ewww... my eyes!!
This would just add to the eye sores on Yonge street
Hence the reason why I stated:
I.e. here, without the monstrous towers:
Some of you seem to lack reading comprehension or something!
I have to admit that those pictures lack polish, but the terrace was done by Jerde, which did some pretty nice shopping centers around the world, including the Roppongi Hill project.
http://www.jerde.com/projects/
I'd say that right now, Toronto lacks that difference in height- our retail streets are often oppressively linear and pressed flat against the street. I hope that this project will play around with forms more- if the tip of the corner (maybe keep the facade of Stollery's) was isolated and a path cut behind, we might get an space like these:
As for the claim that the terrace will suck life out of the city street, I think it all depends on whether or not the elevated portions will provide the path of least resistance as compared to the sidewalk.
The instance shown in the Google Streetview link was destined to fail because:
A.) The architecture was oppressively banal and sterile.
B.) The architects insisted on those low 90s-style arcades, which turn storefronts into dark recesses.
C.) The raised walkways go nowhere and contribute nothing to the streetlife.
D.) The pathways around the water are absolutely brutal. There's no shade, nothing of interest.
E.) Did I mention that the architecture is banal?
People are drawn to interesting spaces and if the architecture at the base is attractive and interesting, it will be a landmark.
