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

KPF is great. One just needs to look at the E&Y tower to see they know they have a great eye for the details.
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
Good but rather corporate - RPBW is at a different level.

AoD
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The unfortunate reality is that in Toronto, sober budgeting often reduces leading firms to building the most forgettable projects in their portfolios, e.g. Calatrava and the Mimico Creek bridge, Philip Johnson and the CBC Broadcasting Centre, IM Pei and Commerce Court West, and Foster and the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy Building. However, those projects are a learning opportunity to approach leading firms with a more ambitious budget. In the end, no one cares whose firm designed a building (except perhaps architectural historians) if the building is boring.
 
junctionist said:
The unfortunate reality is that in Toronto, sober budgeting often reduces leading firms to building the most forgettable projects in their portfolios, e.g. Calatrava and the Mimico Creek bridge, Philip Johnson and the CBC Broadcasting Centre, IM Pei and Commerce Court West, and Foster and the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy Building. However, those projects are a learning opportunity to approach leading firms with a more ambitious budget. In the end, no one cares whose firm designed a building (except perhaps architectural historians) if the building is boring.
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I wouldn't disagree with CBC and Pharmacy, but I think Mimico Creek bridge is meant to be small-scaled (and BCE turned out to be one of his early signature pieces; nor is Commerce Court a slouch). Keep in mind that this is an IO P3 project as well - expectations should be scaled accordingly.

AoD
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
Good but rather corporate - RPBW is at a different level.

AoD
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Without a doubt. KPF is like a mix of SOM and RPBW. I'm incredibly excited for RPBW to be in Toronto...the California Academy of Science here in SF is full of wonderful details. Also due to have a new RPBW build in 555 Howard street!
 
The Humber Bay bridge and Mimico bridge had very good budgets to work with. Same with Commerce Court

I don't think we can hold people finding things "boring" against projects either.
 
maestro said:
The Humber Bay bridge and Mimico bridge had very good budgets to work with. Same with Commerce Court

I don't think we can hold people finding things "boring" against projects either.
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The Humber Bay bridge was designed by a Toronto firm, Montgomery Sisam Architects. Calatrava or his juniors got to design the diminutive Mimico Creek Bridge. His signature flourishes appear as frivolous decoration on that project.

I believe that we can hold boring projects against their designers when their designers are high-profile and critically acclaimed individuals and firms. Their participation generates excitement that should result in something interesting and good. Commerce Court West does not feature a particularly outstanding facade. The original buildings by Mies van der Rohe at the TD Centre and the postmodern tower at Scotia Plaza are far more distinctive.
 
I recall the two bridges were budgeted together which is why I brought them up. Calatrava was only a design consultant on the Mimico bridge. Still, his signature gravity defying counterbalancing is all over it. It's one of his earlier bridge designs and it's quite short. I don't see anything frivolous about it.

Commerce Court's West signature is its stainless steel as well as its slimmer profile. Commerce South and East were far more innovative for their time period too than Commerce Court 3 could ever be. They just aren't popular style so they are seen as boring and disposable for a completely forgettable tall replacement tower.

I personally find Scotia Plaza overrated. It is pretty and fairly distinct.
 
raptor said:
Financial Close announced here. $956 million
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And Renderings!!!

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(RPBW/IO)
http://infrastructureontario.ca/Financial-Close-New-Toronto-Courthouse/
http://infrastructureontario.ca/Financial-Close-New-Toronto-Courthouse/

AoD
 
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Wish we could see some renders in different lighting, not much detail in these.
 
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