alklay
Senior Member
What could make any more sense than gargoyles on a 21st century building?!
Mississauga One Park Tower | ?m | 38s | Daniels | Kirkor
- Thread starter vistaway
- Start date
What could make any more sense than gargoyles on a 21st century building?!
scarberiankhatru
Senior Member
Gargoyles on a 20th century building.
adma
Superstar
Look, gargoyles make perfect sense to Mississaugans
(yeah, that's the 164th time such a gag's been used...)
(yeah, that's the 164th time such a gag's been used...)
H
Hydrogen
Guest
^But it never really wears out (the gag or the mayor).
yyzer
Senior Member
gargoyles coming soon
Gargoyles of his dreams
TheStar.com - living - Gargoyles of his dreams
Calgary company creates some wondrous, winged lions for Gothic-influenced One Park Tower
August 25, 2007
Tracy Hanes
Toronto Star
Imagine the looks Joe Kondrat received when he strolled down Sparks Street in Ottawa, dressed in a business suit and carrying a 1.2-metre-tall cowboy boot. Or the double-take drivers must do when Kondrat's cleaning out his Oakville garage and there's a miniature rhino or metre-tall coffee cup sitting in his front yard. Those are just a couple of custom pieces created by a Calgary-based company called Heavy Industries that Kondrat represents.
Luckily, he won't have to haul a 226-kilogram winged lion around the Toronto area to show potential customers his samples. Heavy Industries' eastern territory manager will be able to tell them to look up at One Park Tower in Mississauga.
That's where eight gargoyles created by Heavy Industries will adorn the Daniels Corp. condominium: four on the eighth floor, four on the 29th floor of the 38-storey building. Buyers on the eighth floor who buy suites with a $10,000 premium will be able to reach out and touch the creatures – of course, that price also includes a large terrace.
In medieval times, a gargoyle was a roof spout in the form of a grotesque or fantastic creature, projecting from a gutter to carry rainwater clear of the wall. Later, it became a term used to describe a figurine that projects from a roof, carved into a grotesque figure, human or animal. Gargoyles can be found on the Parliament buildings, Old City Hall in Toronto and buildings around New York City and Europe.
During the Renaissance, they were believed to ward off evil spirits and architects also used gargoyles to poke fun at each other's buildings, by having the creatures make mocking expressions in the direction of a competitor's project.
Daniels senior vice-president Tom Dutton says he and his co-workers were trying to think of some distinctive architectural features for One Park Tower. The condo has a Gothic design, similar to many New York City buildings, and will have a dramatic pitched roof canopy. It sits in the midst of the City Centre development, where other Daniels buildings have a Big Apple theme.
One night, Dutton, who has an architecture degree, sketched a building with gargoyles and "the architects got very excited about that drawing." One of Kirkor Architects' chief designers elaborated on Dutton's idea with some more detailed drawings.
There was a problem, though: Gargoyle manufacturers aren't listed in the Yellow Pages. Dutton first approached a company that created bronze sculptures, but not only was it cost-prohibitive, the gargoyles would have been so heavy the building would have needed extra reinforcement to hold them up.
Someone referred the builder to Heavy Industries. The Alberta company has created everything from amusement park characters to museum displays in lightweight expanded polystyrene foam in its 27,000-square-foot production facility. One of the largest projects Heavy Industries has done is a 15-metre Statue of Liberty holding a cross and a Bible, for a church in Memphis, Tenn.
Traditionally, sculptors used to carve big objects entirely by hand, but Heavy Industries takes a more modern approach.
"Anything you can scan, we can make," says Kondrat.
First, staff create a small model, called a maquette, and scan it. (Two maquettes of the gargoyles sit in Dutton's office at Daniels' downtown Toronto headquarters). Virtually anything can be scanned, including toys, food, even big items like wheelbarrows.
Next, computerized foam cutters, milling machines and routers carve out a 3D image, which Heavy Industries' sculptors hand carve and finish.
Objects like the gargoyles get full metal skeletons to give added strength, then they are sprayed with pure polyurea, an extremely durable plastic that won't warp or bubble when exposed to the elements. After sanding, artists paint the pieces and apply a clearcoat finish.
"The Daniels people had a hard time mentally with the idea of having gargoyles made out of foam and plastic. They wondered, `How's it going to last?' So I sent them a box of hammers and a piece of polyurea-coated foam to whack," says Kondrat.
The experiment convinced the Daniels folks that the sculptures would endure, and weighing in at just 226 kilograms each, they didn't require special reinforcements for the building.
Dutton worked with Heavy Industries artist Shane Hurl to perfect a design.
"We wanted the gargoyles to be edgy, but not too grotesque, so people wouldn't be put off by them, as they are a little bit scary," he explains. "But the lion is a symbol of strength and protection."
The four male lions have open mouths and are slightly larger than their female counterparts; all have folded wings, muscular legs and chests and clawed feet.
The gargoyles are cantilevered out from the building, so wind shear had to be taken into account during the design.
Dutton says while modern architecture seems to be in vogue these days and the Gothic One Park Tower is more traditional, "to me, architecture should be fun and cause people to step back a bit."
From viewing distance, the gargoyles will appear to be made of stone or bronze. Heavy Industries also has a glass-blowing operation and that's where the distinctive sky-blue eyes for the lions were created.
In September or October, the creatures will be hoisted by crane to their resting places on the tower.
"They will be facing out on the diagonal and will look quite dramatic on the skyline," says Dutton. The gargoyles will be clearly visible from the street, the 1.2-hectare park and pedestrian walkways at City Centre.
They are seemingly popular with buyers, too; the two-bedroom corner suites within touching distance of the gargoyles sold quickly.
Residents who don't own those suites will still be able to get a bird's eye view of the creatures nine floors below from the 38th floor Sky Lounge and Club 38 amenity space.
"The Daniels thing was really fun. Our sculptors loved it as it's a legacy project that will be on the condo towers for a couple of hundred years," says Kondrat.
Gargoyles of his dreams
TheStar.com - living - Gargoyles of his dreams
Calgary company creates some wondrous, winged lions for Gothic-influenced One Park Tower
August 25, 2007
Tracy Hanes
Toronto Star
Imagine the looks Joe Kondrat received when he strolled down Sparks Street in Ottawa, dressed in a business suit and carrying a 1.2-metre-tall cowboy boot. Or the double-take drivers must do when Kondrat's cleaning out his Oakville garage and there's a miniature rhino or metre-tall coffee cup sitting in his front yard. Those are just a couple of custom pieces created by a Calgary-based company called Heavy Industries that Kondrat represents.
Luckily, he won't have to haul a 226-kilogram winged lion around the Toronto area to show potential customers his samples. Heavy Industries' eastern territory manager will be able to tell them to look up at One Park Tower in Mississauga.
That's where eight gargoyles created by Heavy Industries will adorn the Daniels Corp. condominium: four on the eighth floor, four on the 29th floor of the 38-storey building. Buyers on the eighth floor who buy suites with a $10,000 premium will be able to reach out and touch the creatures – of course, that price also includes a large terrace.
In medieval times, a gargoyle was a roof spout in the form of a grotesque or fantastic creature, projecting from a gutter to carry rainwater clear of the wall. Later, it became a term used to describe a figurine that projects from a roof, carved into a grotesque figure, human or animal. Gargoyles can be found on the Parliament buildings, Old City Hall in Toronto and buildings around New York City and Europe.
During the Renaissance, they were believed to ward off evil spirits and architects also used gargoyles to poke fun at each other's buildings, by having the creatures make mocking expressions in the direction of a competitor's project.
Daniels senior vice-president Tom Dutton says he and his co-workers were trying to think of some distinctive architectural features for One Park Tower. The condo has a Gothic design, similar to many New York City buildings, and will have a dramatic pitched roof canopy. It sits in the midst of the City Centre development, where other Daniels buildings have a Big Apple theme.
One night, Dutton, who has an architecture degree, sketched a building with gargoyles and "the architects got very excited about that drawing." One of Kirkor Architects' chief designers elaborated on Dutton's idea with some more detailed drawings.
There was a problem, though: Gargoyle manufacturers aren't listed in the Yellow Pages. Dutton first approached a company that created bronze sculptures, but not only was it cost-prohibitive, the gargoyles would have been so heavy the building would have needed extra reinforcement to hold them up.
Someone referred the builder to Heavy Industries. The Alberta company has created everything from amusement park characters to museum displays in lightweight expanded polystyrene foam in its 27,000-square-foot production facility. One of the largest projects Heavy Industries has done is a 15-metre Statue of Liberty holding a cross and a Bible, for a church in Memphis, Tenn.
Traditionally, sculptors used to carve big objects entirely by hand, but Heavy Industries takes a more modern approach.
"Anything you can scan, we can make," says Kondrat.
First, staff create a small model, called a maquette, and scan it. (Two maquettes of the gargoyles sit in Dutton's office at Daniels' downtown Toronto headquarters). Virtually anything can be scanned, including toys, food, even big items like wheelbarrows.
Next, computerized foam cutters, milling machines and routers carve out a 3D image, which Heavy Industries' sculptors hand carve and finish.
Objects like the gargoyles get full metal skeletons to give added strength, then they are sprayed with pure polyurea, an extremely durable plastic that won't warp or bubble when exposed to the elements. After sanding, artists paint the pieces and apply a clearcoat finish.
"The Daniels people had a hard time mentally with the idea of having gargoyles made out of foam and plastic. They wondered, `How's it going to last?' So I sent them a box of hammers and a piece of polyurea-coated foam to whack," says Kondrat.
The experiment convinced the Daniels folks that the sculptures would endure, and weighing in at just 226 kilograms each, they didn't require special reinforcements for the building.
Dutton worked with Heavy Industries artist Shane Hurl to perfect a design.
"We wanted the gargoyles to be edgy, but not too grotesque, so people wouldn't be put off by them, as they are a little bit scary," he explains. "But the lion is a symbol of strength and protection."
The four male lions have open mouths and are slightly larger than their female counterparts; all have folded wings, muscular legs and chests and clawed feet.
The gargoyles are cantilevered out from the building, so wind shear had to be taken into account during the design.
Dutton says while modern architecture seems to be in vogue these days and the Gothic One Park Tower is more traditional, "to me, architecture should be fun and cause people to step back a bit."
From viewing distance, the gargoyles will appear to be made of stone or bronze. Heavy Industries also has a glass-blowing operation and that's where the distinctive sky-blue eyes for the lions were created.
In September or October, the creatures will be hoisted by crane to their resting places on the tower.
"They will be facing out on the diagonal and will look quite dramatic on the skyline," says Dutton. The gargoyles will be clearly visible from the street, the 1.2-hectare park and pedestrian walkways at City Centre.
They are seemingly popular with buyers, too; the two-bedroom corner suites within touching distance of the gargoyles sold quickly.
Residents who don't own those suites will still be able to get a bird's eye view of the creatures nine floors below from the 38th floor Sky Lounge and Club 38 amenity space.
"The Daniels thing was really fun. Our sculptors loved it as it's a legacy project that will be on the condo towers for a couple of hundred years," says Kondrat.
In regards to some contexts, he is perfectly right. If you are going to put up a neo-neo-neo-Gothic tower in this day and age, might as well have a little fun...
42
urbandreamer
recession proof
how about some glass gargoyles on an Aa building?
ganjavih
Senior Member
I like them stainless steel gargoyles on the Chrysler Building.
Dan416
Senior Member
I like them stainless steel gargoyles on the Chrysler Building.
Those are definitely cooler.
vistaway
Active Member
A few recent shots (take today):
It's a tower in a field for now, but not for long. From this angle, the crown works, from others, I find it too tall (the steelwork on the crown appears complete and they are working on the HVAC inside):
Looming large over the sidewalk:
Not the best sidewalk frontage...pretty imposing, but doesn't do much to enhance the street at all:
It's a tower in a field for now, but not for long. From this angle, the crown works, from others, I find it too tall (the steelwork on the crown appears complete and they are working on the HVAC inside):
Looming large over the sidewalk:
Not the best sidewalk frontage...pretty imposing, but doesn't do much to enhance the street at all:
Tuscani01
Senior Member
A few recent shots (take today):
It's a tower in a field for now, but not for long. From this angle, the crown works, from others, I find it too tall (the steelwork on the crown appears complete and they are working on the HVAC inside):
Looming large over the sidewalk:
Not the best sidewalk frontage...pretty imposing, but doesn't do much to enhance the street at all:
Im really disappointed by the street level on Confederation. If there was any street in MCC at the moment that had a chance at becoming an urban street, it is Confederation. The buildings front the street, but there is nothing there to get people walking the street.
H
Hydrogen
Guest
Which is something I said a while back. Right now, there is still an opportunity to make for more lively streets in downtown Mississauga. But all too often, the opportunity is being missed, avoided or simply neglected.
doady
Senior Member
There is space for restaurant, but obviously the building is not finished yet.
khris
Senior Member
Yes, it's really disappointing. But the reason I think is because these projects that are already built or are underway, are before they got the results from the People for Public Spaces.
Like Chicago for example, it will have retail at the bottom, at least according to the renders.
Like Chicago for example, it will have retail at the bottom, at least according to the renders.
doady
Senior Member
Umm PPS has nothing to do with this. Capital has retail space as well... as does Citygate, 1 City Centre, and a many other buildigns in MCC that came way before PPS.