Toronto CIBC SQUARE | 241.39m | 50s | Hines | WilkinsonEyre

  • Thread starter Suicidal Gingerbread Man
  • Start date
The staircase connecting CIBC to the PATH/Scotiabank Arena really skews the symmetrical appearance of the main lobby. Though I'd wager the builders probably had little choice in the matter.
 
daniel_kryz said:
It looks very nice, although I'm disappointed by the weird utilitarian street lights. Could it be Toronto Hydro's fault or was it the landscape designers? I would appreciate some insight into this.
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In most cases the site plans etc say nothing about streetlighting so the default is the usual THSL palette. THSL are responsible for ensuring streets are lit to the standards set by the Ontario Ministry of Transport. In a few cases, someone (I suspect usually a neighbourhood assn) will manage to have streetscape improvements included in a site plan and this may include streetlighting. Even so, THSL has the right (they would say 'obligation') to approve what is installed to ensure it meets standards and may refuse to maintain anything not their standard. (I think this may explain why one sometimes sees old Acorns or Cobras left in place with other more aesthetic lights added in.) This allows THSL to ensure street is lit to standard with their (old) lights and allows a developer the ability to add 'something special" too. (In these cases I assume they are not maintained by THSL but ...)
 
Fritter said:
Can't wait until those orange construction type barricades are replaced with the permanent railing. They are the only blight on those podium photos!
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Not sure what their schedule is, but they put a couple glass railings at the ends (where the turn is) and it’s been sitting like that for a few months. The interior of the building is basically finished, so just the CIBC branch on the south side, the food hall, and this staircase left for 81 Bay.
 
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daniel_kryz said:
It looks very nice, although I'm disappointed by the weird utilitarian street lights. Could it be Toronto Hydro's fault or was it the landscape designers? I would appreciate some insight into this.
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Agreed - especially the one in the middle... I mean what absolute halfwit thought that having gone through all the effort and care to set up that central axis - that goes from artwork of Canadian forests, framed by monumental scaled, sculpted travertine walls through the crisp facade and main entrance, then picked up in the external landscaping - that sticking a nasty street light in the middle was a good idea?!

It's kinda like having your wedding group portraits photobombed by someone in oily dungarees stood front and centre of the group, in front of the bride and groom and holding a powertool
 
daniel_kryz said:
It looks very nice, although I'm disappointed by the weird utilitarian street lights. Could it be Toronto Hydro's fault or was it the landscape designers? I would appreciate some insight into this.
Click to expand...
This isnt the only example of Toronto Hydro desecrating streetscape. Just like the "The Scourge of Window Film" our city also suffers from "The Scourge of Cobra heads" phenomenon.
 
DSC said:
In most cases the site plans etc say nothing about streetlighting so the default is the usual THSL palette
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Thanks for the information on why we see special lights attached to utilitarian poles. Site plans absolutely should include street lighting fixtures, as they do for other landscaping features. The thing is, I've never seen this combination of poles, brackets, and luminaires. I've never seen this street light design in Toronto nor can I find it in Hydro's or the city's standards, so it remains a mystery as to why this design was chosen.
Capslock said:
It's kinda like having your wedding group portraits photobombed by someone in oily dungarees stood front and centre of the group, in front of the bride and groom and holding a powertool
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Exactly! So sad.

Fortunately, Waterfront Toronto is currently conducting a "Bay Street Visioning Study" to rebuild the street as part of the Waterfront East LRT project. This could be an opportunity for nicer street lighting - hopefully the ones currently used on Queens Quay.
 
daniel_kryz said:
It looks very nice, although I'm disappointed by the weird utilitarian street lights. Could it be Toronto Hydro's fault or was it the landscape designers? I would appreciate some insight into this.
Click to expand...

First, I wanted to screenshot the offending fixtures for people:

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You're right, this is ugly as sin; in no small part because it's an incongruent mishmash that makes no sense.

The base pole, as best as I can tell is the same as the high mast lights on Danforth, albeit a bit shorter.

1641243455930.png

Danforth pole - slightly different base

The bracket is a short-arm version of the deco-style bracket used with the old acorn fixtures.

They've then grafted a cobra-head on to it............which is particularly odd, because TEHSL is now using LED fixtures on new cobra brackets.

These don't look like new cobra-heads to me, they look like spares from somewhere......

It's a mish-mash of at least 3 different styles that don't mix; and make no sense together..............

Ugh.

This is what they installed on Harbord:

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I believe that was the default standard for this area (except the cobra head is supposed to be painted the same shade of green as the bracket)

I don't much care for this either, but it's less offensive than the one above.
 
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