Toronto Sun Life Financial Tower & Harbour Plaza Residences | 236.51m | 67s | Menkes | Sweeny &Co

I find that it isn't the Gardiner that ruins the pedestrian experience, but rather lakeshore. I would much rather that lakeshore drop a lane and have the off ramps from the highway be more pedestrian friendly (I.E. no merge lanes, meets other streets at 90 degree angles) than tear it down. Remember, often times the two extremes are both incorrect and the best way to move forward is somewhere down the middle.
 
innsertnamehere said:
I find that it isn't the Gardiner that ruins the pedestrian experience, but rather lakeshore. I would much rather that lakeshore drop a lane and have the off ramps from the highway be more pedestrian friendly (I.E. no merge lanes, meets other streets at 90 degree angles) than tear it down. Remember, often times the two extremes are both incorrect and the best way to move forward is somewhere down the middle.
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If the Gardiner was gone and Lakeshore reconfigured to be more like University Ave, even if it had more lanes than it does now, would you still feel the same way?
 
RC8 said:
It's also the noisiest thing in downtown Toronto, nothing comes close.

Ultimately I think that the noise emanating from this highway rather than its visual impact will eventually lead to its demise.
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+1

The shrill, omnipresent white noise casts a noxious and irritating din across the entire central waterfront and really limits whatever potential the area has to be a pleasant, desirable place. (cue the contrarians who love shrill white noise and feel it to be an integral part of any big city experience...)
 
Am I seeing things, or is the balcony plan further evolved? It's getting more interesting with each tweak.

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AlbertC-My brother messaged me this rendering.

It's still terrible.... don't try to sugar-cote it !! If this rendering was anything close to anything proposed on 1 Yonge, they would be sold out by now.

With the Condo Boom slowing down, I was expecting high-level Design to attract investors, but NO! they came up with generic glass slab boxes with funny balconeys to fool us...
PATHETIC !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
kweku said:
AlbertC-My brother messaged me this rendering.

It's still terrible.... don't try to sugar-cote it !! If this rendering was anything close to anything proposed on 1 Yonge, they would be sold out by now.

With the Condo Boom slowing down, I was expecting high-level Design to attract investors, but NO! they came up with generic glass slab boxes with funny balconeys to fool us...
PATHETIC !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Hopefully i make some sort of sense:

im not no investor but if i was one id look at location ($$$,$$$) and views (floor to ceiling windows?)as being a much higher priority than high level design. In Terms of design of the building i quite like it. the balconies add 3d texture to the exterior of the building while the (fritted?horizontal strips?) balcony glass softens the bluish tint of the floor to ceiling winndows from behind. In order for the towers to be successful in my eyes, it will depend on the execution (random patterned?) of the balconies and the type of materials used. and I also find that you cant compare the design to that of HP's/pinnacles 1 yonge but to HP's/greatgulf 1 Bloor East because of the arrangement of the balcony. IMO you have two of toronto's best high quality (high rise condo )architecture firms working on two different site locations each with a different set of BUDGETS.
 
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Can Toronto please get some other design trope than non-rectilinear balconies slapped on an otherwise bland form? Sure, One Bloor is cool (although itself hardly original) and Market Wharf looks lovely. But Gooderham, Clear Spirit, Yonge and Rich, FIVE, U Condominiums, Jade Waterfront, and many other condo towers seem to be pushing this design trend. Can't we make the actual building itself interesting, rather than tarting it up with odd balconies?
 
It's pretty limited what can be done with a glass skinned building, Theatre Park pushes that envelope in a new way. Balcony glass designs are becoming the feature that distinguishes a glass building now. Can we get Robert Stern back to whip up a few tall building designs sans floor to ceiling glass?! Some would disagree but I still find One St. Thomas so damn refreshing.
 
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But that also includes a nice curvy shape. I think he meant balcony changes, in which Ice would probably be the best example of balcony articulations.
 
innsertnamehere said:
But that also includes a nice curvy shape.
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Right, but it is a "glass-skinned building". What I object to is architects trying to pass off traditional boxes as interesting just because the balconies form patterns. (And, more precisely, what I object to is how many architects are doing this.)
 
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