AHK
Senior Member
Another Thursday, and this morning's delivery:
Toronto KING Toronto | 57.6m | 16s | Allied | Bjarke Ingels Group
- Thread starter Ziggy
- Start date
neuhaus
Senior Member
C-mac
Senior Member
Trying to wait for a bit on my final judgement on this, but so far it just looks weird and ugly.
UtakataNoAnnex
Superstar
...not surprising here as in juxtaposition there where those who thought Time and Space Condos was the Taj Mahal. >.<
Towered
Superstar
Or Pogo Joe.
AHK
Senior Member
November 3 - Monday end of day. Major progress in the Level 4 cladding installation today - may be the best single day yet for King Toronto, in spite of the midday weather hold as the storm cell passed through. First, a couple of photos from Friday afternoon (not previously posted - and one of them quite blurry) and then a couple from today. Today's progress is clearly visible - the unit being worked on on Friday had the temporary wood section on the left side, compared to where it is in today's second photo. At this rate, the Level 4 cladding should be completed within the next couple of days or so.
Friday afternoon:
Today:
Friday afternoon:
Today:
AHK
Senior Member
Thursday morning, November 6. Much activity today. Both tower cranes are operating this morning. Work started recently on the ground level of the north-east corner heritage building, presumably part of customer requirements / specifications for tenant occupancy of the retail areas. At least one section of the ground level east wall has been opened up, while masonry work is being done in other areas of the wall. Reconstruction and welding activities can seen in the floor area inside the east wall. Unfortunately there is a blue mesh screen over the fencing along the east facade, so ground level photographs are not possible.
Cladding and glazing activities are continuing to move very quickly. Level 4 cladding has now been completed along the entire south facade, and has moved around to the south corner of the east facade as seen in the photos below. The amount of cladding that can be installed along here is limited due to the presence of the heritage building masonry scaffolding. Basically this completes Level 4 cladding and glazing except for the east corner section of the King Street facade, which is still at Level 3.
Pictures:
Work on the south-east corner this morning:
Picking up the next cladding section and moving it into position on the east facade:
Not sure if this is the intended alignment of the cladding sections, but this pattern is repeated regularly:
Cladding and glazing activities are continuing to move very quickly. Level 4 cladding has now been completed along the entire south facade, and has moved around to the south corner of the east facade as seen in the photos below. The amount of cladding that can be installed along here is limited due to the presence of the heritage building masonry scaffolding. Basically this completes Level 4 cladding and glazing except for the east corner section of the King Street facade, which is still at Level 3.
Pictures:
Work on the south-east corner this morning:
Picking up the next cladding section and moving it into position on the east facade:
Not sure if this is the intended alignment of the cladding sections, but this pattern is repeated regularly:
Attachments
nightstreak
Active Member
This was never intended to be the final look. The glass blocks are a background for the living "skin" of the building: the climbing plants. That said, I'm growing slightly concerned as I don't yet see any of that planting infrastructure in place. I also don't see anything that precludes it from being installed towards the end of the process.
nightstreak
Active Member
English Ivy goes brown and some leaves fall in the winter but the vines don't fall off. As it is planned, the building will be covered in snow the same way ivy clad buildings, say at UofT, are covered in the winter. I think it'll be a nice effect, specially with the glass blocks glowing underneath. It's not just going to be blank cladding unless they've given up entirely on the foundational vision for this building which wasn't just architected with plants in mind but engineered from the ground up for optimal solar exposure.
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C-mac
Senior Member
A few posts ago, I mentioned how I didn't like it so far but was holding off on a final judgment for the reason you just mentioned. Having said that, if ends up looking more like this then what's planned, going to be pretty ugly IMO.
Parkdalian
Senior Member
The “living skin” of the condo will never materialize. If you don’t like the glass blocks look without ivy, you ain’t gonna like this building.
UtakataNoAnnex
Superstar
It was explained to me that they intend to go through with this..and the materials are designed to hold and nurture what will be presumably vines of some sort. I don't know how any of this will work or how it will be maintained...I mean those blocks look pretty cold and foliage adverse to me. But I am told this living skin will be ago when all is said and done here.
...that said, I really don't mind the glass blocks the way they are currently. I think it looks fantastic. And speaks to a lot of the interesting architecture and dynamics of the place. So I won't be too disappointed if nothing sprouts from these walls.
nightstreak
Active Member
Do you have a source for that or just being pessimistic?
I went there in person yesterday to see if I could uncover the planting infrastructure and I think I’ve found some indications.
Renderings show foliage growing from under the blocks, that then climb up.
Here is what looks like an irrigation system that covers the whole block. A fire emergency sprinkler would have been a single pipe out. You can also see attachments for a tray where the plants would grow in.
The rest of the plants would grow in boxes along the interior walls of the balconies and the drape over the exterior walls.
And lastly, the larger terraces at the top should have wells for trees formed into the concrete infrastructure.
We can’t see that yet unless someone wants to go there with a drone.
UtakataNoAnnex
Superstar
There is no source needed. The fact is that we remain skeptical they can pull this off. Great if they do...but it remains to be seen to be believed.
Parkdalian
Senior Member
No source. Just have seen hundreds of condos present fantastical greenery in renders that is always much more underwhelming in reality. Greenery requires care, watering, pest control. And those renders show several years of growth and imagines owners will have no problems with plants growing haphazardly over their property.
But I’m ready to be corrected if it comes through!
But I’m ready to be corrected if it comes through!