Toronto Union Station Revitalization | ?m | ?s | City of Toronto | NORR

[jaybe]

They finished putting the glass over the moat yesterday.

 

[DSC]

Replacing those harsh light sabre lights with pot lights alone would make a massive difference.

The lights draw too much attention to the ceiling. Dim pot lights and wall mounted lights would transform the space.

I recollect some discussion on these lights a while ago; IIRC, the 'answer' was that the ceiling heights in the VIA Concourse and these 'passageways" was too low to allow proper dropped ceilings that could accommodate pot-lights so these ones were the best alternative. I agree they are less than satisfactory and make a confined space look worse than it needs to. MAYBE, if/when the 'vitrines' are used for something they will distract from the corridor itself?

 

[FC_]

I recollect some discussion on these lights a while ago; IIRC, the 'answer' was that the ceiling heights in the VIA Concourse and these 'passageways" was too low to allow proper dropped ceilings that could accommodate pot-lights so these ones were the best alternative. I agree they are less than satisfactory and make a confined space look worse than it needs to. MAYBE, if/when the 'vitrines' are used for something they will distract from the corridor itself?

Looking at some older photos, prior lighting solutions were also just mounted exposed to the ceiling itself.

Still, they could have at least gone with reflected diffused lighting, concealing the light sources. Something more low-profile than this:

They even use this lighting style throughout the York concourse, and the long corridor that runs along the south end of the station. The current lighting in the Via concourse really is atrocious.

 

[AHK]

I recollect some discussion on these lights a while ago; IIRC, the 'answer' was that the ceiling heights in the VIA Concourse and these 'passageways" was too low to allow proper dropped ceilings that could accommodate pot-lights so these ones were the best alternative. I agree they are less than satisfactory and make a confined space look worse than it needs to. MAYBE, if/when the 'vitrines' are used for something they will distract from the corridor itself?

Conventional incandescent and halogen pot lights require a size of housing (for heat disapation) which necessitate a reasonable amount of depth to a drop ceiling. New LED based pot lights are much, much shallower. Looking at replacing some halogen pot lights with LED versions and redoing some of the drop ceiling at our place in the future.

Unfortunately - I suspect what happened is that, given lead times, when this piece of work at Union Station was being designed, spec'ed, tendered and contracted, the LED pot lights may not yet have been on the market...

 

[canarob]

They finished putting the glass over the moat yesterday.

It's pretty amazing that this took over two years. Not that anything surprises me with this project anymore.

 

[Richard White]

Maybe it's just me but I like the 1980s departures area more than the current one. It is brighter, more cheerful and more inviting. As it stands now it is dark, drab and dated.

 

[mdrejhon]

New LED based pot lights are much, much shallower.

Some simulated LED pot lights don't even require drilling into the ceiling anymore -- flush mount "fake-potlights" -- only a few millimeters profile on the surface of a ceiling.

Unfortunately - I suspect what happened is that, given lead times, when this piece of work at Union Station was being designed, spec'ed, tendered and contracted, the LED pot lights may not yet have been on the market...

Morever -- harshness of LED varies so much. I think full spectrum LED (>CRI 90), PWM-free and balanced light (less blue light peak) should have been considered. The light is less harsh and more inviting. They're widespread and somewhat reasonably cheap now (most 2019-model IKEA LEDARE bulbs are now essentially full-spectrum included in the cheap price), but wasn't five years ago.

 

[condovo]

Maybe it's just me but I like the 1980s departures area more than the current one. It is brighter, more cheerful and more inviting. As it stands now it is dark, drab and dated.

Give me a break. I walked through the departures area just yesterday. It absolutely is not dark, drab and dated.

 

[BjamesT]

Give me a break. I walked through the departures area just yesterday. It absolutely is not dark, drab and dated.

Also, that's a pretty harsh camera flash in the photo purporting to be "brighter" than today's state.

 

[raptor]

IO 2019 Market Update

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

I swear only Metrolinx can get away with tearing down infrastructure built less than 15 years ago - every other transit authority would have gotten nailed for it .

AoD

 

[Mercenary]

I swear only Metrolinx can get away with tearing down infrastructure built less than 15 years ago - every other transit authority would have gotten nailed for it .

AoD

What are they tearing down?

 

[Leo_Chan]

What are they tearing down?

I think @AlvinofDiaspar is talking about the Union Station South Concourse project with the reconstruction of the south platforms, the platform shelters, and the concourse underneath.

 

[Richard White]

I think @AlvinofDiaspar is talking about the Union Station South Concourse project with the reconstruction of the south platforms, the platform shelters, and the concourse underneath.

There is a South Concourse?

 

[DSC]

There is a South Concourse?

The MAY be a south concourse 'one day' - it was discussed here several months ago. Frankly, it sounds a very expensive undertaking so I suspect the funds Metrolinx is talking about here would not be enough.