Toronto Union Centre | 298m | 54s | Westbank | Bjarke Ingels Group

ptbotrmpfn said:
Whee are these elevators... I see fancy way of lighting the building to make it look interesting for a render. Nothing that clearly indicates elevator shafts. If so then why are there five elevators on the east side near the top. The elevator theory makes no sense. That would be cool and all but I don’t see what you are all talking about here.
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It is a side core, steel frame with curtain wall on the north side of the shafts. The core is 25 cars wide. The east most elevators are the high rise core.
It is an odd core: if you are in the high rise you can literally be a football field from your desk ... but I think the theory makes sense.

That said, what I don't understand, however, is how this work if the shaft needs to be flame rated. Are the shaft doors fire glass? This is usually why the core is enclosed by cement block even if it is steel. I feel like no one has thought of that yet they are going to try to use deluge sprinklers, which are not accepted without a pony wall...
 
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TossYourJacket said:
I guess what I mean is that the 10 units that make up the tower are what allows it to have the staggered levels at the top (2 rows of 5), which certainly are more for aesthetics than functionality.
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Right. It's a choice to have 10 smaller diagrids than one big one. It's nothing to do with the slab though.
 
ushahid said:
i think the diagrid structure will look nice on the outer side of the facade, like John Hancock in Chi or the Hearst Tower in NYC.

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The trees of course will never happen. How would you handle the snow loading?, snow against the surrounding windows?, drainage (ever have to clean the gutter of your house or garage?) They're just another gimmick used to sell a project.
 
Big Daddy said:
The trees of course will never happen. How would you handle the snow loading?, snow against the surrounding windows?, drainage (ever have to clean the gutter of your house or garage?) They're just another gimmick used to sell a project.
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Trees have been ending up on a number of new tall Toronto buildings, and they seem to have figured out how to handle them. Picasso is a good example.

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I still think these renders are really dishonest.

The elevators need shaft doors and the shafts need to be fire rated. You will never see through the shaft to the offices like is shown here. It will be a big, block wall with elevators in front of it. At $400 PSF for rated wall, it sure won't be fire glass (even if they made doors out of fire glass, which they dont). The OBC will not accept sprinklers without a 36" pony wall in between the doors.

The big criticism of this tower is the width, and it appears they tried to get over that criticism without a clear articulation of the feasibility.

Unless I'm missing something, this feels very slimy.
 
Zoning is needed to build. It doesn't really determine when the time is right to build. It will still be there in 30 years.
 
Is this complex going to replace the Metro Toronto Convention Centre?
 
The proposal has been revised and resubmitted:
The refined proposal maintains key components of the 2019 proposal, introducing a high-quality office building which includes pedestrian-oriented retail uses and space for the expansion of the existing data centre at 151 Front Street West. The refined proposal continues to promote strong pedestrian connections at grade and through the proposed building, with the PATH connection through the subject site integrated into the building design. The existing elements on the subject site including the 151 Front Street building, 20 York Street Building, the Union - Pearson Express Station, and two-way vehicular access on Station Street are maintained. The proposed loading and parking spaces remain below grade, with bicycle parking spaces in the bicycle rooms located both at grade and below grade accessed via dedicated bicycle elevator access.

The revised proposal features a 52 storey (274.18 m) building with approximately 116,682 m2 of new commercial GFA and retained density of 32,362 m2. Key revisions to the proposed development include modifications to the design of Station Street for additional pedestrian facilities and a wider pedestrian clearway; the relocation of the main office entrance to establish a prominent pedestrian entrance on Lower Simcoe Street along with the integration of additional setback and height for the entrance forecourt; small increases to the proposed retail, office, and new data centre GFA; and the removal of the live performance venue from the development program.

The live performance venue has partially been replaced by retail uses given the uncertainty around demand for large-scale live venues at this time. While removed for the purpose of this resubmission, the live performance venue continues to be considered as a potential part of the development and its viability will continue to be evaluated.
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Detailed revisions include:
  • Total GFA reduced from 151,069 sq. metres to 149,044 sq. metres
  • Total Office GFA increased from 103,867 sq. metres to 105,245 sq. metres
  • Total Retail GFA increased from 1,478 sq. metres to 2,722 sq. metres
  • Data Centre Expansion increased from 8,199 sq. metres to 8,337 sq. metres
  • Now includes a PATH Expansion of 378 sq. metres
  • The total number of car parking spaces reduced from 145 to 144
  • The total number of bicycle parking spaces increased from 430 to 443
  • The total number of loading spaces reduced from 11 to 8
  • Removal of the live performance venue from the development program (tentative)
  • Small increase in the overall building height from floor- to- floor height increases to levels 1- 3, and the increase in height of the mechanical floors, including a floor of Data Centre generators that has been relocated into the tower podium (number of total storeys stays the same at 52 - Height is now 274.18 m)
  • Modifications to Station Street for a more generous pedestrian realm including widened sidewalk on the south side of the street, narrowed vehicle lanes, and additional pedestrian facilities
  • Additional setback and increased height of the entrance forecourt along Lower Simcoe Street, and the relocation of the main office lobby entrance to front onto Lower Simcoe Street
  • Shift in the location of the vehicle ramp for underground access to further west on Station Street
  • Generators for the data centre were moved from the eastern podium above the PATH connection to level 5 of the tower. Retail space replaces where generators were previously located, creating a more complementary relationship with the office lobby and the PATH below.
Development Applications
 
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