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

[Amare]

Hmm, perhaps the plan is to eventually reclad the rest of the building to match the podium?

Unfortunately I think you're right, and I can guarantee you the re-clad will be just as awful as evidenced with how Manulife has handled the podium.

 

[Yegger]

Hmm, perhaps the plan is to eventually reclad the rest of the building to match the podium?

Please don’t give them any ideas, the building has witnessed enough desecration.

 

[Benito]

Today.

 

[Benito]

It would appear that the old cladding on the Balmuto side will be gone by the end of the day.

 

[Benito]

A couple more from our gym.

 

[raptor]

Those workers have no shame. None.

 

[condovo]

^^^What's that supposed to mean?

 

[Avenue]

^^^^^^Yeah I was trying to see in the pictures if they're shagging at work site or something.

 

[raptor]

Those workers have no shame. None.

Don't you see what they're doing? They're demolishing a beautiful podium and replacing it with something outrageous.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Don't you see what they're doing? They're demolishing a beautiful podium and replacing it with something outrageous.

Isn't that anger a little misplaced? I would lay the blame on the proponent and the architect, not the workers.

AoD

 

[raptor]

Isn't that anger a little misplaced? I would lay the blame on the proponent and the architect, not the workers.

AoD

I was a bit sarcastic, but in reality, it's the workers who literally do these horrendous acts.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

I was a bit sarcastic, but in reality, it's the workers who literally do these horrendous acts.

This isn't to my taste, but it isn't exactly crimes against humanity either. There isn't room for personal moral/ethical statement to be made about the workers. Now if you are talking about a bunch of workers sneaked in on the direction of the owners and knowingly demolished a designated or listed heritage structure, there maybe a better case for opprobrium.

AoD

 

[zang]

I was a bit sarcastic, but in reality, it's the workers who literally do these horrendous acts.

While it’s a lousy update, what they were messing with on that east side really wasn’t all that good either. It was an uninviting, wall of concrete with no function but a terribly positioned side entrance, and a place for Cineplex employees to smoke. The west side in its original form with a centre courtyard—let’s not forget this isn’t the first renovation—was far more interesting. (https://static.torontopubliclibrary.ca/da/images/LC/tspa_0110118f.jpg)

I know people are aghast at what happening, but it’s been happening here for a while. For decades they’ve chipped away at and plastered on top of the original form of this building and its surroundings. Keeping at the 2016 status quo is no better than what’s being done now, it’s just different kludge.

Regardless, that east side was, and has always been, an unpainted back side of the fence.

 

[Yegger]

@zang thanks for the pic.
Granted that architecturally speaking, this addition is criminal. However, I’m more concerned with the fact that over the years the owners/developers were able to slowly chip away at the public realm for their own benefit. I’m not against intensification but judging by the old photo the public space has been reduced significantly. What prevents other plazas and POPS to be “intensified” in the future?

 

[Benito]

Last night, all gone now.