Toronto Manulife Centre Podium and Streetscape Renewal | 9.75m | 2s | Manulife Real Estate | MdeAS Architects

Today. Hopefully this will be a raised garden.
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Benito said:
Today,. Indigo’s new entrance on Bay is open.
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Nothing says "welcome, come in, sit and read a while" like a tall, sterile expanse of curtainwall glass.

This whole thing is a shame, of course, but it strikes me as an especially big miss for Indigo. For me, the formula should have been something along the lines of warm landscaping, abundant seating, inviting materials, a cafe, and a little space for a rotating series of pop-up small businesses; instead, we have the literal polar opposite.
 
ADRM said:
Nothing says "welcome, come in, sit and read a while" like a tall, sterile expanse of curtainwall glass.

This whole thing is a shame, of course, but it strikes me as an especially big miss for Indigo. For me, the formula should have been something along the lines of warm landscaping, abundant seating, inviting materials, a cafe, and a little space for a rotating series of pop-up small businesses; instead, we have the literal polar opposite.
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They can get away from the sterile feel that comes with using vast expanse of glass iff store window design is up to par - though it certainly would not have hurt if the architect actually used a bit of texture in the envelope where it mattered (and it would have looked less cheap). Like some chrome trim instead of that Home Depot white PVC look. Or even some densely fritted glass to contrast and create rhythm. Nothing - and the worst thing is - it couldn't do the minimalist glass box disappearing act - even 1BE had it beat it that regard.

AoD
 
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ADRM said:
Nothing says "welcome, come in, sit and read a while" like a tall, sterile expanse of curtainwall glass.

This whole thing is a shame, of course, but it strikes me as an especially big miss for Indigo. For me, the formula should have been something along the lines of warm landscaping, abundant seating, inviting materials, a cafe, and a little space for a rotating series of pop-up small businesses; instead, we have the literal polar opposite.
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That's not going to get you the profit/sf needed to stay afloat in this business, especially with the high costs of leasable space these days and in this area.
 
Deeqee said:
That's not going to get you the profit/sf needed to stay afloat in this business, especially with the high costs of leasable space these days and in this area.
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The idea behind the alternative I'm sketching is intended to make the store *more* welcoming and inviting, not less.
 
Deeqee said:
That's not going to get you the profit/sf needed to stay afloat in this business, especially with the high costs of leasable space these days and in this area.
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The prices aren't naturally that high (or Cumberland Terrace would be completely empty); they're forced by developers pushing upgrades and trying to play on the whole "mink mile" bullshit, which in turn raises housing costs in the area. It's about profit, and pushing a narrative that this is some naturally occurring clumping of luxury boutiques. And it's why every developer and their grandmother wants to call the edges of the Village, The Annex, UofT and hell even Rosedale(?!) by the name "Yorkville".
 
I was at Manulife today and the parking situation which has been a mess for the better part of two years is supposed to be finished in the next two weeks according to the building manager. There are traffic lights for the parking now and sometimes you have to wait 5 minutes just to get into the parking.
 
Indigo is in the middle of a very large scale nation wide store renovation program. Many stores haven’t been updated in going on 15 years. The interior of the Manulife centre location is already finished its modernization, but my guess is they’re waiting until construction is complete before finishing up the final window displays.

As indigo transitions from a bookstore to more of a lifestyle home brand, I would assume they’ll use this space to highlight the store's new offerings.
 
Thanks for the photos, I was wondering what this place looks like. Haven't been in the area for a while. Must say, the Brutalist design and contemporary glass facade both look especially bad in such jarring proximity. This thing looks awful.
 
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