Toronto West Harbour City | ?m | 36s | Plaza | BDP Quadrangle

adma said:
If one allows for neo-Deco all within eyeshot of Cityplace, it's quite acceptable.
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I believe the building takes its cues from Tip Top as seen in this months-old photo...
 

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I'm not normally one for such a solid structure as i tend to prefer glass and steel, but there's something so, i dunno, Manhattan-ish about this project. It certainly does seem to take its cue from Tip Top.
 
Which cues exactly? I can see a height similarity in the podiums, but even the Tip Top building, whose base I find somewhat heavy, seems very light in comparison to WHC, whose podium elements seem rather finnicky to me. When that's not visible, I don't mind the building really.

I'm worried that unless the residents inside the building bring something to the windows that the colour(s) of the building overall will be detrimental to the overall feeling of the architecture. Perhaps some greenery on the setbacks will be enough to soften its heavy feel.
 
Personally I think that the very fact that this is not another green glass building (not that I'm against them just that they seem to be tons of them being built in Toronto) vastly overshadows the somewhat mediocre design. It's not a great building but I like it.

Maybe that is the issue as well. With the waterfront being such a visible part of the city anything built along it should be built to the highest standards of quality and design.
 
cassius said:
Which cues exactly? I can see a height similarity in the podiums, but even the Tip Top building, whose base I find somewhat heavy, seems very light in comparison to WHC, whose podium elements seem rather finnicky to me. When that's not visible, I don't mind the building really.

I'm worried that unless the residents inside the building bring something to the windows that the colour(s) of the building overall will be detrimental to the overall feeling of the architecture. Perhaps some greenery on the setbacks will be enough to soften its heavy feel.
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Gosh I don't know all the technical terms, but definitely the frieze panels. The deco influences. The pointy cap pieces along the roofline edges. Something about the window of WHC reminds me of the windows in the turrets of Tip Top too. And the colour of the cladding material is similar to Tip Top.
 
good eye scrappyTO ... yup definitely I agree/see now the similarities between Tip Top Lofts and West Harbour City ...

Art Deco lives on~
 
Besides, there's also Crosse & Blackwell + the Loblaws warehouse as goes Deco in the neighbourhood. (And hey, I suppose the Fort York Armoury as well)
 
condovo said:
Actually, I find Panorama far more Deco than Deco-aspiring WHC.
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How would you consider Cityplace Panorama as Art Deco ?? Panorama looks like a typical Cityplace clear glazing condo, save and except for the elliptical shape, the small bit of dark glass at the top, and the more interesting roof element :confused:
 
Went for a long walk in the neighbourhood last night and noticed the deco detailing of the old Loblaws warehouse at Bathurst/Lakeshore also sets a precident for this style in the neighbourhood. The pointy cap pieces on the warehouse are very similar to those being used on WHC.
 
Urban Shocker said:
I don't find the proportions particularly elegant. It is bottom-heavy and occupies the land like some sort of invading army, when instead it could be light, and soar.
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....hmmmm, sort of like this?:

Marcanadian said:
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I like WHC. It feels very 'Tim Burton' in its faux neo-gothic sense of theatricality. As others have mentioned it doesn't feel entirely out of context in this location either.
 
Urban Shocker said:
It is bottom-heavy and occupies the land like some sort of invading army, when instead it could be light, and soar.
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You are correct in that summation, but why does it need to be light and soar? I find the solidity of it rather refreshing. It gives the building a sense of permanence. This is a quality I find comforting having lived my first decade in London. Toronto has relatively few such buildings.
 
Unfortunately in this city, a new condo which is not 'bottom-heavy' means the use of a lot of cheap looking aluminum panelling.
 
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