Toronto TeaHouse 501 Yonge Condominiums | 170.98m | 52s | Lanterra | a—A

1591741634629.png
 
The ventilation grilles they've installed in the middle portion look pretty rough in person. The perforated metal panel doesn't hide the venting systems at all, and you can see each exhaust opening underneath them from the street. Hopefully the clips mean some kind of fins or covering will be installed over the glazing, but walking by the other day I found it to be the only real not great part of this project.
 
That is one ugly wall of glass. On a side street, or behind a condo, sure, but right on Yonge St? Not a good use of real estate for a thoroughfare with a lot of foot traffic.
 
That is one ugly wall of glass. On a side street, or behind a condo, sure, but right on Yonge St? Not a good use of real estate for a thoroughfare with a lot of foot traffic.
It's to cover the parking garage, the garage had to be build above grade as the subway tunnel runs underneath the building, it actually looks good in person and will look good when all is said and done.
 
I'm satisfied with the choice of glass over the parking garage too. That said, it was a good opportunity to incorporate a public art component. A huge blank canvas right on the street has endless possibilities. A giant portrait, an abstract, perhaps an image that changes, something sculptural, etc. Something gallery worthy, of course. The default in Toronto always seems to be to slap on some glass and call it a day. Very lazy imo.
 
It is kind of hard to tell in the pictures but the glass has some kind of patterned perforated metal screen between the layers of glass that’s kind of a bronze / beige colour, and it appears a lot warmer in real life. I do wish they had stuck with the original plan of using terracotta or wood slats to screen the garage, but I am curious to see how they finish it including the little podium crown with trim.
 

Back
Top