Toronto U of T: Robarts Library Renovations & Robarts Common | ?m | ?s | U of T | Diamond Schmitt

[ADRM]

From today’s walkabout with @ev25.4

 

[AlbertC]

New College usually gets less love compared to other U of T Colleges, but I've always had an appreciation for it. This is a nice rare look at it from above.

 

[fiendishlibrarian]

Perhaps but I loathed the lecture halls and classrooms there. Only saving grace was the faculty club bar across the street that I used to drink at when I was a TA.

 

[ADRM]

Interior fit-out seems to be coming along.

 

[irishboy]

mechanical is getting closer to done. hoping the angles on the glass will have a cool lighting effect once done.

 

[Student99]

Ugh. Still can't believe this is the design they went with.

 

[isaidso]

This looks ridiculous. It doesn't work with the architecture of Robarts at all. Quite the contrary, it almost looks like the goal was to hide as much of Robarts as possible. The only thing that will restore Robarts is the removal of this addition.

 

[DavidCapizzano]

Very unfortunate. This is going to be a bit of a dark spot on U of T's otherwise solid architectural record.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Very unfortunate. This is going to be a bit of a dark spot on U of T's otherwise solid architectural record.

DSAI does have a record of doing work for UTL (both for the Robarts reno and the study space addition at Gerstein), so maybe that have something to do with it?

AoD

 

[CapitalSeven]

The architechts' solid work on the NAC in Ottawa makes this disaster all the more shocking and disappointing.

 

[globalexpress]

Looking up through the glaze at Robarts new addition.

 

[officedweller]

So they didn't think about how the cross-bracing would look through the clear glass?

 

[Yegger]

So they didn't think about how the cross-bracing would look through the clear glass?

I think they were trying to emulate / play off of the diagonal creases in the glass frontage. This addition has grown on me. I appreciate the details like the brown cubes (columns?) peeking through the glass. It makes it look like the Robarts building is latching onto this new section and brings some sort of cohesion between glass and the concrete mass behind.

 

[Northern Light]

Some pics of this (interior) from a report to the next U of T Business Board.

Report link:

https://governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/system/files/agenda-items/20210617_BB_05.pdf

 

[officedweller]

I think they were trying to emulate / play off of the diagonal creases in the glass frontage. This addition has grown on me. I appreciate the details like the brown cubes (columns?) peeking through the glass. It makes it look like the Robarts building is latching onto this new section and brings some sort of cohesion between glass and the concrete mass behind.

What I meant was one set of bracing matches the angle of the crease, while the other does not.