're confusing the fact that everyone has opinions with the notion that there can therefore be no wrong ones, promoting the idea that there is no difference between the educated eye and the uneducated one, and the notion that design culture and marketing culture exist on a level playing field where both inevitably produce buildings of equal architectural merit.
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Let me ask you this, who decides what is of architectural merit?
 
Not the designer of Aria, which it is an example of ungainly pastiche and is disconnected from what the best of our local design culture are doing.
 
To further Shocker and my point, here is the writeup provided on the firms' website:

"Rafael + Bigauskas Architects Inc. is a Toronto based architectural practice. The principals bring to the firm a breadth of experience spanning twenty five years, and a portfolio which includes residential, mixed use, commercial and retail projects.

The firm's residential portfolio is extensive and comprehensive. The total built residential volume exceeds 35,000 dwelling units, which comprises more than 150 buildings of various forms and applications. The building forms range from single family homes, townhouses, and subdivisions to mid-rise and high-rise residential. These dwelling units accommodated a variety of residential applications including rental, cooperative, government subsidized and condominium building types.

The firm also specializes in master planning and feasibility studies, in conjunction with various mixed use developments. Master plans for several multiple projects have incorporated an average of 1500 units of both social and condominium housing types. "
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All this basically confirms that Rafael + Bigazz-kazz are really about quantity rather than quality. In the second paragraph, they list not their beliefs, philosophy, or commitments to sustainably, but simply the volume of their building. I don't see how this can even be considered 'architecture,' beyond the fact that it is the clumsy, ill-informed enclosure of space. Sad really that these firms actually get quite wealthy and often eclipse many of the smaller, more talented practices in town. Check out the new book Twenty and Change for a sampling of our local designers' abilites.
 
ProjectEnd said:
To further Shocker and my point, here is the writeup provided on the firms' website:



All this basically confirms that Rafael + Bigazz-kazz are really about quantity rather than quality. In the second paragraph, they list not their beliefs, philosophy, or commitments to sustainably, but simply the volume of their building. I don't see how this can even be considered 'architecture,' beyond the fact that it is the clumsy, ill-informed enclosure of space. Sad really that these firms actually get quite wealthy and often eclipse many of the smaller, more talented practices in town. Check out the new book Twenty and Change for a sampling of our local designers' abilites.
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Didn't the same firm design Tridel's Huntington which won some sort of design award in 2008?

Anyways, like I said before, I don't care what anyone else thinks, if I like something that's enough for me. Let's keep this thread on topic.
 
ProjectEnd said:
All this basically confirms that Rafael + Bigazz-kazz are really about quantity rather than quality. In the second paragraph, they list not their beliefs, philosophy, or commitments to sustainably, but simply the volume of their building. I don't see how this can even be considered 'architecture,' beyond the fact that it is the clumsy, ill-informed enclosure of space. Sad really that these firms actually get quite wealthy and often eclipse many of the smaller, more talented practices in town. Check out the new book Twenty and Change for a sampling of our local designers' abilites.
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In all fairness though PE ... your comment on Rafael + Bigauskas Architects can be said for just about another other major architectural firm in Toronto

just because R+B has completed 35,000 dwellings units it does not automatically mean that the firm is "...really about quantity rather than quality" ~ if that were true, the same should be said about aA, P+S, G+C, Kirkor, Quadrangle, Northgrave, etc ...
 
TheProfessor said:
So in other words you can't answer the question :rolleyes:
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No, I did. Aria self-identifies as second rate, which gets back to my earlier point about what the educated eye sees here: an ill-proportioned use of mix-and-match historical ornament that bears no relation to how such detailing was used in the originals; styles plucked from the past and nothing new done with them; a disconnect with what our best local architects are producing to professional and critical acclaim; indulging the worst instincts of the consumer for nostalgia and the excesses of applied decoration based on the notion that more-is-more.

I agree with Solaris about quantity. We must question the source, however.
 
Solaris said:
In all fairness though PE ... your comment on Rafael + Bigauskas Architects can be said for just about another other major architectural firm in Toronto

just because R+B has completed 35,000 dwellings units it does not automatically mean that the firm is "...really about quantity rather than quality" ~ if that were true, the same should be said about aA, P+S, G+C, Kirkor, Quadrangle, Northgrave, etc ...
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Well once you eliminate Kirkor, P+S and Northgrave from the equation, you come up with a 'good' firm (Quadrangle - who have been known to produce both excellent and mundane buildings), and aA which is most likely the best firm for its size (70-80) in the city.

Furthermore, on Quadrangle's site, they describe themselves as a firm which is: "Inspired by the belief that should be approached as creative problem-solving," not "we believe architecture should be approached as a mold, which is to be repeated regardless of site or time, for maximum developer profitability." aA has a similar sentiment on their site: "Buildings must be more than a place to live, study or work. A building should be a place in which to dream, to create – a place that inspires people to think and experiment."

Ones' attitude going into a project is just as important as the building which that process creates.
 
Well I wasn't going to be as flip as to say Bigazz-kazz doesn't produce architecture, but, well, they don't, they produce buildings. Architecture is about the creation, not the emulation of space. aA designs in the style of our time and doesn't dredge some cess-pool of historic imitation. Furthermore, their projects evolve with time - the balconies which encircle Casa were torqued to provide the forms for Gooderham and the tall starkness of Spire was enhanced to produce U. aA create projects which do inspire and for that we should thank them.

I have stated that historic influences etc. in architecture are welcome, as long as they are handled with deftness and respect. Bigazz-kazz have no notion of history since (as Shocker noted above) they blindly tack elements on a building which bear no relation to each other or the site. This, to me, does not constitute architecture and is where Diamond's 'spectacle' rhetoric actually makes some sense.
 
Solaris said:
it doesn't matter what aA say on their website, through a number of projects, aA has clearly demonstratd 'architecture ... repeated regardless of site'.
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You could make the same superficial assessment of the works of many excellent architects - Wren's churches come to mind - and you would be equally wrong. His spires punctuated the skyline of old London and were as of their time as aA's 'spires' are in Toronto, yet there was an evolution to his design sense and no two are identical - and some are very different from one another.

Considering the limitations of their basic, repetitive form - anorexic point towers - Clewesian 'spires' are also instantly recognizable ( they form their own context ), yet different from one another: Spire rises from grade with a smallish podium to one side and famously angled balconies; Market Wharf's tower takes its cue from its large red brick podium - which matches the neighbouring red brick buildings; the three graces of the Distillery each have their own identity, converse, and contribute to the greater whole - and their podiums expand the existing network of pedestrian lanes; X is an obvious homage to the TD Centre; Casa takes the idea of living in the sky with uninterrupted views to its ultimate all-glass Modernist expression ... etc. And there are podiums when necessary, but not necessarily podiums.
 
^Good points. We should be satisfied that an talented architect develops a successful style in response to the local context, and repeats it while refining it. We will one day look back on the work of Clewes and compare/contrast early examples with later ones, as we do with the work of all architects of note.
 
Scaled Model

thanks to ProjectEnd's leads to MBA Models

like it or not ... this is The Aria Residences ~

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Thanks Solaris. The above is actually phase one, with phase two a reverse image and two floors shorter.

As far as I know, plans have not been released for the final phase which is the townhomes at the back of the property.
 
My friends told me the colour selections for their non-penthouse unit is very limited. Only 3 colours to choose for hardwood floors, in oak only. Upgrade from Granite to Quartz kitchen counter top is not allowed (Quartz is only for penthouse units). Pot light upgrade is not available. Downgrade from marble to porcelain tiles in bathrooms has to pay extra. I cannot believe this!
 
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