Toronto The Residences of 488 University Avenue | 206.95m | 55s | Amexon | Core Architects

[someMidTowner]

Today

 

[G.L.17]

Taken Thursday afternoon:

 

[Light]

This has got to be the coolest re-clad and addition I've ever seen. I am impressed in that this is all happening while the building is still in-use(wow!) University Avenue is Toronto's Park Avenue, so this is certainly going to enhance the street's "canyon"(!) I think Canadian engineering/building/project management may be under-appreciated; what an awesome project!

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

It bugs me that the two diagrids on the two facades aren't aligned to the same level (i.e. the intersections are at different levels of the building).

AoD

 

[stjames2queenwest]

According to the images posted on the work site itself the "mullions" or whatever the currently silver banding is called, will eventually be thicker black fins.

 

[interchange42]

It bugs me that the two diagrids on the two facades aren't aligned to the same level (i.e. the intersections are at different levels of the building).

AoD

Maybe it's more important that they meet each other at the corners? Any civil engineers what to offer any thoughts?

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[AlvinofDiaspar]

Maybe it's more important that they meet each other at the corners? Any civil engineers what to offer any thoughts?

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I don't doubt for one second that it is a necessity - I think the diagrid for the University side actually extends underground. Having said that, the mismatch is visually displeasing.

AoD

 

[interchange42]

For some, it might have been displeasing to have the diagonals at different angles on the different sides. Those people won't like the office tower at The Well, because that's how they've solved it there. Or maybe if the building had all its sides made the same length—turned into a square—that would have solved it… other than for people who don't like square buildings.

Oh the humanity.

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[AlvinofDiaspar]

For some, it might have been displeasing to have the diagonals at different angles on the different sides. Those people won't like the office tower at The Well, because that's how they've solved it there. Or maybe if the building had all its sides made the same length—turned into a square—that would have solved it… other than for people who don't like square buildings.

Oh the humanity.

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Beg to differ on this - it has nothing to do with whether the sides are square or not - see John Hancock Tower in Chicago:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/John_Hancock_Center_2.jpg

Not that the diagrid are as pronounced as they are in this example, but what the "issue" is how the diagrid draws attention to this lack of alignment.

AoD

 

[interchange42]

There's more than one way to skin a ca(s)t(le in the sky)? We shall see how it all works out…

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[someMidTowner]

Today:

 

[Miscreant]

The John Hancock Tower is a masterpiece. It's simply beautiful.

 

[cd concept]

What are they going to do with those concrete window pannels? Could they be used at another job sight ? I can't believe what they replaced it with. Toronto is slowly losing its all its precast looking buildings. The should refurbished to make it last another 50 years !!

 

[Lenser]

Those panels were deteriorating, were they not? I imagine there'd be a strictly limited number of ways in which you could repurpose them architecturally and have the resultant edifice be structurally sound.

 

[interchange42]

Yes, those panels were crumbling in places, and they had built-in slots for single-pane windows. Any repurposing of them would require a major overhaul to bring them up to today's code… so I assume they are heading for a crusher, and then recycling.

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