Toronto Casa II Condos | 184.09m | 56s | Cresford | a—A

Yes, thank you Ed. Everyone complains as if they're the only buildings around, but as soon as an aerial shot of Toronto is posted, it becomes apparent that we're still a city of beige concrete and mid-century International buildings. I say bring on 100 more glassy point towers, as they really punctuate the existing built form quite well. Where the newer condos are failing is in the from-scratch districts, such as CityPlace and Lakeshore West. The congregration of dreary sameness is depressing, and it's not aA who's designing that crap. The real offenders are the Kirkors, Page and Steeles, etc. of the Toronto architectural world. One look at clusters like Pinnacle Centre or the Malibu/WHC stretch is nauseating. We would be blessed to have some aA down in that precinct; or some Core, Teeple, Wallman and so on.
 
Yes, but the stacked boxes, set askew is very iconographic and kitschy. A little goes a long way. For example I absolutely love Absolute World, but the novelty and wonder would be watered down if we had one every few blocks, all of different height but otherwise the same twist and the same cladding. Because that is what all these renders of stacked boxes looks like. They all have the same proportions the same amount of floors per cube and even the same ceramic fritted glass balconies.

Could someone somewhere please shake it up a little? Maybe use a different colour of frit? Surely it comes in another colour. or maybe try wavy balconies on each cube and then set each cube askew... Something... ANYTHING different would be encouraging.

It's a great design, but I am sick of it already and we don't even have one yet in Toronto. Imagine how I'll feel in a few years when there's one popping up next to every big box strip mall in the 905.
 
If that does indeed happen, I'll still take it over the NY Towers-esque vernacular that's populating the suburbs as of late. Hell, I'll eat a shoe if the suburbs get something as creative and interesting as the twisty stacked boxes*.

*Excluding the now built-out Absolute World, of course. Those towers are probably the GTA's biggest architectural anomaly during this boom.

Fake edit: I mean, if we're going to get bludgeoned to death by one particular style, wouldn't you rather it be something that's at least interesting and tolerable? Or in fairness, perhaps it's possible that too many will ruin the beauty of a few standout examples, whereas a sea of banal crap just sort of fades into the background inoffensively. Who knows, I guess the future will determine that.
 
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Wait a minute. First, we don't know if this is the real design. Second, Cresford is a very conservative developer. Third, the developer is in control of the architect, so if this is what they want, this is what they get! Fourth, I'll take an aA any day over 88% of the other crapitecture that's gone up in T.O. this past decade.

Finally, if this is the final design, I get bragging rights.:D (I'm into car spy shots/scoops, and condo render porn stars!)
 
"Because that is what all these renders of stacked boxes looks like."

Isn't it premature to say we are being over-run? How many have been built or proposed?
We had about 100 glass boxes before anyone started complaining.
 
Let me use an analogy that everyone will understand...

American Idol

The judges say they don't want a copycat performance. No matter how good the singer is... They don't want a karaoke version... They want the contestants to put their own flavour on it. Make it their own

This design has been out there a few years now. It doesn't matter that few have been built. We have been burned out with the amount of renders looking the same when it comes to the stacked boxes. Ever since the stacked, askew box condo came out, it has the same proportion, same balconies even the same cladding choice on the balconies. Every architect is regurgitating the exact same design. I only ask they shake it up a little.
 
The congregration of dreary sameness is depressing, and it's not aA who's designing that crap. The real offenders are the Kirkors, Page and Steeles, etc. of the Toronto architectural world. One look at clusters like Pinnacle Centre or the Malibu/WHC stretch is nauseating. We would be blessed to have some aA down in that precinct; or some Core, Teeple, Wallman and so on.
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Yea...I think when we look back in 40 or so years, we will see the aA stuff in the same light that we see Uno Prii buildings from the 60's.

Let's hope that Toronto stays on a roll, so we can catch all the building fashions as they come and go, and hopefully snag some really good ones in the process. That's how great skylines get built. And Toronto is already built out enough that any one market-driven architectural fad isn't going to dominate.

I think Toronto is going to end up with a nice texture of mixed styles for a skyline in 10 or 15 years. And I don't think the aA stuff is going to be seen as junk either. I think a few of our local firms are doing some decent stuff and it's not stuff you see a lot of in every city either, so I think Toronto will look a little more unique than it has in the past.

Hey...at least we won't be stuck with one defining style like Vancouver.
 
Well in the next couple months, we will sure see if the Toronto Twist continues..:D

From Urbanation
we are going to be very busy over the next couple months - as many as 43 new condo projects totalling 9,000 units coming in Q2-2011!
 
Cant wait..64 storey/200+ meter planned condo buildings are far and few between in this new trend of up coming projects...other than this, i could see maybe a couple at 90/120 Harbour street, 501 Yonge street, and just maybe at 1 Yonge street (the Toronto Star lands) oh yeah and Signature Tower at CityPlace.
 
Automation Gallery said:
Cant wait..64 storey/200+ meter planned condo buildings are far and few between in this new trend of up coming projects...other than this, i could see maybe a couple at 90/120 Harbour street, 501 Yonge street, and just maybe at 1 Yonge street (the Toronto Star lands) oh yeah and Signature Tower at CityPlace.
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Correct me if im wrong, but I was under the impression that Pinnicale International owns the parking lot at 1 Yonge.
 
I am hoping that this building includes a hotel component. I love high end hotels although I wonder if toronto can handle any more? (...I know 5star hotels have been talked about a lot on the forums)
 
freshcutgrass said:
Yea...I think when we look back in 40 or so years, we will see the aA stuff in the same light that we see Uno Prii buildings from the 60's.
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A more apt comparison would to Peter Dickinson. His work was similar to the mainstream but with above-average attention to detail. Most buildings by Dickinson don't stand out dramatically at first sight, but it's the details like mullion and balcony placement, contrasts in materials, and sensitivity to proportions that, among other elements, make his buildings a cut above the others. Like Peter Clewes and aA, today, he also rarely, if ever, produced a design that looks awkward or unsuccessful. Uno Prii, on the other hand, was known for his exuberant and very original designs that didn't seem to show the same religious belief in the International Style as his colleagues.

Both Peter Dickinson and Peter Clewes' work will probably stand the test of time in terms of appreciation. Of course, Uno Prii's buildings will as well, but in a different way.
 
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