Toronto Waterfront Innovation Centre | 53.03m | 11s | Waterfront Toronto | Sweeny &Co

[Lenser]

That is extremely cool.

 

[sammmy]

Feb 18, 2018

 

[TrickyRicky]

On the other hand which building would you rather work in, the sculpturally expressive post from Macau or the generic design in the above rendering? To me, based on a superficial overview from the renderings the Menkes building is the superior work space.

As an aside, while expressive and interesting, holes in buildings in East Asian cities are often not architectural flourishes they are design requirement mandated by Fung Shui principles.

 

[Bogtrotter]

I would MUCH rather work in a magnificently expressive Hadid building than a run-of -mill office block, I might even enjoy showing up to the office some days. That said, I believe the depicted Hadid building is a hotel. I really don't think a more inspiring building is a big ask at all for our architecturally dreary waterfront.

 

[idc24]

I would MUCH rather work in a magnificently expressive Hadid building than a run-of -mill office block, I might even enjoy showing up to the office some days. That said, I believe the depicted Hadid building is a hotel. I really don't think a more inspiring building is a big ask at all for our architecturally dreary waterfront.

I totally agree with you. Waterfront Toronto and the developers involved have a once in a lifetime chance to come up with spectacular designs that complement the prime lakeside locations. These projects will become the face of Toronto, so the developers should give their designs more thought and give more design liberty to the architects that they have hired.

For example cities like Copenhagen have re purposed their waterfront with innovative and attractive public and private buildings.

https://www.e-architect.co.uk/articles/copenhagen-harbour-architecture

 

[maestro]

The Hadid tower is too expressive which works well for Macau.

 

[idc24]

The Hadid tower is too expressive which works well for Macau.

https://www.gettyimages.ca/photos/macau-skyline

https://www.colourbox.com/image/skyline-of-macau-city-center-atsunset-image-6101285

Macau's skyline is quite stunning...

They even have a tower like the CN tower, but tinier at 338 metres (www.macautower.com.mo/tower-overview/).
It's nice how there is open space surrounding the Macau tower ensuring great views of the tower. unlike the CN tower which is becoming surrounded by 50-70 floor condos that are obstructing certain views of the the tower.

 

[LUVIT!]

Hmmm. With all due respect one of those towers is absolutely hideous. The CN tower is still seen from most angles and from afar unless one is directly behind a nearby tower. I do agree that we need some more distinct showy edifices however we are not a showy people. I also agree that we need to make more of an effort in architectural design.

 

[Amare]

I've said this before and i'll say it again, our waterfront is a joke and this building just continues to solidify this fact. Cities all around the world use their waterfront to attract tourists and visitors to walk along the entire strip (or a significant portion of it) and spend their dollars around the area which ultimately creates bustling waterfront activity. I can name countless cities where their architecture along their waterfront is simply outstanding and the buildings alone are enough to draw significant interest.

With Toronto architecture is buildings along the waterfront is definitely an aforethought, let alone the types of buildings we build along this prime land. All we've been doing with the waterfront is building copious amounts of condos with bland, lifeless and uninspiring designs, with the odd mini beach tossed in to say "we've satisfied the public realm component". The only thing that draws tourists to the waterfront these days is the Harbourfront Centre, asides from that the entire stretch of Queens Quay is essentially dead.

The creation of Waterfront Toronto has prevented rushed and poorly planned development like we have seen in the past, but asides from that fact it's been an utterly useless organization.

 

[ADRM]

All we've been doing with the waterfront is building copious amounts of condos with bland, lifeless and uninspiring designs

What a barren wasteland Waterfront Toronto has left us with, indeed!

source

source

source

source

source

 

[ADRM]

asides from that the entire stretch of Queens Quay is essentially dead.

Like, honestly, sometimes I read your posts and think "has this guy ever actually been to Toronto?"

I don't mean to vilify you personally, but your strangely aggressive pessimism is as depressing as it is misguided.

 

[Amare]

Like, honestly, sometimes I read your posts and think "has this guy ever actually been to Toronto?"

I don't mean to vilify you personally, but your strangely aggressive pessimism is as depressing as it is misguided.

Those pictures you posted above would satisfy the "the odd mini beach tossed in" comment in my earlier comment.

I've grown up in this city, and have been around most parts to know it like the back of my head. I've also been lucky enough to have had the chance to travel to several other international cities and have explored those cities in the best way one could truly appreciate a city (by walking around). The reason i'm so critical of our core and waterfront is because we can do much, much better. Most of the things that have been built in this city recently feel like they come from people who have a narrow mindset and lack imagination, and have yet to explore any other region of the world except for Canada and the U.S.

So if it seems as though i'm aggressive towards various parts of it, it's because I know those various parts can be improved significantly and the status quo is not ok.

 

[ADRM]

Those pictures you posted above would satisfy the "the odd mini beach tossed in" comment in my earlier comment.

I've grown up in this city, and have been around most parts to know it like the back of my head. I've also been lucky enough to have had the chance to travel to several other international cities and have explored those cities in the best way one could truly appreciate a city (by walking around). The reason i'm so critical of our core and waterfront is because we can do much, much better. Most of the things that have been built in this city recently feel like they come from people who have a narrow mindset and lack imagination, and have yet to explore any other region of the world except for Canada and the U.S.

So if it seems as though i'm aggressive towards various parts of it, it's because I know those various parts can be improved significantly and the status quo is not ok.

Not to make it a contest, but to meet you where you seem to be, I've lived in two of the cities you're currently trying to use to attack Toronto in another thread, and can certainly say that I much prefer Toronto's waterfront to those in both of my former homes.

What you seem to be missing is the reality that uninteresting architecture and vibrant waterfronts aren't by necessity correlated in any particular way; I, too, loathe much of the architecture that's gone up on the waterfront (and much of what's in the pipeline), but it's a simple and incontrovertible fact that many parts of it are entirely swarmed virtually any weekend when the weather is half-decent.

Even if you think that the city's most lively waterfront spaces amount to "the odd mini beach tossed in", the reality is that tens if not hundreds of thousands of tourists and residents alike fundamentally and obviously disagree with you, which I'd say is a pretty good indicator of the success of those spaces.

 

[Amare]

Not to make it a contest, but to meet you where you seem to be, I've lived in two of the cities you're currently trying to use to attack Toronto in another thread, and can certainly say that I much prefer Toronto's waterfront to those in both of my former homes.

What you seem to be missing is the reality that uninteresting architecture and vibrant waterfronts aren't by necessity correlated in any particular way; I, too, loathe much of the architecture that's gone up on the waterfront (and much of what's in the pipeline), but it's a simple and incontrovertible fact that many parts of it are entirely swarmed virtually any weekend when the weather is half-decent.

Even if you think that the city's most lively waterfront spaces amount to "the odd mini beach tossed in", the reality is that tens if not hundreds of thousands of tourists and residents alike fundamentally and obviously disagree with you, which I'd say is a pretty good indicator of the success of those spaces.

To be honest I think the way Toronto's waterfront attracts tourists is by virtue of the attractions that are present on the waterfront (ie: Harbourfront Centre). They act as hubs where people spend a significant portion of their day, and branch out to other areas of the waterfront to explore. HTO Park and Cherry Beach are similar, but albeit smaller attractions. I have trouble imagining a tourists deciding to walk along Toronto's waterfront for the entire day, since there are only so many interesting points along it. By the time one reaches Bathurst in the west, and Bay in the east, they would most likely just turn back northwards.

While architecture and vibrant waterfronts aren't necessarily correlated, buildings with strong architectural qualities along with attractive public realms strongly entice tourists to stay along the waterfront. I'll put it this way; with buildings like Corus Quay, one would just past by it without giving it much of a second thought due to its blandness and unimpressive pedestrian realm. The only reason one really explores that area is due to Sugar Beach (as small as it is). If Corus Quay was designed in such a way where the building was actually visually interesting, it would do fine on its own as an anchor/minor attraction regardless of if Sugar Beach was around. The Waterfront Innovation Centre is essentially a second version of Corus Quay without a Sugar Beach, which is why there have been so many complaints and criticism on this thread about this project.

Waterfront Toronto's mandate is to revitalize the waterfront through in their words "strategic revitalization as opposed to simple real estate development" and "re-establish a positive, meaningful relationships with the lake and to transform these underused lands into vibrant public and cultural spaces for all Torontonians". The Waterfront Innovation Centre doesn't exactly fit this bill in any way, shape or form. I'll go a shot further and say that asides from HTO Park and Sugar beach, none of the developments to date have really done that job either.

 

[LUVIT!]

yawn