Toronto 191 Bay | 301.74m | 64s | QuadReal | Hariri Pontarini

Reminds me of any number of generic condos that we’ve seen in recent years. Also overwhelmes the beautiful existing Commerce Court complex. Not a fan of what I see so far.
 
Amazon HQ2? (Just kidding.... half kidding)

Unfortunately it will block a lot of the sun from reflecting on Scotia Plaza's glorious red granite.
 
In my opinion, we have enough in the financial core already. Would have liked to see this outside of the core a bit to spread the skyline out.
 
Interesting quote in the planning justification report regarding parking:

The existing Commerce Court site has a total parking supply
of 548 spaces, equivalent to an approximate parking rate
of 0.33 / 100 m2 of GFA. Future vehicular parking will be
provided in two locations. A portion of the existing parking
will be maintained, with some existing parking spaces
removed by the core and structure of CC3. The resulting
400 spaces will draw access from the existing two-way
ramp on Wellington Street.

An additional 200 parking spaces will be provided in a
mechanical parking system located on levels 4 and 5 of CC3,
accessed by a two-way ramp to Melinda Street and serviced
by two "car lobbies" on levels 2 and 3.

The proposed fully automated parking system offers "driverless"
parking of a vehicle within the above ground parking
levels located on floors 4 and 5. The stacking design of the
vehicle pallets allows each floor to accommodate two levels
of parking within each floor. The system will be custom
designed and equipped with mechanical devices (shuttles
and lifts) that take a vehicle between the queuing areas on
the 2nd and 3rd floors, within the C3 tower, and a parking
space within the above ground parking system. This system
uses individually controlled sliding, stackable pallets to
independently maneuver each vehicle to create a flexible and
highly efficient parking and retrieval solution.

The inclusion of mechanical parking above grade, within the
office floor plate, allows for future flexibility with respect
to parking supply. The project is applying for a site specific
by-law parking ratio of 0.12 spaces per 100 m2 of GFA (less
exemptions), which reflects a future where lower parking rates
are more typical, and where the only parking provided for the
Subject Site is located in the existing below grade garage.
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So they are essentially proposing 200 spaces of above grade parking in an automated system, but getting by-law approvals so that they can legally remove it at a later date and convert it to office space if self driving cars come around like people are thinking.
 
Also

The reinstatement of the 32nd floor observation level of CCN along with a new use on
the 31st floor is a key component of the overall conservation strategy
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This also interestingly sits in the only part of the city that has no height restrictions. The rezoning is only required as the FSI is marginally higher than existing permissions (10.7 FSI vs. 8.0 permitted). This is surprisingly close to as-of-right.. They could build 1.5 million square feet here with just site plan approval, but since they want 1.9, they need to rezone.
 
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Not much of a view from the 32nd floor considering all the tall buildings surrounding it. If they are going to have an observation deck why not put it at the top of the new tower.
 
Proposal includes:
  • 187 Bay St
  • 199 Bay St
  • 25 King St W
  • 21 Melinda St
  • 18 Wellington St W
  • 30 Wellington St W
  • 56 Yonge St
Commerce Court South and East buildings (187 Bay St , 18 and 30 Wellington St W):

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Victoria Hotel (56 Yonge St):

upload_2017-12-21_9-45-19.png


Melinda St Entrance (21 Melinda St):

upload_2017-12-21_9-48-9.png


199 Bay St and 25 King St W are the parcels for Commerce Court North and West.

Automation Gallery said:
WOW:cool:, didn't see this coming

25 KING ST W
Ward 28 - Tor & E.York District

Zoning By-law Amendement to permit the construction of a 64-storey office/retail building with a height of 298.14 m., and a gross floor area of 180,259 sq.m. on the existing Commerce Court site. The proposal includes an addition to the Hotel Victoria building. The existing Commerce Court South and East buildings are proposed to be demolished.
Proposed Use --- # of Storeys --- # of Units ---
Applications:
Type Number Date Submitted Status
Rezoning 17 277715 STE 28 OZ Dec 20, 2017 Under Review
► Supporting Documentation

View attachment 130869 View attachment 130870 View attachment 130871 View attachment 130871 View attachment 130872
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That places it at the same height as FCP, and Tower B of the LCBO Land redevelopment.
 

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It being the exact same height as First Canadian Place just smacks of Toronto Planning interference. Why would any developer—on their own—say "let's build this exactly the same height as Toronto's tallest office tower"? It's nuts.

Besides all that, the architecture here is undisciplined at this point. Having the cladding split at the corners just emphasizes bulkiness, like it's wearing a shirt that's two sizes too small.

HXpz5UjKoo.jpeg

Source Hariri Pontarini Architects

We need more rigour and height here before this gets approved.

42
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
While nice, I wish they could do more - it in essence a box trying very hard not looking like one (and it shows). The addition on Yonge is utterly bizarre, and the pavilion needs more work.

AoD
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Agreed- the corner bevels need to be carried all the way up- the way the building pinches in and out is a bit awkward, and like what interchange42 says- makes the building feel bulky. Some additional exterior texture would be nice (One Yonge diagrid? Or translating the pavilion roof pattern into a facade pattern?) as well.

It would also be great if the roofline and the spire were resolved a bit more, as the spire kind of just sits on the roof (but the spire needs to be kept regardless, our current skyline is boring).

But overall, a nice and completely unexpected holiday gift.
 
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