xy3
Active Member
This is starting to make me wish Mizrahi opted to use RAMSA architects for this site, as he originally planned. Wouldnt have the same engineering issues.
This is starting to make me wish Mizrahi opted to use RAMSA architects for this site, as he originally planned. Wouldnt have the same engineering issues.
I wouldn't say it's the silver bullet that killed it. The project is still being worked on. Work has not stopped and I believe that given the progress it will be completed and there will be no work stoppage maybe a slowing but I believe this project will continue to moveWhy is everyone looking for a silver bullet that killed this? Let me describe this from the outside and you can tell me if it's setup for success:
Developer who has never built a high rise builds Canada's tallest and arguably most epxensive high rise, with structural system which has never been built in Canada, in middle of one of Toronto's busiest intersections, with overseas capital, and decides to fire CM and self-perform construction management in middle of Global Pandemic.
Developer started the development by smashing heritage facade in dead of night. Architect of Record is Core who has experience in local high-rise development of smaller scale.
Compare to Forma:
Storied high rise developer, who has built several of Canada's largest towers, builds complex facade with one of Canada's best GCs, funded by local REITs and Family Offices, with debt from Schedule A banks. Architect of Record us Adamson who has done drawings for most of world's largest towers.
Forma may die yet but we aren't in the same part of the river.
I see several comments on additional storeys being a great strategy. The land value here is maybe $300 PSF, and the risk is enormous to add more density when you still haven't sold nearly $1.4 billion of inventory. I'm not sure throwing good money after bad is the right move. Increasing height also increases time, which increases financing drag, which is already enormous.For me the only question right now is how many additional storeys $315 million is going to buy
The Chicago Spire (wikipedia) remains as a hole in the ground.I could swear that there's a condo tower in Chicago that was roughly 80% structurally completed when the plug got pulled on it a dozen years ago and it's been a hulking concrete shell ever since...
EDIT: I was wrong. It was called the Waterview Tower, and 26 stories were completed before it sat abandoned for 5 years before being completed as something totally different.
Not talking about adding storeys to the 91 already approved. That's settled. I'm talking about the number of floors above the 31 or so already completed that are likely to get built before interim financing runs out.I see several comments on additional storeys being a great strategy. The land value here is maybe $300 PSF, and the risk is enormous to add more density when you still haven't sold nearly $1.4 billion of inventory. I'm not sure throwing good money after bad is the right move. Increasing height also increases time, which increases financing drag, which is already enormous.
I snuck down to the bottom of that pit one early morning back in spring 2008. The sound of the water pumps was deafening.The Chicago Spire (wikipedia) remains as a hole in the ground.
It could die due to the overall condo/housing market correction, not what plainly appears to be blatant fraud and incompetence.Forma may die yet but we aren't in the same part of the river.