Toronto Concord Canada House | 231.97m | 74s | Concord Adex | Arcadis

I am not happy with the news.
Is there any chance that the project will be redesigned ?
I hope it will because it's hideous the current version.
The waterfront deserve something unforgettable and from high quality.
Many other cities do it better than Toronto in term of skyscrapers architecture.
It's time to improve our standards before it too late. If Toronto continue to build ugly towers like that,the city will be ugly forever and let that to our next generation. And it's sad to say, but in term of architecture ,Toronto will be the laughingstock of the world.
So it's time the city improve the architecture for its citizens and tourists.
 
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Strange Advance said:
I must confess to being an eager proponent of boxy skyscrapers (hence my avatar of FCP), but Cityplace, whatever small merits individual buildings might have, just looks like an accretion of uninspired gunmetal-grey and seafoam slabs. And that it's in such a conspicuous place near the waterfront, rather than up here in North York or over in Mississauga, is what makes it such a travesty of lost opportunities. Imagine what visionary wonders could be standing on that acreage. Instead we have this drab tableau (well, at least the park is pretty nice):

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Seaform is the preferred look to anything high rise residential (above 35 metres) just about anywhere. I think it's just something we have to accept. I'm sure there were guys that didn't care for tubby ladies in the Renaissance as well.

Anyways I'm hardly a fan of Cityplace's master plan of a two towers on opposite corners of a block podium. I just don't see it as a travesty of lost opportunities. The architecture is mostly sufficient with some interesting, inviting places (patios under the bridge) and some uses that can adapt to the communities needs. It brings balance with high density residential within walking distance of a massive employment district. It's not Liberty Village. I can come up with some amazing things that could have been built here. There's a full 40 years of grandiose visions for the acreage. At least someone came up with something that after 50 years of visions is finally coming to a conclusion.

Design standards should be the same in Mississauga as they are in downtown Toronto. My interest in skylines is mostly for a tourist point of view and size rates higher than the details or colours. From the ground, I have as much desire to walk along Fort York Boulevard as I do along The Esplanade east of Church. The good thing is there are more than enough places to explore in Toronto than these masterplanned, brownfield residential redevelopments.
 
It's wishful thinking to hope that any non-premium condominium is going to beautiful. And almost by definition the overwhelming proportion of condos are going to be mid-range. The margins on building these things just isn't the same as it is building a luxury residence or commercial tower.
 
Lansdude said:
It's wishful thinking to hope that any non-premium condominium is going to beautiful. And almost by definition the overwhelming proportion of condos are going to be mid-range. The margins on building these things just isn't the same as it is building a luxury residence or commercial tower.
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That's certainly not universally true, and not even so in Toronto.
 
Of course, the length of time Concord has sat on the block has to be given consideration. The margins should be beyond exceptional though. This block as part of the overall 44 acre purchase 20 plus years ago couldn't have cost more than a couple million.
 
One thing that isn't so nice is that they removed the commercial office component (presumably due to the shorter towers, gotta replace the residential somewhere), which I think could have injected some activity into a largely residential neighborhood.

As such, Cityplace will remain largely residential in the years to come.
 
jje1000 said:
One thing that isn't so nice is that they removed the commercial office component (presumably due to the shorter towers, gotta replace the residential somewhere), which I think could have injected some activity into a largely residential neighborhood.

As such, Cityplace will remain largely residential in the years to come.
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The office component is still there. The podium hasn't changed at all. The second floor is still office.
 
Automation Gallery said:
Haha, yeah a couple million and no one (developer) would touch it with a 10-foot pole, figure it?
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I don't remember what Concord paid for the property. It could very well be more. The depressed value should tell you that developers weren't lining up around the block. It was heavily polluted. It needed a large upfront investment to cap it all.

I'm sure most insiders thought they were insane when they went public with the first master plan with towers up to 50 floors. Nothing was being built at the time. You could buy a condo now worth over million for $125,000. For some additional perspective, that same condo a few years earlier would have sold for around $270,000. I don't expect you to believe me but, don't think situations like this are behind us.
 
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