Toronto Livmore High Park | 81.99m | 25s | GWL | Zeidler

One could argue that that Parisian block wouldn't be that challenging to replicate. The facade has a somewhat simple (but elegant) neoclassical form. The only thing that would be a challenge would probably be the balcony railings. There are other centuries-old buildings that would be much more difficult to build today. But would we even want our buildings to be mere imitations of those in foreign places? It would arguably be colonial. But architects should feel free to get inspiration from anywhere in terms of materials, ornamentation, scale and massing, and other elements of architectural design.
 
This is 2013, not 1893... but they tend to be single family homes and some townhomes that line suburban housing tract streets...
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Ahem...
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Yonge Street South of St. Clair. I dont see how this is any harder to build than most of the crap we see today. looks rather simple, actually.
 

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its not executed perfectly, there could have been more attention to detail, nicer railings and only vertical windows, but at least they're trying. theres retail on the bottom and it fits well into the street. the render for the building above looks like a chunk of World on Yonge.
 
FOR THE RECORD: it is not 'harder' or 'easier' to design a condominium in one style or another. 98% of multi-storey residential buildings (regardless of 'style') are designed according to a tight pro-forma. They are repeated slabs, anchored to a core containing stairs and an elevator, separated by demising walls and enclosed with window wall. There's really not much to it.

There's a reason you rarely, if ever, see multi-unit residential buildings in awards lists. Unless it is a fake 'award' (eg. a Pug) or a navel-gazing pat on the back (eg. the BILD Awards), these sorts of structures don't require the same deep consideration that something like a cultural or institutional building do. Last year's GG's are evidence of this: the only multi-unit residential building on there is Bloc_10 by Winnipeg's very talented 5468796 Architecture Inc. and that was commended because of its complex interlocking of different residential programs and unique circulatory system, not because it was a 'sharp looking condo.'
 
You may want to update your dataBASS: height has been changed to 26 storeys x2 and unit count reduced to 534. There is going to be an open house tomorrow evening--7 November 2013 from 7-8:30pm--at Western Tech to discuss the revised proposal.

I hope the nimbies give a damn about the architecture, and not just the height and shadow casts! (Yeah right.)
 
You may want to update your dataBASS: height has been changed to 26 storeys x2 and unit count reduced to 534. There is going to be an open house tomorrow evening--7 November 2013 from 7-8:30pm--at Western Tech to discuss the revised proposal.

I hope the nimbies give a damn about the architecture, and not just the height and shadow casts! (Yeah right.)

In a perfect world concerns over architectural quality would trump shadowing and fear of heights. We do not live in a perfect world. It seems one can only dream of a more informed and educated populace.
 
OMB approved for 2x25s: http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/736108/26419788/1438009792277/PL131341+OMBDecision.pdf?token=13S1RyqoSlPYyFjrumcpklnBCP0=

According Clr Doucette (via http://www.ward13.ca/):
"[The] two twenty-five storey apartment buildings will be built in the location of the townhouse blocks, with townhouse units at the ground level of the buildings. The two existing 20 storey buildings will remain as-is. A new indoor amenity building will be constructed at the north end of the property."
 

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