Toronto Motion On Bay Street | ?m | 29s | Concert | IBI Group

[vegeta_skyline]

With this building, as with 300 Front St West, and the YMCA Elm Centre around the corner, we are starting to see designers trying to be creative and colorful with a cut-rate looking material that doesn’t lend itself to colour or creativity.

What they will learn—hopefully sooner rather than later—is that it is impossible to use colour in an effective and interesting way when you are committed to using this particular cheap window wall and spandrel system.

I'm not going to argue with your opinion of the aesthetics of spandrel cladding, even though I happen to think it works for this building.

But I haven't seen anything from you that indicates you know what the benefits vs the negatives of using spandrel cladding are or the actual costs of using it vs other systems. I'll refer you to a post from an industry insider that actually knows a thing or two about the material;

Reviewing the comments about our use of spandrel in some of our buildings, our project managers and architects would like to clear up some misconceptions that Interchange42 already alluded to in an earlier post.

1. Spandrel is considered a premium finishing material that adds to the cost of the building in two ways: spandrel ranges in price from expensive to very expensive (double layer with film in between) and there are certainly more inexpensive materials or designs/processes that can be utilized to bring down construction costs. Aside from material costs, you have increased labour costs for installation.

2. Tridel and Deltera have the largest number of building projects underway in Canada with a commitment to achieving LEED certification. The use of spandrel allows us to achieve a higher LEED rating because we can insulate behind the spandrel. Architecturally, the sleek glass look can be maintained.

If you consider the increased cost of the material, labour and LEED accreditation, spandrel leads to a better high performance building and should not be construed as a sign of a 'cheap', poorly designed or constructed building or an expedient way to cut corners as this is completely false. Our use of spandrel is intended to provide our purchasers with a superior condominium home.

So please stop spreading the false dichotomy that spandrel is used because developers are being cheap since glass in always the more expensive choice.

 

[egotrippin]

Yes, but in the end it still looks budget and cut rate. Those tacky suburban McMansions sometimes sell in the millions, but they still look like a pile of steaming garbage.

 

[Roark8]

Wordsworth is the best building aA have done.
And, PC allowed others their hand on the design, which is why it looks so good.

 

[LowPolygon]

1'll refer you to a post from an industry insider that actually knows a thing or two about the material;

yes i am familiar with this post from an 'industry insider', ie. PR shill. i responded to it on the 300 Front St West thread.

anyway quoting PR bumpf doesn't really make the case.

"The word bumf or bumpf refers to obvious or blatant propaganda, usually issued by a government, an organization or a large company"

anyway i'm curious since you brought it up. what systems are less expensive than this? some examples? G+C's "sheet metal masterpiece" ROCP is likely to be one. any others?

in any case, if spandrel glass as it is used here is a 'premium', 'expensive' material, then they have done a remarkable job making it look like it isn't.

 

[rdaner]

Photos taken 13 September 2012:

 

[rdaner]

 

[Miscreant]

And to complete this area, let's get the bus depot down to the Yonge and Gardiner and develop the lot right to the north along with the bus depot lot.

 

[urbandreamer]

21 September 2012: It's easy to scream & yell about this online, but in person it's easily the 3rd or 4th best building in the area.

A couple of different views:

1)From the iCLONE lineup (nope that's not me )

2)From the Greydogg'n good time:

 

[ProjectEnd]

21 September 2012: It's easy to scream & yell about this online, but in person it's easily the 3rd or 4th best building in the area.

Define 'area.'

 

[LowPolygon]

21 September 2012: It's easy to scream & yell about this online, but in person it's easily the 3rd or 4th best building in the area.

actually in person, one sees how it fits in perfectly with the two other ugly buildings that befoul this intersection, the Ted Rogers School of Business Management and Atrium on Bay.

 

[Affordable]

Most developers in toronto here have made a fortune, with all the cost cutting.

actually in person, one sees how it fits in perfectly with the two other ugly buildings that befoul this intersection, the Ted Rogers School of Business Management and Atrium on Bay.

 

[yyzer]

actually in person, one sees how it fits in perfectly with the two other ugly buildings that befoul this intersection, the Ted Rogers School of Business Management and Atrium on Bay.

ah, thedeepend, always contributing to the forum with your positive energy.......

 

[LowPolygon]

ah, thedeepend, always contributing to the forum with your positive energy.......

i guess if you're a real estate agent in Mississauga having 'positive energy' is part of the job description, but i'm under no such obligation.

in any event, i find 'my mood lifts' on the odd occasion that condo developers build something vaguely intelligent and interesting. in this case i find myself unable to rouse my spirits.

 

[buildup]

I'd agree this looks slightly tacky, in particular the YWCA building, but don't mind a bit of tack in certain gritty urban areas because of the contrast it offers. So I'm fine with these 2-3 examples, but wouldn't want to see it become a theme.

 

[maestro]

There are much cheaper spandrel options than the glass we are seeing. I would suggest the cost savings has less to do with materials and more to do with design. It costs more to design a practical, ten plus unit floor plan that takes into account the usage along the perimeter.

With that said, I think it works for this development and its appearance will continue to improve as construction progresses. L Tower has already converted forumers between the first few levels of cladding and now.