Toronto First Canadian Place Rejuvenation | 298.08m | 72s | Brookfield | MdeAS Architects

[gweed123]

An identical tower would look pretty incredible. However, I don't know if we could get away with a set of Twin Towers without being in poor taste.

I think it would look pretty incredible also. I always thought that FCP did sort of look like a WTC tower, just with different cladding (they have the same unwavering skyward box look). Only issue is where would you put the other tower? There isn't really enough room in the existing podium area, as they would presumably need to be offset from eachother (like the WTC towers were, they wern't directly facing eachother). If anything, it would need to go on the north side of Richmond, or directly on the SE corner of Richmond and York. Anything closer would be too close.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

I think it would look pretty incredible also. I always thought that FCP did sort of look like a WTC tower, just with different cladding (they have the same unwavering skyward box look). Only issue is where would you put the other tower? There isn't really enough room in the existing podium area, as they would presumably need to be offset from eachother (like the WTC towers were, they wern't directly facing eachother). If anything, it would need to go on the north side of Richmond, or directly on the SE corner of Richmond and York. Anything closer would be too close.

Skyward box is the only thing in common between FCP & WTC 1 & 2, and one FCP is quite enough.

 

[egotrippin]

I do wish that podium was developed though, even with a smaller tower. It's a shame they demolished the corner for a mediocre podium in the first place, and the Star building too; what a tragic history for that block.

And what's this nonsense about twin towers being in poor taste? Regardless of how long it's been, I fail to see how a complex of two identical or similar towers could ever be offensive. In fact, many have gone up in Toronto since 2001 anyway: Murano, and RoCP just up on Bay Street come to mind; though the latter is offensive in its own right, but for completely different reasons.

 

[adma]

Skyward box is the only thing in common between FCP & WTC 1 & 2, and one FCP is quite enough.

Actually, I believe that structurally and constructionally, they (and Amoco/Aon in Chicago) are close-to-identical in their "vertical tube" construction.

That said, the argument against a "twin tower" might also have something to do with aesthetic/urban datedness, i.e. it'd be as ridiculous as it would have been to reconstruct the WTC "as was"...

 

[tkip]

You mean there's a backlash against twin towers? Not sure why people would complain unless the design was boring but perhaps some think that little imagination is being used when you just copy the same design over.

 

[HHC]

That podium definitely has to go though, Toronto's not in the 70's anymore. Financial district building space will soon be almost impossible to come by.

 

[gweed123]

That podium definitely has to go though, Toronto's not in the 70's anymore. Financial district building space will soon be almost impossible to come by.

If they do demolish the podium, the tower that replaces it will need to be pretty thin in order to not get too close to FCP. If you ask me, the tower and podium should have been reversed to begin with, with the tower at the corner and the podium mid-block. If that were the case, a FCP 2 would be possible within the same block.

 

[sodapop]

it'd be cool to see some super dooper skinny office tower on the podium. that podium is a disgrace to bay street

 

[condovo]

^^ It'll probably be a lot less disgraceful once it's reclad too.

 

[egotrippin]

If they do demolish the podium, the tower that replaces it will need to be pretty thin in order to not get too close to FCP. If you ask me, the tower and podium should have been reversed to begin with, with the tower at the corner and the podium mid-block. If that were the case, a FCP 2 would be possible within the same block.

I know the outcome would've been the same either way, but then we'd have to live with the fact that the old Star Building was replaced by a podium. How insulting that'd be. In reality though, the whole block was replaced by the FCP super block. A nice 1KW thin building would be pretty nice on that corner though, hopefully we'll see something like that come to fruition. As HHC mentioned, it's only a matter of time before all the Financial District lots are used up, and we'll have to intensify the underutilized ones.

 

[gweed123]

I know the outcome would've been the same either way, but then we'd have to live with the fact that the old Star Building was replaced by a podium. How insulting that'd be. In reality though, the whole block was replaced by the FCP super block. A nice 1KW thin building would be pretty nice on that corner though, hopefully we'll see something like that come to fruition. As HHC mentioned, it's only a matter of time before all the Financial District lots are used up, and we'll have to intensify the underutilized ones.

Very true. Besides, King and Bay already has the 'break' in the canyon effect. The plaza in front of the TSX does a much better job of breaking up the canyon than that podium could ever do. The setback of CCW also provides that a little bit.

 

[adma]

You mean there's a backlash against twin towers? Not sure why people would complain unless the design was boring but perhaps some think that little imagination is being used when you just copy the same design over.

Lest we forget, a lot of the pre-9/11 WTC backlash had to do with "boring design".

 

[junctionist]

In the mean time, the marble-clad podium seems fine. Someone mentioned in this thread before that weren't going to reclad it, and the marble doesn't seem so bad.

However, I don't understand what the rationale was for the low-rise podium right at King and Bay in the first place. Maybe it was the most challenging piece of land to obtain/prepare for the development so it was a bit of an afterthought. Or perhaps there's a functional side to it, like a deliberate setback so as to lessen effect of heavy winds on the street below.

 

[HHC]

I agree the podium really is a disgrace to the entire street. It looks too outdated and POMO 1970's for my liking. Hopefully its demolition's soon to come.

 

[nicetommy]

I noticed something today on the cladding which may, or may not be cause for concern - heavy frosting (pic of west side taken at noon):

If it's so easily prone to frosting, I'm wondering if it will also be prone to forming ice?