Toronto Charlie Condos | 122.83m | 36s | Great Gulf | Diamond Schmitt

16 March 2013: It finally dawned on me as I touched the "8" Charlotte sign (it may be stone or perhaps textured concrete) why I've seen a ton of Asians here--they love that number 8 address ha. The area clearly needs a T&T.
rps20130316213005.jpg

Look up:
rps20130316213247.jpg

Look down:
rps20130316213059168.jpg

Look all around:
rps20130316213338.jpg

Climb aboard:
rps20130316213205.jpg

Lucky #8?
 
urbandreamer said:
16 March 2013: It finally dawned on me as I touched the "8" Charlotte sign (it may be stone or perhaps textured concrete)
Click to expand...

As per the front page story from a few days ago, it's "board-formed white concrete", information provided by Steven Bondar at DSAI.

I love the wood grain in it. The best of brutalism picks up that grain. See John Andrews' buildings at UTSC and P+S's River City, south side facing the woonerf.

42
 
Last edited:
30 March 2013: Love the sculpture--Toronto's grooviest bit of public art since the Moore sculpture at the AGO? (Interesting: I met the art consultant who hooked up Jed Lind with GG at an art party a few years ago. She's kinda hot.:))

rps20130330214147.jpg


rps20130330215849532.jpg


I'm an artist too:
rps20130330214435.jpg


Where shall I fly to? Aroma?
rps20130330214720.jpg


I prefer the Glas planters--wish they'd continued this look to avoid the typical disjointed feel Toronto has. Glas also has better attention to details at street level. aA working the magic here?
rps20130330213443.jpg


Baseball glove, laundry basket or boat?
rps20130330214902.jpg


rps20130330213624.jpg


rps20130330215957.jpg


rps20130330215738.jpg


Hockey net?
rps20130330215629.jpg


I'm putting my sleeping bag here ... good night!
rps20130330213752.jpg
 
Last edited:
This building looks quite polished with a metropolitan form appropriate for Canada's largest city. It's a satisfying addition to the area that will probably always look good, even after this style of architecture fades from the mainsteam. At first I was concerned that ordinary people wouldn't get the public art, but it looks like a half-sunken boat, so they should at least pick up on that.
 
I like the building a lot, but I'm not too fond of the public art component.

I might be a minority view on this forum but I'm not a big fan of large scale public sculpture art, in general. Rather than adding to the public realm, I find that they usually take away space and functional use from public places. I mean, that site could've been a meeting or gathering place or a patio animated with street life or even a spot for a tree to add some shade and greenery but instead it's this metal contraption that nobody can use for anything and fills up the space so that it feels smaller and less worthy of stopping and engaging with. The best, most well used public spaces in the city are those that are relatively free of sculptures or public art and, where they exist, they are positioned to provide some sort of definitional edge to separate or soften the space from the harshness of the city.

It's not that I'm against the sculpture on aesthetic grounds. I actually like theidea of a sculpture of a sinking ship, itself, I just don't like it occupying valuable public space and being smack dab in the middle of it.
 
Everything about this building is great except the terrible planters. They have quickly become receptacles for trash and completely defeat the point of expanding the sidewalk.

This building contributed to the massive increase in pedestrian traffic in the area but refused to provide people with much needed sidewalk space.

I hope they come to their senses and remove the planters.
 
Those poles have the charm of a highway light. You would think we might have better looking light poles on such a prominent, downtown street. Check out the lighting used on Montreal's downtown streets/sidewalks. Montreal seems to use a different design on every major street and they put some effort into making them look good.
 
Torontovibe said:
Those poles have the charm of a highway light. You would think we might have better looking light poles on such a prominent, downtown street. Check out the lighting used on Montreal's downtown streets/sidewalks. Montreal seems to use a different design on every major street and they put some effort into making them look good.
Click to expand...

Starting with the basics, Montreal's electrical wires are more extensively buried than in Toronto. They have a wire and pole elimination plan and a commission to implement it (the CSEVM). Montreal has some excellent street lights throughout the city, from the historicist look that's prevalent in American cities and that can be found on Dundas Street West in the Junction to contemporary designs that are striking.
 
Meh, who needs electric line burial and nice street lights? I vote for more tax money being spent fighting more pressing issues, like illegal immigrant rights and stuff. It's not like we have the federal government for that or anything.
 
DtTO said:
Meh, who needs electric line burial and nice street lights? I vote for more tax money being spent fighting more pressing issues, like illegal immigrant rights and stuff. It's not like we have the federal government for that or anything.
Click to expand...

A high-profile international city worthy of representing a nation needs all of that. It needs to attain a high standard of living and be a beautiful place.
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top