Toronto Picasso Condos | 128.62m | 39s | Mattamy Homes | Teeple Architects

The building is so vibrant it almost looks either like it's been artificially enhanced in the pictures, or the surrounding buildings have been artificially dulled. What a nice change. Hopefully we get more of this.
 
4ob0WPS.jpg


Edit- just noticed Tableau is topping off
 
I really disliked the gray when it first appeared, but as this moves closer to completion, I actually like it a lot. This is definitely the best looking condo built during this boom (River City is up there with it). I'm also really looking forward to seeing Gloss Condos rise next to this. They, along with Tableau, should really compliment each other well.

P.S. Wouldn't it be great to see a Shim-Sutcliffe designed tower in this area; or anywhere for that matter? Hopefully their project on Camden will make condo developers look to them for future high rise projects.
 
Ramako said:
It should more black than grey once the wrapping comes off the vertical bars.
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Yep, I think the trick with Tableau will be when the protective sealing is taken off the cross-bar design and the black lines of the building are emphasized. I think in combination with the podium it'll look really good.

But I do agree that it's been looking rather messy as it's come up, and I've felt it's taken a long time to get to where it is.
 
Tableau is turning out well, though it's the least sophisticated design of the local trio (Picasso, Tableau and the QR Centre). The monumental podium adds a lot of interest to that stretch of Richmond. I believe it's a terminating vista when looking east on Richmond because of the curve in the road. The narrow crossbars will contrast nicely with the heavy mass of the podium. The folded massing is interesting.
 
I like Tableau's simple Chevron design for the tower, which is an expression the skyline of the angling of Richmond there, the podium's table is creating a stunning space, and I find the simple offset framing on the tower floors to be pleasing, a playful but understated touch (which I prefer to the Dubai way of doing things). I think Wallman has drafted a real winner here for UrbanCapital… and like Theatre Park I wish it were twice the height! Not that everything has to be impossibly tall, but there's the reverie that more of a good thing will always be better!

42
 
Tableau's podium, Picasso's colour and QRC's atrium are really unique features that liven up the intersection. It's hard for me to think of another downtown intersection that has such an interesting array of modern towers. Each one has something totally different going for it.
 
interchange42 said:
I like Tableau's simple Chevron design for the tower, which is an expression the skyline of the angling of Richmond there, the podium's table is creating a stunning space, and I find the simple offset framing on the tower floors to be pleasing, a playful but understated touch (which I prefer to the Dubai way of doing things). I think Wallman has drafted a real winner here for UrbanCapital… and like Theatre Park I wish it were twice the height! Not that everything has to be impossibly tall, but there's the reverie that more of a good thing will always be better!

42
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Understated is fine, but that is all Toronto does. When you have a city full of simplistic monotony, it's tiresome. We need a bit of flair and elasticity.

Why automatically reference Dubai when there are plenty of other cities that do things differently than us without being completely overwrought? New York designs plenty of creative towers that are very attractive and audacious without being tacky.

It's as if we're ambivalent to try anything that is different and bold because we fear it will be kitschy and gimmicky. There's tons of middle ground in between.
 
You have to remember when citing New York developments that you're likely referring to a building where the developer was likely able to charge 3 times the amount per square foot. That's an economic reality that we will never be able to compete with very effectively. The budget does affect what can be done architecturally.

I wouldn't mind more flourishes on the Toronto skyline, but I'd still want to see restraint shown with each building. Or maybe it would be better to call it knowing when to stop. Anyone can lay on more to try to dazzle, but that usually ends up looking gimmicky to me. I like a gesture or two applied to something simple that will set a building apart. Others who are stricter modernists would consider what I like to already look junked up, but others would consider my taste too dry. I'm not trying to place myself right in the middle, I definitely veer towards less-is-more minimalism, and I get that others prefer more-is-more.

42
 
interchange42 said:
You have to remember when citing New York developments that you're likely referring to a building where the developer was likely able to charge 3 times the amount per square foot. That's an economic reality that we will never be able to compete with very effectively. The budget does affect what can be done architecturally.

I wouldn't mind more flourishes on the Toronto skyline, but I'd still want to see restraint shown with each building. Or maybe it would be better to call it knowing when to stop. Anyone can lay on more to try to dazzle, but that usually ends up looking gimmicky to me. I like a gesture or two applied to something simple that will set a building apart. Others who are stricter modernists would consider what I like to already look junked up, but others would consider my taste too dry. I'm not trying to place myself right in the middle, I definitely veer towards less-is-more minimalism, and I get that others prefer more-is-more.

42
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I like minimalism as well (quite a lot) -- but again -- that pretty much sums up the entire City of Toronto's catalog of buildings over the past 50 years. It's time we move on from our fetish with modernism and try something different. Ever since the TD Centre went up, it seems our collective driving force behind architectural design of our buildings has been linked to Mies. It's 2015, not 1967 anymore. It would be nice to see more buildings be a bit more striking and fluid in form. Less is more isn't always necessary. Even just simple gestures like rounded corners (as were common in the Deco era) on more buildings would help break up all the straight lines that are present in basically every condo and office tower in Toronto. Simple details like that could still be in line with minimalist designs (the Sisters of St. Joseph building by Shim-Sutcliffe incorporated this idea and it looks fantastic). It would be great if towers and low rise condos would implement this sort of aesthetic. This building on St. Clair W comes to mind:
jun1606StClairAveFleetwoodi.jpg~original

Photo: http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/Autumn 2007/SUMMER 2012/jun1606StClairAveFleetwoodi.jpg~original
 
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