Toronto Wellesley on the Park | 194.15m | 60s | Lanterra | KPMB

The UT twitter account posted this: by KPMB architects;

BNKYLAKCIAA2vUH.jpg:large


looks around 50 floors without the base, probably around 200m, maybe a bit taller.
 
Last edited:
Tower in the park. I'd kind of like more animation along Wellesley St. with a walk through to the green space but in the end, the more green space the better.
 
A community member asked for a dog run last night - one that's distinctly separated from other park uses. There's concern now that the island in the Opera Place driveway is simply a dog crapping area currently.

42
 
It's 2013 and yet nobody has perfected dog-crapping infrastructure. They have $3,200 mahogany self cleaning litter boxes, but they still cant figure out a field of astruturf with a sprinkler system, inclines, grates and drains. Nobody wants to stoop'n'scoop.
 
someMidTowner said:
It's 2013 and yet nobody has perfected dog-crapping infrastructure. They have $3,200 mahogany self cleaning litter boxes, but they still cant figure out a field of astruturf with a sprinkler system, inclines, grates and drains. Nobody wants to stoop'n'scoop.
Click to expand...

Thats a pet peeve of mine (no pun intended) that people want dogs but don't want to pick up their poop. In my opinion if someone isn't up to the task, then they shouldn't have a dog, and why I have cats.
 
I'll probably get some heat for this but KPMB's exterior designs overall are rather dull, esp with office and residential projects. They did a great project in Denver, but in Toronto they're pretty bad. Redesign. (I tend to find the more "full of themselves" designers are, the increased likelihood they're actually pretty terrible. Think Gehry or Libeskind for example....)

Project End: I bet aA is pissed! But they blew it with missing the market peak at 501 by digging in their heels vs the nimbies. :p
 
Last edited:
How so? KPMB to me has always been very similar to aA except a different style. They produce conservative but good looking designs and use quality materials. They seem to be everything that people like in aA but with a different design style.
 
Look at Bay Adelaide Centre, the Globe and Mail office tower or Library District for example. Even Canary District is kinda blah. Yes they're much better than P+S etc but I find them very very conservative overall and their design/aesthetic/"window dressing" skills to be beneath aA or Teeple. I am not knocking the quality--indeed KPMB chooses top notch materials but their themes (read: blank walls everywhere) get rather tiresome and feel stuck in about 2003. I am not certain if they picked the shades of green at Library District--if they did, it shows something is missing in their understanding of colour use. I could never see aA approving that design.

Overall, aA is inspired more by Northern European design language while KPMB feels more American midwest.

There are way more creative solutions out there. If I got to choose the design architect for this project I'd pick Saucier + Perrotte. I can imagine they'd raise the park above grade--less dog run and more people place. Actually, I'd go further: aA red brick podium quality meets S+P aesthetic = winner! at this location.

Even more interesting: Get a younger firm in charge of the window dressing here. Toronto's got a ton of young firms. Give them a chance to impress us critics!
 
Last edited:
Not a huge fan of plan B. the tower sits awkwardly on the site combined with the design (The tower also looks a lot like the 70 Carton proposal). The design isn't in final form, but something looks a bit off the way things are looking.

What would be nice is if they opted for 2 towers (kinda like plan A) )that sit directly along Yonge and leave this entire space a public park (but i know that's not gonna happen)
 
MikeOlivo-Moore said:
Thats a pet peeve of mine (no pun intended) that people want dogs but don't want to pick up their poop. In my opinion if someone isn't up to the task, then they shouldn't have a dog, and why I have cats.
Click to expand...

Mine too. So is gum on sidewalks, and people who spit on the sidewalk. I've always trained my dogs to go #2 on concrete or asphalt, it's simple to train them - that way I can pick up 100% as opposed to struggling with it in grass. Why anyone can't bend over to pick up after their dog is completely beyond my understanding. I don't go to dog parks, I choose to walk to exercise and socialize my dog (and me!) but they are excellent and attractive spaces. The best choice of ground cover that I've seen are small rounded pebbles, although I've heard they can get caught in some dogs paws but overall it seems be the least invasive choice of ground covering. I don't see as many dogs west of Yonge vs. east of Yonge but that area could probably could use a dog park as it continues to intensify.
 
Any ohter comments from the community consultation meeting? What's the time frame on this development? Thanks
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top