Toronto Ontario Court of Justice Toronto | 95.7m | 17s | Infrastructure ON | Renzo Piano

All the post 1990s courthouses - Brampton, Kitchener, Belleville, Oshawa all look almost exactly the same. Grey and beige cladding with differences in height and entrance lobbies/front plazas.
 
If you guys read the front page story, you will know that the design architect has not been chosen yet, and that WZMH are only preparing massing models for the zoning application so far.

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Has a heavy bureaucratic process with many voices ever produced a great building? The envelope is being established and the budget is largely set so what's left for a 'design architect' to do? Choose which grey the spandrel is?

I'd love to be proven wrong but I'm doubtful that this whole process will result in anything exciting...
 
I'm not expecting exciting—we know the City is looking for something timeless, and which doesn't take the focus off City Hall in that precinct—so I am expecting something restrained, but we could still get something handsome with dignity and gravitas. That will depend a lot upon materials naturally, so I'm hoping for no typical back-painted glass spandrel.

A good architect can create an attractive envelop around virtually an shape. Not to say that it will be WZMH doing the design in the end, but they wrapped the hulking Parliament Street Data Centre in a skin that has made that building a favourite of many. I say it's too early to despair. (But sure, we'll remain vigilant.)

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Given the track record of IO, particularly in the area of courthouse architecture, I think it's best to set expectations low. In fact, I can't think of a single architecturally decent courthouse of late in the Toronto area.

AoD
 
Might not look too bad if they do something interesting with the main entrance.

It looks like it will be almost twice as tall as city hall (74m).

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I have 80 metres for the west tower of City Hall, (100 m for the east tower), and 135 m for this one.

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