Toronto Tower at Pier 27 | 114.9m | 35s | Cityzen | a—A

Full Metal Junkie said:
This is such an odd location to live in, waterfront or not, just for olfactory reasons if nothing else. Back in the ye olden days when I was a wee lad trying to put myself through university, I worked as the overnight security guard at the Loblaws store on Queens Quay and Jarvis. We are talking the days when the entire area was an industrial wasteland and the Guvernment night club operation was in full swing. What sticks out in my memory the most about those days spent patrolling the empty parking lots is the smell. Redpath sugar factory smells. I don't mean stinks, I mean it smells of molasses and brown sugar. The smell is not unpleasant, but it is thick and ever-present. They might have implemented some measures these days, because I don't think the smell is as intense as it used to be, but that may just be my sense of smell going out due to the increasing age and overall retardedness. The point is, the sugar smell is still there. Add to that the stench of rotten fish or whatever else the lake periodically smells like. I was cycling past the Sugar Beach wharf last night and got hit with a whiff of something so nasty, that I dry heaved to the point of almost puking. So, to get back to the point of all this, I am not sure that the waterfront premium these properties command is wholly warranted in this particular location.
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That's all true, but you can't argue that the demand is there. Waterfront condos are selling like hotcakes.
 
I couldn't disagree more. When I lived in the area (for approx a year) I smelled the sugar factory maybe once every month. Some people loved it, I was indifferent to it, but it definitely was not "ever-present". Maybe they've changed the factory, but I would walk by on a semi-daily basis and rarely would smell it. The lake can smell sometimes, but that was rare too and the price you pay for being near a body of water. Besides, it's not like the rest of the city smells like roses - every area of a city has strange smells from time-to-time. I was just walking around King and Church this afternoon and got a huge whiff of the knock-you-off-your-feet smell of sewage for virtually the whole block.

Fact is, this area is located dead centre along the waterfront of one of the world's major cities, steps to the city's financial district, transportation hub, and entertainment complex (Scotiabank Arena) and a short walk to some of the city's major cultural spots (St Lawrence Market, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto Island). That's a pretty damn impressive list of reasons to live there now. In 3-5 years when the blocks around this that are currently under development become developed, and the area becomes dense with parks and new supertall skyscrapers, it's going to be hard to find a more desirable place in the city to live, in my opinion.
 
I never said this wasn't a good area to live in. All I said was that the smells exist or existed at some point in the past. I went by Pier 27 tonight and then went down to Jarvis to take a look at Daniel's City of Arts. I honestly did not smell any sugar at Pier. I also did not smell any sugar at the Loblaws parking lot as I was looking at Daniel's. But as I was cycling past Redpath, I definitely smelled the same sugar odor, just as I remembered it, just as strong, but only right beside the factory. I don't know if they are not emitting as much smell anymore or if it is just because the temperature is lower and it didn't carry as far. But the odour is definitely is not as far reaching as it used to be at this point. However, the smell is still escaping the factory. And hey, the smell is really not unpleasant.
The fishy lake stink was also gone tonight, so that one is definitely a 'once-in-a-while' occurrence.
 
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Star Fox said:
I couldn't disagree more. When I lived in the area (for approx a year) I smelled the sugar factory maybe once every month. Some people loved it, I was indifferent to it, but it definitely was not "ever-present". Maybe they've changed the factory, but I would walk by on a semi-daily basis and rarely would smell it. The lake can smell sometimes, but that was rare too and the price you pay for being near a body of water. Besides, it's not like the rest of the city smells like roses - every area of a city has strange smells from time-to-time. I was just walking around King and Church this afternoon and got a huge whiff of the knock-you-off-your-feet smell of sewage for virtually the whole block.

Fact is, this area is located dead centre along the waterfront of one of the world's major cities, steps to the city's financial district, transportation hub, and entertainment complex (Scotiabank Arena) and a short walk to some of the city's major cultural spots (St Lawrence Market, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto Island). That's a pretty damn impressive list of reasons to live there now. In 3-5 years when the blocks around this that are currently under development become developed, and the area becomes dense with parks and new supertall skyscrapers, it's going to be hard to find a more desirable place in the city to live, in my opinion.
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Totally agree with all you've mentioned. In addition, it will be right next to Google's, Microsoft HQ, George Brown College, OCAD, Waterfront Innovation Center (WPP, MaRS - UofT) and easy access to DVP. East Bayfront will simply be a city within a city.
 
The permanent white metal parts of balcony railings have been installed up to the 6th floor. It looks like there are 2 guys on full-time railing duty, making quick work of it. I'm going to venture a guess that we will finally see the first balcony railing glass installed in the next couple of weeks.

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Today
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The big reveal for the balcony glazing is finally here, stacks of glass lined up along the second floor balconies on the west side:

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Fairly opaque polka dot fritting. The stacks have a somewhat strong bluish green hue, but I think that's just because the stacks of glass are so thick. It may not be so pronounced once they space out the glass along the railings.

Certainly not at all what aA originally promised:
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ptbotmpfn said:
Ya they should have been holes not dots for one. And they were depicted in white. Not any color tones. The old switcheroo.
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It's not just reversing holes vs. dots. I was always assuming it will be perforated metal instead of glass. But once I saw the metal railing frames they were putting up, it became apparent to me that they were going for glass instead. The metal frame had typical rubberized suspension attachment points for glass. I think my hopes are slowly turning into a disappointment with this one. The materials are not what they should have been.
 
The way the balconies are rendered in that image above with some reflectivity indicates to me that the plan was always for glass, since perforated metal exterior panels in a gloss white finish would probably be crazy expensive. You can see reflections of the patio furniture in the railing panels, and the reflection of the hand railing on the inside was even rendered.

The only thing that’s changed is the frit pattern, which is slightly disappointing.
 
That...can't be real. That balcony glass looks atrocious compared to the renderings.

I was so looking forward to having a white building here to break up the green and concrete that was build along the water's edge for the last few decades. This looks like it'll just add more green.
 
DavidCapizzano said:
The way the balconies are rendered in that image above with some reflectivity indicates to me that the plan was always for glass, since perforated metal exterior panels in a gloss white finish would probably be crazy expensive. You can see reflections of the patio furniture in the railing panels, and the reflection of the hand railing on the inside was even rendered.

The only thing that’s changed is the frit pattern, which is slightly disappointing.
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Not sure I agree. The shadows cast on the furniture clearly shows light going through holes and you can see the furniture through the balcony, i.e. perforated metal.
 
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