Braddale
New Member
Anyone know how much more till topped out. In relation to the picture with the crane?
Toronto Aura at College Park | 271.87m | 78s | Canderel | Graziani + Corazza
ushahid
Senior Member
they should have used the same cladding as the southcore delta hotel.
ptbotrmpfn
Senior Member
I swore I saw a heading the other day stating Aura had officially topped out. just had the crown to go. I could be thinking of a different project though.
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
The last residential floor (PH level) was being poured just before the holidays, mechanical yet to go.
buildup
Senior Member
Apologies Spire, my comment was uncalled for in this context. HNY.
adma
Superstar
And when it comes to "standards of mediocrity", look--the die was cast long ago. Eaton's College may have been superb, but its 80s add-ons are banal (Maclean-Hunter) or at best neutral (the condo add-on). The park, complete with its disused white elephant of a PoMo skate shelter, turned out to be a vacuous Sususudio-era period piece. And the only other "pre-Canderel" thing on the superblock, The Liberties, is the Bay Street-i-fied spec barrel bottom of St Lawrence-style brick lowrise/highdensity.
And on top of all that, to use College Park's presence as an alibi for Robert Stern Deco sounds a little kitsch-reflexxy to me.
And on top of all that, to use College Park's presence as an alibi for Robert Stern Deco sounds a little kitsch-reflexxy to me.
LowPolygon
Senior Member
Maclean Hunter was a huge missed opportunity, coming at that exact moment in the early 80s, when firms like Webb Zerafa Menkes and mainstream late-modernism itself, were completely out of ideas.
buildup
Senior Member
It's given you wouldn't like Robert Stern any more than you'd like Gehry, but that's another issue. If Stern had been proposed you would've marshalled all your energies against it, but Canderel wasn't as stimulating a battle...
I offered Stern's name as an example, but I was arguing for context (your buzzword) but you choose to twist it into kitsch-reflexxy. It must be hard to get things accomplished being on a team with you! The park it fixable at some point.
neuhaus
Senior Member
Just happened to drive by Aura, so I decided to make a stop and check out the retail at Aura this afternoon.
Getting down to the basement is really disappointing as there doesn't seem to be proper signage/wayfinding and the entrance to it couldn't get any less inviting.
The basement mall is pretty grim about 10% of the retail units were occupied and about 5 stores were open with next to no shoppers there -- there's a homeless person that seems to be camped out in one of the bathroom stalls. The design and feeling of the space feels very bland and dated, like a struggling mini-mall in the suburbs. There's no wow factor or anything that speaks quality.
Of the stores that were open today, a few hair and nail salons and one cell phone shop, the shop keepers were just reading or sitting around and looking extremely bored as they had no customers.
Most of the retail units had for lease signs, and the average size is about 200 sq.ft. similar to the kiosk-sized shops at Pacific Mall. Here are some of the going rents there:
244 sq.ft. for $3,000/mo.
200 sq.ft. for $1,850/mo.
171 sq.ft. for $1,650/mo.
197 sq.ft. for sale for $449,000 with a condo fee of $374/mo.
There is still only 2 restaurants that have set up in the food court -- both were closed today.
This is a funny sign I saw on one of the shops there.
I went upstairs to check out the Bed Bath and Beyond (level 2) and Marshall's (level 3), nothing special here and there were not that many shoppers there but this could be blamed on the crappy wet weather. Probably the biggest destination would be Madonna's chain of Hard Candy Fitness on level 4. It's a massive and slick looking 55,000 sq.ft. health club which I'm sure will get plenty of use by the residents of Aura (part of their amenities) and public alike. www.hardcandyfitness.com
It's too bad that Aura doesn't have any higher quality retailers, and the tiny kiosk shops in the basement level will be eventually filled by more salons and stores selling flea market goods.
Making my way back outside there are three restaurants that were open and one that is opening soon, they all looked nice which should draw more people. It's too bad that you don't see much of the restaurant from the outside and there doesn't seem to be any provisions for any outdoor patio space. I could see something like the patio at the O&B restaurant at TIFF working very successfully here and really bringing life to the base of Aura.
Getting down to the basement is really disappointing as there doesn't seem to be proper signage/wayfinding and the entrance to it couldn't get any less inviting.
The basement mall is pretty grim about 10% of the retail units were occupied and about 5 stores were open with next to no shoppers there -- there's a homeless person that seems to be camped out in one of the bathroom stalls. The design and feeling of the space feels very bland and dated, like a struggling mini-mall in the suburbs. There's no wow factor or anything that speaks quality.
Of the stores that were open today, a few hair and nail salons and one cell phone shop, the shop keepers were just reading or sitting around and looking extremely bored as they had no customers.
Most of the retail units had for lease signs, and the average size is about 200 sq.ft. similar to the kiosk-sized shops at Pacific Mall. Here are some of the going rents there:
244 sq.ft. for $3,000/mo.
200 sq.ft. for $1,850/mo.
171 sq.ft. for $1,650/mo.
197 sq.ft. for sale for $449,000 with a condo fee of $374/mo.
There is still only 2 restaurants that have set up in the food court -- both were closed today.
This is a funny sign I saw on one of the shops there.
I went upstairs to check out the Bed Bath and Beyond (level 2) and Marshall's (level 3), nothing special here and there were not that many shoppers there but this could be blamed on the crappy wet weather. Probably the biggest destination would be Madonna's chain of Hard Candy Fitness on level 4. It's a massive and slick looking 55,000 sq.ft. health club which I'm sure will get plenty of use by the residents of Aura (part of their amenities) and public alike. www.hardcandyfitness.com
It's too bad that Aura doesn't have any higher quality retailers, and the tiny kiosk shops in the basement level will be eventually filled by more salons and stores selling flea market goods.
Making my way back outside there are three restaurants that were open and one that is opening soon, they all looked nice which should draw more people. It's too bad that you don't see much of the restaurant from the outside and there doesn't seem to be any provisions for any outdoor patio space. I could see something like the patio at the O&B restaurant at TIFF working very successfully here and really bringing life to the base of Aura.
Attachments
innsertnamehere
Superstar
there are plans for several patios actually.
buildup
Senior Member
It is heartbreaking seeing how those retail investors in the basement have been badly disappointed. Someone ought to make an offer to buy them all out and put in something like a mini-walmart, Canada tire or Home Depot. It might fit with the Bed & Beyond above. Not pretty but a good enough location. Its hard to imagine those little nail salons working out.
neuhaus
Senior Member
yeah, I would like to see a Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, or even a Lucky Strike, but the ceiling height on that basement level is not tall enough for major retailer or grocer, and it will require a lot of work trying to accommodate significant loading/servicing for it. It's too late now, but if there was more connection or openings to the ground level it will definitely improve the retail exposure and be much more welcoming.
innsertnamehere: it's great to know that there will be a few patios planned. Once the massive overhead protection canopy is removed and patios are in place it will create some great street life.
innsertnamehere: it's great to know that there will be a few patios planned. Once the massive overhead protection canopy is removed and patios are in place it will create some great street life.
whatever
Senior Member
Those food court restaurants are actually pretty good, too. The Japanese curry place gives you a gigantic pork cutlet and a really tasty curry for like $8, and they've got an odd but really good poutine too (it's like a potato tempura doused in curry and shredded cheese, but it works somehow). The Korean place is standard Korean take-out, but the bibimbap is quite well done and probably the best one available in the area.
adma
Superstar
What's to marshal? Unlike Mirvish/Gehry, no existing heritage etc was blithely threatened here.
Well, Stern has that kind of reputation.
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
I'm fairly confident that time will sort out the mess downstairs as units become combined in years to come and better retail evolves from that. It could also just take one hot shop to open and drive people down there, then the other retailers win if they have the right wares. Why the resistance to a PATH connection via the hotel/Ryerson is completely beyond me.