Monthly Archives: February 2011

City Scene: Bloor Street keeps building up

Looking west on Bloor Street from Avenue Road on February 12 2011

New kids on the block: The north side of Bloor Street from Avenue Road to Bedford Road keeps filling in and growing taller. Museum House condos is close to topping off and has nearly all its windows installed, while the One Bedford condo tower to its west is partly occupied and almost finished construction. Yet another condo tower — Exhibit Residences — is poised to join them. Their residents will only have to walk across the street to visit the Royal Ontario Museum (left) and the Royal Conservatory of Music, while the Yorkville neighbourhood is just around the corner.

One Bedford condo tower becomes new landmark establishing Annex end of Bloor Street’s mink mile

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One Bedford condo tower viewed from Bloor Street January 9 2011

Varsity views: I remember the huge kerfuffle that erupted when plans for the 32-storey One Bedford at Bloor condo building were announced about six or seven years ago. Many people thought the tower was too big and too tall for the Annex neighbourhood, even though it would sit on Bloor Street at the southeast corner of Bedford Road, overlooking the University of Toronto campus to the south.

Watching One Bedford go up the past couple of years during occasional walks through the Annex, I’ve never thought the condo complex felt out of place. And now that the building is nearly finished, and partly occupied, I think the highrise fits into the area quite handsomely. But while it’s a nice-looking addition to the Bloor streetscape, I’m sure it will be a catalyst for a drastic change in the character and atmosphere of the entire block.

With its limestone-clad podium, One Bedford certainly classes up a corner formerly occupied by some rather dumpy-looking low-rise buildings that housed several fast-food restaurants, including a busy Swiss Chalet location. However, shops and reasonably-priced eateries catering to the area’s huge University of Toronto student population probably can’t afford the rents at One Bedford.

Two more upscale condo projects on the same block — Museum House, currently under construction, and Exhibit Residences, now in the pre-sale marketing stage — will probably push out even more student-oriented businesses.

A Bank of Montreal branch opened in part of One Bedford’s street level retail space three months ago, and I won’t be surprised if high-end designer shops eventually lease out the remainder, extending Bloor Street’s famous “mink mile” upscale shopping district west to Bedford Road.

Perhaps the transformation was inevitable, since this stretch of Bloor Street has developed into an important culture corridor boasting such attractions as the Royal Conservatory of Music, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, and the Bata Shoe Museum.

One change I’ve noticed already is that the Bloor-Bedford intersection feels windier with the tower on the corner. Every time I’ve walked on the southern stretch of Bedford Road in the last year, either on the east side right next to the condo tower, or on the west between Bloor and the St. George subway station entrance, I have felt like I was walking through a wind tunnel. I don’t recall being blasted by such strong gusts on Bedford before the condo was built. But I suppose it’s possible all my Annex visits just happened to be on breezy days.

A project of Lanterra Developments, One Bedford was designed by Bruce Kuwabara of Toronto’s Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects, with Page + Steele as architect of record. The artistic rendering (above) is from the One Bedford website.

Below are some of my One Bedford photos; you’ll find more in the One Bedford album on the Photo Sets page of the blog.

CN Tower view of One Bedford condo building (left) on November 2 2010

One Bedford viewed from corner of Bloor and Devonshire Place November 1 2010

Upper floors of One Bedford condo tower viewed November 1 2010

One Bedford streetscape along Bloor viewed on November 1 2010

One Bedford condos Bloor Street podium viewed November 1 2010

One Bedford condos viewed from Hoskin Avenue on November 1 2010

Looking up at the tower from Bedford Road

Ongoing construction work in main entrance courtyard off Bedford Road

Fireplace and building nameplate on an exterior courtyard wall

Northwest corner wing above Bedford Road

Condo facade integrates the studio of Toronto architect John Lyle (1872 – 1945)

One Bedford podium viewed from the west along Bloor Street on January 9 2011

Interior design work orders taped to the windows of a tower suite

Main entrance courtyard (still under construction) viewed from Bedford Road

North side of One Bedford complex viewed from Bedford Road on January 9 2011

North side of tower viewed from Bedford Road near Prince Arthur Avenue

One Bedford viewed from corner of Bedford Road and Prince Arthur Avenue

Upper floors of One Bedford condo tower viewed from Prince Arthur Avenue

CN Tower view of One Bedford (upper right) overlooking the University of Toronto

CN Tower view of Museum House (right) under construction near One Bedford

Residents in south-facing suites at One Bedford will enjoy a great view of sports events at the University of Toronto’s Varsity Stadium directly across the street

Florian’s classy curves go with the Davenport flow

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The Florian’s long sweeping podium hugs the curve on Davenport Road

Ship shape: When I view The Florian from certain angles, I sometimes feel like I’m looking up at the prow of a tall, grand Cunard ocean liner, like the Queen Mary 2.

That’s the visual impact, on me, of the long, curved podium that draws to a sharp point at the east and west ends of the 25-storey luxury condominium complex currently under construction on Davenport Road, at the northern tip of Bay Street. It won’t be crossing any oceans, but from its berth along the big bend on busy Davenport Road, The Florian will overlook a steady stream of traffic flowing past. Away from the street, The Florian’s crescent-shaped site will be a sea of tranquillity, with lush secluded gardens and landscaped rooftop terraces.

And like a Cunard liner, The Florian will exude class and sophistication: though it’s more than 80% sold, suites are still available at prices ranging from $1 million to more than $3 million.

A project by Diamante Development Corporation, The Florian was designed in a joint venture by Toronto architects Young + Wright / IBI Group Architects and David Pontarini of Hariri Pontarini Architects.

Below is a rendering of the condo entrance, from The Florian website, along with a series of photos I shot recently. More renderings can be viewed at this link on the Hariri Pontarini website.

The podium’s west tip reminds me of a ship’s prow

The Florian condo tower viewed from the northwest tip of Bay Street

Upper floor construction at The Florian on January 29 2011

Safety netting and construction forms protrude from the upper floors

Billboard outside The Florian condo presentation centre

The Florian condo presentation centre on Davenport Road

Looking up at The Florian tower from south side of Davenport Road

South side of The Florian condo tower faces Bay Street

The Florian’s lower levels along Davenport Road

Graceful sweeping curve of the podium on Davenport Road

Looking up the southwest corner of The Florian tower

Brickwork on The Florian facade above Davenport Road

Another view of the west point of The Florian podium

Balconies on The Florian’s southeast corner

Columns at street level on The Florian’s long curved podium

The Florian and the new Four Seasons towers viewed from Davenport Road

Another view of The Florian and Four Seasons Toronto towers

Gracefully curved balconies on The Florian condo south side

The Florian condo podium bends with the curve of Davenport Road

Main entrance to The Florian will be under this point on the east side

Website artistic rendering of The Florian condo entrance

The Florian condo tower viewed from the east on Davenport Road

Is Toronto ready to accept another Alsop design?

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Artistic rendering of Will Alsop’s proposed design for the main entrance to the new Steeles West subway station to be built on the Spadina line

Rendering of Will Alsop’s proposed design for city and regional transit bus bays at the new Steeles West subway station on the extended Spadina line

Icon or monstrosity?: When local media this week published illustrations of the bold, dramatic designs that prominent international architect Will Alsop has proposed for a new suburban subway station, the reaction from Toronto residents was swift — and scathing.

The renderings unleashed a torrent of derision in comments posted on media websites, with the majority of writers aggressively slamming the design, the architect, the projected cost of the station, and the city’s decision to extend the subway line to York Region in the first place. In posts on the Toronto Star and CBC news websites, for instance, fewer than a third said they liked the design, with some praising it as “fabulous,” “iconic,” “interesting,” “impressive,” “creative,” and “amazing.” A few seemed indifferent, but about two-thirds of commentators considered it risible or highly objectionable in some way.

The station’s steep construction cost — an estimated $159 million — sparked considerable outrage, as did the political decision to extend the subway line north of the city instead of expanding much-needed service within its borders. “What a disgusting joke!” one person commented on the decision to spend millions building a subway stop to serve fewer than 3,800 commuters during the peak of morning rush hour — in 2031.

But most writers disparaged the design and ridiculed the architect. While one fan said the design “rocks,” many more picked up that theme and ran with it in the exact opposite direction, suggesting the structure looks like something from “The Flintstones” cartoon series. Others compared it to a castle or a children’s toy, while some said it reminded them of the ruins of bombed buildings in Sarajevo or Afghanistan or “the remnants of a building that you see in pictures of cities after nuclear war has destroyed civilization.” Words like “hideous,” “ugly,” “embarrassing,” “eyesore,” “cartoonish,” “junky” and “monstrous” peppered the comments.

Alsop came under considerable fire, too, with several writers suggesting he must have been high on drugs when he conceived the design, while another asked: “who the heck is the architect…obviously someone with no imagination.” Some said they think his subway design is just as bad, if not even worse, than his acclaimed Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) building on stilts next to the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Many believe the subway station design is impractical for Canadian winters, and predict the sweeping roof over the bus depot will either get blown away by strong winds, or collapse under heavy snow. Others said the TTC should save money by re-using the tried and true designs of existing subway stations, which they believe look better than Alsop’s.

Frankly, I think “ugly,” “hideous” and “eyesore” aptly describe most of our current stations, particularly those in the downtown core and along the Bloor-Danforth line. The majority of downtown stations are buried under streets and office buildings, accessed by nondescript entrances. The few that actually have an above-ground station presence are either completely unremarkable, just okay, or downright ugly in my humble opinion. Especially the Rosedale and Castle Frank stations, where a striking design like Alsop’s would have established a wonderful landmark on the urban landscape.

If city residents beyond the downtown core truly don’t want the design for the Steeles West station, I suggest the TTC use it to redevelop a downtown station instead, where it would probably be better appreciated. And since Alsop’s work has been compared to a castle, what better place for it than Castle Frank?

Below are several more artistic renderings of the Steeles West station that were published on the CBC news website, along with some of my photos of the exteriors of the Summerhill, Rosedale and Castle Frank subway stations, plus pics of Alsop’s iconic OCAD building.

Illustration of the interior of the main entrance to the new subway station

Illustration of the interior of the bus depot proposed for the Steeles West station

Artistic rendering of the subway platform for the new Steeles West station

The Summerhill subway station on the Yonge subway line

The Rosedale subway station on the Yonge subway line

The entrance to the Rosedale subway station on the Yonge subway line

The Castle Frank subway station on the Bloor-Danforth line

The entrance to the Castle Frank subway station

Bloor street view of the Castle Frank subway station exterior

The bus bays along Bloor Street at the Castle Frank subway station

Multi-million-dollar mansions a stone’s throw north of the Castle Frank station

The famous Will Alsop-designed OCAD building on McCaul Street

The OCAD University building viewed from Grange Park on November 7 2008

A view of Alsop’s OCAD building from inside the adjacent Art Gallery of Ontario

City Scene: Condo tower catches sun’s golden glow

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Upper floors of the 48-storey Uptown Residences condo tower, nearly finished construction on Balmuto Street, glow in late afternoon sun on Jan 29 2011.

Toronto Rehab transforms University Centre with facility renewal, new 13-floor wing on Elm Street

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Toronto Rehab’s new south wing on Elm Street, seen January 29 2011

Self Improvement: Staff and patients will be moving into the new south wing at TorontoRehab this month, now that construction is winding down on the 13-storey patient care and research facility.

Completion of the building, part of Toronto Rehab’s University Centre complex at the corner of University Avenue and Elm Street, is the most outwardly-visible component of an ambitious, multi-million-dollar plan to transform the institution into “an internationally recognized rehabilitation, research and teaching facility.” By renewing and redeveloping its patient care, research and education facilities, Toronto Rehab intends to “push the frontiers of rehabilitation science even further, so that we can make a real difference in the lives of the 4.4 million Canadians who live with disability” resulting from illness, injury or aging, its website explains. Total cost of the redevelopment project for the facility, which is publicly owned and controlled, is expected to exceed $180 million.

I have walked past Toronto Rehab countless times — it sits quietly on the west side of “hospital row,” directly south of the Mt. Sinai and Princess Margaret Hospitals, and right across the street from SickKids and Toronto General Hospitals. I’m familiar with all those other high-profile institutions, and have been inside each, but I have never once walked through the doors of Toronto Rehab and have never given the place much attention. Quite honestly, I didn’t know anything about what goes on inside its walls until I noticed that new walls were being built on the Elm Street portion of its property. (An old, four-floor south wing on the site was demolished to make way for construction.) That’s when Toronto Rehab piqued my curiosity, and I learned that it’s a leading institution in rehabilitation science, and operates the second-largest rehabilitation research program in North America.

A teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto, it runs innovative inter-professional education programs to teach rehabilitation science to students from across all health disciplines. And it provides extensive rehabilitation care through wide-ranging in- and out-patient programs.

But Toronto Rehab wanted to do more, and do it better, so in 2008 it embarked on a four-year redevelopment plan that resulted in construction of the new south wing. In addition to the new, state-of-the-art rehabilitation hospital building, the redevelopment plan includes renovations to the existing 12-storey east and four-storey north wings, creation of dedicated education space for the students who receive clinical training at Toronto Rehab, and “creation of one of the world’s most advanced rehabilitation facilities.”

I’m willing to bet you didn’t know all of that before, either!

Further information is available on a special Toronto Rehab webpage describing full project details. Below are some of my pics tracking construction of the south wing since 2009.

Project sign outside Toronto Rehab building site April 17 2009

Excavation activity for hospital building extension on April 17 2009

Construction site viewed April 17 2009 from the corner of Elm and Murray Streets

March 9 2010 view from Elm Street of Mt. Sinai hospital (left) and construction progress at the new extension to Toronto Rehab

New south wing taking shape on March 9 2010

Facade exterior coming together on March 9 2010

Window installation viewed on March 9 2010

Toronto Rehab Elm Street facade November 2 2011

Simcoe Street view of Toronto Rehab’s new building on January 30

January 30 view of the windows on the new south wing

Toronto Rehab viewed from Elm Street, east of University Ave., on January 30

New skating rink open at Sherbourne Common; construction of park’s north segment nearly done

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A solitary figure skater on the new rink at Sherbourne Common

Ice Time: Sherbourne Common was an eerily quiet and almost lonely place last when I dropped by last Thursday afternoon to check out the brand-new outdoor skating rink which had just opened to the public at the beginning of the week. Besides me, there was only one other person in the entire place who wasn’t a City of Toronto parks and recreation department employee — and she had the entire rink all to herself (which, judging by her beaming face, she was quite enjoying).

It was around noon, and I had been certain I would arrive to find the rink packed with workers from the nearby Corus Quay office building getting in a quick skate during their lunch break. But the two of us were outnumbered by no fewer than seven civic employees who were busy shovelling snow and digging up the ground behind the shiny silver washroom and snack bar pavilion next to the ice oval.

It was a bitterly cold day, to be sure, but it was brilliantly sunny — an otherwise perfect day for outdoor enthusiasts to get some fresh air and savour the park’s panoramic views of the city skyline and the frosty Toronto Islands. And to take a peek at the early stages of development of downtown Toronto’s newest neighbourhood, East Bayfront, before the whole area gets built up with offices, condos and colleges.

Downtown Toronto’s newest public space, Sherbourne Common sits at the foot of Lower Sherbourne Street, between the Gardiner Expressway/Lake Shore Blvd. East and Lake Ontario. The Common is divided into two distinct park areas by Queen’s Quay, the broad boulevard that turns onto Parliament Street at its east end. Even at the height of summer when trees, plants and flowers are in full bloom, Queen’s Quay is one of the ugliest, bleakest streets in the city, if not the entire country. Thankfully, Sherbourne Common has come to its rescue, providing a pleasant stretch of green space to break up the dreary industrial gloom and greyness to the east.

The south section of the park — where the rink and pavilion are situated — officially opened last fall. The north section is still under construction, but work on playgrounds, water sculptures and a water channel is nearly finished. (The city anticipates the north Common will open as early as March or April.)

Even during the throes of a winter deepfreeze, when there’s nothing green in sight, Sherbourne Common and nearby Canada’s Sugar Beach were a treat to visit. I found both parks incredibly peaceful, even though the new waterfront campus of George Brown College is under construction right next door and more than a thousand people work at the Corus Entertainment building next door to that. I’m sure it will be a totally different story come summertime, when I’m sure the place will be crowded with Torontonians discovering a new waterfront place to hang out. And once the new George Brown College Health Sciences building opens for the fall 2012 semester, you can bet the days will be rare that there’s nobody to be seen at the parks and beach.

In the meantime, here are some photos of the near-empty parks and beach under a fluffy blanket of fresh snow. (For more information about Sherbourne Common, click on this link to a recent article by Toronto Star urban issues and architecture columnist Christopher Hume.)

North Sherbourne Common viewed from Lower Sherbourne St. on February 3

One of the water sculptures under construction at North Sherbourne Common

North Sherbourne Common Park viewed from Queen’s Quay on February 3 2011

Another view of the new skating rink in the south park

Terrific city skyline views from the skating rink

The washroom, changeroom and cafe pavilion next to the skating rink

Another view of the rinkside pavilion

Shiny silver cladding on the pavilion

Cafe space in the rinkside pavilion

Cafe space in the new pavilion

South side of the pavilion at Sherbourne Common

Crews doing maintenance work next to the pavilion

The lakeside promenade at Sherbourne Common, looking west

The lakeside promenade, looking east from the Corus Quay building

Snowbound umbrellas and Muskoka chairs at Sugar Beach

Icicles dangle from one of the pink umbrellas at Sugar Beach

Corus Entertainment headquarters behind Sugar Beach

Bright pink umbrellas and white Muskoka chairs on Sugar Beach

Umbrellas cast a pinkish hue on the snow

Bootprints in the snow at Sugar Beach

42-storey “luxury” student residence for U of T?

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Diamond and Schmitt Architects rendering of proposed U of T residence

Towering Dorm: The biggest university in Canada could lay claim to having the tallest and most expensive student residence in the country if the City approves a development application for property on College Street. But will community concerns about the project’s height and density derail the proposal or knock down the height of what would be a stunning, landmark tower for the neighbourhood?

The potential development site — 245 – 251 College Street — is situated on the south side of College, just a stone’s throw east of Spadina Avenue and directly across the street from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). The university owns part of the property while a private developer, Knightstone Capital Management, owns the rest.

In an article published last July, the Globe and Mail reported that U of T had “quietly” begun plans for a new residence which Knightstone would finance and build near the university’s downtown campus. Just one month later, a rezoning application was filed with the city seeking approval to build a 42-storey tower with “academic residences” and a three-storey podium “containing retail, academic services and lecture halls for University of Toronto.”

In an article published in its online edition today, the Toronto Star offered more details about the plan. It said U of T has leased its land to the developer, which will build a $120 million, 42-storey residence housing 1,000 students. However, the building will not be a typical university dorm housing “ordinary” Canadian students — they couldn’t afford to live there. Instead, the tower will offer expensive rental accommodation — costing approximately $15,000 per year — that is expected to appeal primarily to wealthy international students, along with some graduate and out-of-province students. However, accommodation would not be restricted to U of T students; those attending the city’s other educational institutions could rent rooms, too, if they have the cash.

“The glass and panel tower, a series of wonky boxes stacked one on top of the other, would rise a dizzying 42 storeys above its Lilliputian neighbours on College St., commercial buildings that are two, three or five storeys at most,” the Star article says.

To the south, on the other hand, sits a vast residential area; in fact, Glasgow Street — a quiet, narrow road lined with small homes — runs north from Cecil Street, dead-ending at the proposed tower location. “If someone can get 40-storey buildings shoehorned into that neighbourhood, all of the (future development) sites will come back as 40-storey applications,” the Star quotes local city councillor Adam Vaughan as saying.

The newspaper says city staff have recommended that the developer reconsider the tower’s height, and that Vaughan hold consultation meetings with the landowners and residents. But Knightstone’s CEO, David Lehberg, told the Star that U of T “needs bigger, shinier buildings to compete internationally.”

So, too, does the City of Toronto, in my humble opinion. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this project gets the A-OK; I think it would improve the look of the area immensely, not to mention put U of T on the radar of privileged students around the globe. With several new five-star hotel towers opening in Toronto over the next two years, the city will finally be able to attract elite tourists who have been travelling to high-end hotels in destinations elsewhere, at the expense of our local tourism industry. I say let the residence tower go up so all those wealthy parents will come visit, spend money and boost our economy while their kids attend U of T in style!

Below is another rendering of the proposed tower, by Toronto’s Diamond and Schmitt Architects, along with some photos I snapped of the project site this afternoon from College and Glasgow Streets.

Diamond and Schmitt Architects rendering of proposed residence tower

Proposed U of T residence tower site viewed from south side of College Street

Site viewed from the north side of College Street

Development proposal sign on College Street

Another site view from the north side of College Street

A printing centre once occupied this two-storey building

A view of the proposed development site looking east along College Street

The tower’s neighbours include the LillianSmith library, left.

View towards the tower site from the corner of Glasgow and Cecil Streets

Glasgow Street view of the proposed tower location

Another Glasgow Street view of the proposed tower location

Proposed tower location viewed from the north end of Glasgow Street

Proposed site viewed from a parking lot at the end of Glasgow Street

View south on Glasgow Street from the proposed tower location

View of the site (the short white building and the three-storey brown brick structure to its right), looking southwest from corner of College and Huron Streets

The CAMH building directly across College Street

Another view of the CAMH building on College Street

Shovels in the ground at X2 Condos site

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The earth is moving at the X2 Condos project site

X2 marks its spot: I felt a touch of nostalgia when I saw a drilling machine and backhoe cutting into the snow-covered ground at the corner of Jarvis and Charles Streets this afternoon.

Don’t know why, but I suddenly started thinking about the ugly three-storey office building that used to occupy the site. For the longest time it housed an overpriced Becker’s convenience store and a sports bar called Caps that served awesome — but wickedly hot — BBQ chicken wings, good burgers and reasonably-priced beer. Caps was popular with sports teams as well as the cops who worked across the street in a police building that ultimately met its demise when the hugely popular 44-storey X Condominium tower started construction several years ago.

Eventually, the Becker’s store and the bar closed down. The PizzaPizza company acquired the property, spruced up the building, and moved its headquarters inside. But the days of the PizzaPizza place were numbered. X Condos was a tremendous success; its units sold like gangbusters, leaving no doubt there was a strong demand for more condos in the immediate neighbourhood. It was obvious that the PizzaPizza property would be worth an absolute fortune as a condo tower development site. Inevitably, signs were posted on the property in 2008 to advise the neighbourhood that plans were afoot to build a 44-storey condo highrise there.

In November 2009, a sales office for X2 Condos was constructed on Charles Street on the site of two brick mansions that formerly housed law firms and other offices (properties that also would ultimately be demolished to make way for the condo highrise.) Demolition of all three buildings began last August, and throughout the autumn the lot sat empty while soil testing and other preliminary site preparation work was performed.

In the meantime, the city approved the developer’s request to add more floors to X2, bringing the tower’s total height to 49 storeys. Now, digging has begun in earnest on the northeast perimeter of the site.

Don’t know why, but suddenly I’m craving beer and chicken wings! Too bad I can’t walk up the street to Caps anymore.

Below is a rendering of the X2 Condo building (designed by Toronto’s Rudy Wallman Architects, by the way), along with photos I’ve taken of the X2 site over the past three years. More photos can be viewed in an album accessible from the Photo Sets page of the blog (where you’ll find another album with pictures showing the construction of X Condos, from site excavation to fully-finished and occupied tower.

Although X and X2 look a lot alike, as sisters usually do, X was designed by a different architect — Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architects Alliance.)

Artistic rendering of X2 Condo tower at the corner of Jarvis & Charles

August 14 2008: Condo development proposal sign on X2 Condos site

Sept 3 2008: View of the former PizzaPizza offices on the X2 site

Sept 3 2008: Jarvis Street view of the former PizzaPizza headquarters

December 3 2008: Charles Street view of the development site

November 2 2009: PizzaPizza building being prepared for demolition

November 2 2009: X2 Condos sales office sign on Charles Street East

November 2 2009: X2 Condos sales office being constructed on the project site

November 22 2009: X2 Condos marketing signs on the PizzaPizza building

Bright pink signs on exterior of X2 Condos sales office

August 29 2010: Demolition of the PizzaPizza building underway

August 29 2010: Big empty lot behind the PizzaPizza building being demolished

August 29 2010: X2 Condos sales office gradually being demolished

August 29 2010: Charles Street view of demolition activity at the X2 Condos site

August 29 2010: Jarvis Street view of the PizzaPizza building demolition

X2 Condos sales office in its new location: a townhouse at X Condos

October 3 2010: View of the lot where X2 will be built

November 11 2010: Work crew tests soil conditions

November 11 2010: Soil testing operations at the west end of the site

December 18 2010: X2 Condos site after a light snowfall

January 9 2011: A blanket of snow covers the X2 Condos site

February 8 2011: Machines digging away at the perimeter of the property

February 8 2011: Digging at the northeast perimeter of the X2 Condos site

February 8 2011: Tag-team excavation activity on the X2 Condos site

Living Shangri-La Toronto hotel & condo tower construction site signs have the city seeing pink

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Just one of several hot pink signs atop the Living Shangri-La Toronto tower

Think pink: You can’t miss the Living Shangri-La Toronto construction at 180 University Avenue (at Adelaide Street West), even though the hotel & condo tower is only 20 storeys high so far. In-your-face fluorescent pink signs on several upper floors stand out for blocks, and will become even more widely visible across the downtown core as the tower climbs taller towards its 65-storey eventual height.

The building site is tickled pink at street level, too, but most of those signs get attention with a warmer, almost coral, shade that isn’t as bold, brash and loud as the signage higher up.

Hot pink is a colour I normally associate with tacky snowsuits and swimwear for five-year-old girls, not luxurious five-star hotels and condos. But since the high-end hotel and condo scene in Toronto is starting to get a little crowded, getting people to think pink is probably a great way to get noticed.

The Shangri-la Toronto is one of four glitzy and glamorous new five-star hotel/condo towers changing the city skyline this year.

Over on Wellington Street West, the Ritz-Carlton Toronto will be opening its doors to guests this month. Up in Yorkville, construction is moving right along for the two shiny glass towers of the Four Seasons Toronto Hotel & Residences. And just two blocks east of the Shangri-la, also on Adelaide, the Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto is three-quarters of the way to claiming its place as the second-tallest skyscraper in the city.

But the Shangri-la won’t need the pink signs to get attention once more of its striking blue windows are put in place. Glass has enclosed just part of seven lower floors so far, but already the windows are creating some eye-catching colours, textures and reflections. That’s especially the case on the University Avenue side of the tower, where just several panes of creased glass suggest how stunning the tower’s tall and sharply angled east and west glass walls will appear when finished.

A project of Westbank and Peterson Group, the building will feature a 220-room Shangri-la hotel and spa on the first 17 floors. There will be 279 condo residences on floors 18 to 48, and 73 “private estates” on floors 49 to 65. The project was designed by Vancouver’s James Km Cheng Architects with Toronto’s Young + Wright Architects.

Below is a rendering of the tower, along with photos I’ve taken at the project site between September 2008 and last week. To view more pics, check out the Living Shangri-la album on the Photos Sets page of the blog.

Artistic depiction of Shangri-La Toronto’s presence on University Avenue

Marketing billboard at Living Shangri-la Toronto excavation site on Sept 26 2008

A passerby watches the excavation activity from Adelaide Street

Site excavation progress on March 5 2009

Ritz-Carlton Toronto has a head start on construction at its location below the CN Tower, just a few blocks southwest of the Living Shangri-la Toronto site

Freezing rain delays installation of the Living Shangri-la Toronto construction crane on March 29 2009; the crane went up several days later

Construction crane awaits installation on a cold, rainy March 29 2009

Two construction cranes work the site on March 8 2010

Site’s southeast corner seen on March 8 2010

Construction progress viewed from Simcoe Street October 20 2010

Construction viewed from University Avenue on November 15 2010

Distinctive angular design element on the tower’s southeast corner

Southeast corner seen from Adelaide Street on November 15 2010

Simcoe Street view of construction progress on November 15 2010

West side of Living Shangri-la viewed from Neilson Street on November 15 2010

Hotel sign on hoarding along University Avenue’s west sidewalk

Tower viewed from University Ave. near Queen Street on Nov. 29 2010

Window installation on tower’s south side January 3 2011

Windows on tower’s south side January 3 2011

Tower viewed from Simcoe Street on January 3 2011

Tower viewed from Adelaide Street West on January 3 2011

Tower viewed from Metro Hall park on King Street January 3 2011

Blue glass, pink signs catch attention on University Avenue

Windows installed on lower floors above University Avenue

Signature design “crease” in windows above University Avenue

Looking up the tower from east side of University Avenue

Angled windows on east side of tower

Signature “creased” windows on east side of tower

Reflections in “creased” windows on east side of tower

Simcoe Street view of windows on west side of tower February 3 2011

West side of tower viewed from Simcoe Street February 3 2011

Pedestrians under construction hoarding on west side of University Avenue

Greyhounds going, condos coming

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Greyhound depot at corner of Sherbourne and Front Feb 3 2011

Bye bye, buses: The Greyhound parcel centre at 154 Front Street East will be going and a condo building taking its place. But we’ll have to wait a while to find out just how big — and tall — the residential development will be.

The Greyhound service building, offices and parking occupy the southern half of the block bounded by King Street East, Sherbourne Street, Front Street, and Frederick Street. The property was owned by the City until just before Christmas when it was sold by the city’s arm’s-length real estate and development corporation, Build Toronto, to Cityzen Developments for an undisclosed price.

Cityzen is more than familiar with the area; it has been busy transforming the western two blocks of The Esplanade with three separate highrise condo projects: London on the Esplanade, which is completed and occupied, The L Tower, currently under construction behind the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, and Backstage condos, now in the marketing stage of development.

Cityzen president Sam Crignano said the company is planning a condo building with ground-level retail shops for the Greyhound location. Height and density for the building are undetermined since the project must still work its way through the city’s approval process. But Cityzen is confident it has picked the right spot for its next development.

“We love the neighbourhood. We like this part of Toronto. We think it is where all the growth will be, at least most of the growth over the course of the next 15 to 20 years, so we want to be a part of it,” Crignano said.

Below are two maps (from Build Toronto’s website) showing the Greyhound location, plus pics I took of the site last Thursday.

Build Toronto website map showing Greyhound bus depot location

Sherbourne Street view of the bus depot on February 3 2011

Skyline views from Sherbourne Common

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The Toronto skyline sets a dramatic backdrop for a skater enjoying the new rink that opened last month at Sherbourne Common.

Tableau turns the table on its condo competition

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Website renderings of Tableau condos, designed by Rudy Wallman

Great gams: With so many condo highrise projects either already on the market or being proposed for the Entertainment District, there’s a lot of competition for buyers. How do developers and architects make sure their own projects have more appeal to potential purchasers than the others on sale just around the corner or down the block?

Offering trendy building amenities and features might help, but I find every new condo project seems to offer the same stuff: posh pilates and yoga studios, luxurious city-view lounges, rooftop terraces with bars and BBQs, multimedia entertainment rooms, and stunning entrance lobbies conceived by top international interior designers. For me, it gets difficult distinguishing between them all: Which condo has the sky club? The infinity pool on the rooftop skyline terrace? The party lounge with the DJ recording studio?

9-legged base will make condo tower stand out

Maybe the key is a memorable building design — something unique and markedly different from the typical glass and steel box towers that keep popping up everywhere else. Something that will catch someone’s eye because it’s unusual and unforgettable. That’s what works for me, and it’s what I think will make Tableau condos at Richmond & Peter Streets a huge sales success. With an attention-grabbing design by Rudy Wallman of Toronto’s Wallman Architects, Tableau literally stands out in the Entertainment District and definitely gets a leg up on its nearby competition. Nine legs, actually. Nine long, slender, in-your-face legs that will be noticed by everyone who walks or drives through the neighbourhood.

Tableau is a 36-storey, 410-suite mixed-use condo tower planned for the southeast corner of Richmond and Peter, on the block where Richmond turns a bend as it continues west to Spadina Avenue. In what the Tableau website describes as the building’s “signature” architectural element, the condo residences will sit on a “structural table” built strategically above the four-storey warehouse building presently situated on the site. “The front of this building is being reinterpreted and reconstructed and will accommodate the commercial office space, ground floor lobby and retail. The table structure also creates a large, four-storey colonnaded public plaza on Richmond Street.”

Will Tableau look better than the artistic illustrations?

I have absolutely no doubt that the colonnade will command attention from passersby. I used to work just around the corner from the Tableau site, and still can’t even imagine just how a tower on a giant table is going to look and feel in that location. The words “shock and awe” come to mind, but not in a bad way. I’m just hoping the finished product will look better — much, much better — than the artistic renderings. Sometimes when I view the drawings I think the building looks striking, and will be even more impressive and perhaps even breathtaking to see in person. It has nuances of X Condos on Jarvis, and the TD Centre towers, all of which I really like. Other times, the Tableau base reminds me of the $7.99 Lack table advertised on the back cover of the 2011 IKEA catalogue (though Lack has fewer legs, of course). From my experience, most of IKEA’s products look great in the catalogue, but appear tacky and cheap when you inspect them in-store. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that this won’t be the case with Tableau’s table.

(Speaking of X Condos: it will share something in common with Tableau. “Nova,” the sculpture that will be incorporated into the Tableau colonnade, is the work of Kingston, Ont. artist Shayne Dark, who created the “Double Vision” sculpture standing outside X. I’ve included a pic of it, below.)

Here are some more renderings from the Tableau website, along with photos I’ve taken recently of the Tableau location.

Website rendering of the Tableau colonnade along Richmond Street

Another depiction of Tableau’s four-storey colonnade

Artistic impression of Tableau frontage along Peter Street

Kingston, Ont. artist Shayne Dark’s sculpture “Nova” will grace the streetscape at Tableau, left. Dark also created the “Double Vision” sculpture at X Condos, right.

Tableau condos location seen on Nov. 29 2010

Tableau condos sign on the warehouse building where the condo tower will eventually rise

Peter Street view of the warehouse on the Tableau condos site

Another view of the warehouse site where Tableau will rise

Peter street facade viewed November 29 2010

View of the Richmond Street block which the Tableau tower will dominate

The southeast corner of Richmond & Peter Street where Tableau will rise

The southeast corner of Richmond & Peter Street

Another view of Tableau’s location on the wedge-shaped corner lot

Original zoning sign (seen here Nov. 29 2010) called for a 29-storey building with condos and a hotel, plus street level restaurants and retail.

New proposal sign (seen here Feb. 3 2011 on Richmond Street) drops reference to a hotel and calls for a taller tower with condos plus retail and office space.

Keeping tabs on … the Toronto Trump Tower

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Trump Toronto seen from Adelaide Street West on February 3

46 floors and counting: The Donald’s first construction foray into Canada is three-quarters of its way up.

On Thursday I counted 46 floors on the Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto, the luxury condo + hotel skyscraper that will ultimately soar 60 storeys above the corner of Bay and Adelaide Streets. With construction crews pouring a new floor about every six days, the granite- and glass-clad tower should top off sometime around mid- to late March.

I’m loving the Trump already — especially its distinctive green glass walls, which will add a refreshing new colour to a skyline that has been basically black, white and bronze for more than two decades. I think the building works well at ground level, too, where it looks right at home in the middle of the Financial District’s canyon of towers old and new. It almost feels like it’s always been there; I can’t even remember what stood on the site before.

Designed by a Zeidler Partnership Architects team led by Lydon Delaney, the Trump will house 261 hotel rooms on the tower’s lower levels, and 118 luxury condominiums from floors 33 to 60. With hotel rooms ranging from 550 to over 2,000 square feet, the Trump will offer the largest accommodations in Toronto, the project’s website brags. And just as you’d expect for a building bearing business mogul Donald Trump’s imprimatur, it will be “the most luxurious residential building in Canada.”

The superlatives don’t end there, of course. The Trump won’t be just an instant new landmark on the city skyline, the website gushes, it will be “an elegant new beacon for luxurious sophistication” (whatever the heck that means). “Accentuated by an articulated spire at its peak that commands attention from any angle, the Tower pays homage to classic Manhattan skyscrapers yet embraces the modern cosmopolitan flair that is distinctly Toronto.”

Aw, shucks. Is that The Donald’s kind way of saying Toronto has finally come of age and matured into a world class city? Below are two building renderings from the Trump Toronto’s website, along with some photos I snapped of the tower on Thursday afternoon.

Rendering shows Trump standing tall with Scotia Plaza and First Canadian Place

Website rendering of Trump Toronto’s lower levels above Bay & Adelaide Streets

Trump rising behind Commerce Court West (57 floors; built 1972)

Trump Toronto rising behind the Bank of Nova Scotia tower (27 floors; built 1951)

Trump Toronto seen from Bay Street just above King Street

Trump Toronto climbs skyward beside Scotia Plaza (68 floors; built 1988)

Looking up to the top (so far) of the Trump Tower from Bay Street

Trump Toronto is clad in granite and glass

Green glass windows and cladding on the tower’s southwest corner

Construction workers on a platform high above Bay Street

Granite exterior on the lower southwest corner of the tower

One of the construction workers’ elevators stops at the 28th floor

Platforms extend from nearly a dozen different floors on the south side

Two angled platforms on the exterior of the tower’s south side

Construction workers on a swing stage two storeys above Bay Street

Classic granite facade fits right in on the Bay Street corridor

Bay Street view of Trump Tower behind Commerce Court West

Trump Tower cozies up to its next-door neighbour, Scotia Plaza

On the waterfront: $175M health sciences building is first phase of new George Brown College campus

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Rendering of the new George Brown College waterfront campus

Lakeside learning: George Brown College is giving the new Corus Quay office building some company on the waterfront.

Corus Quay, headquarters to the Corus Entertainment media company, opened last fall at 25 Dockside Drive near the foot of Jarvis Street — right beside the similarly brand-new urban park, Canada’s Sugar Beach. Along with the beach and nearby Sherbourne Common, which also opened last autumn, Corus Quay was the first project finished under Waterfront Toronto’s massive East Bayfront revitalization program. Since they moved into their new digs, the 1,100 Corus Quay employees have had the Muskoka chairs and custom park benches at Sugar Beach and Sherbourne Common mainly to themselves during weekdays. But that will soon change.

The second major Waterfront Toronto project is the George Brown College Health Sciences Centre campus, currently under construction between Corus Quay and Sherbourne Common. Scheduled to open for the 2012 fall semester, the 330,000-square-foot building will accommodate 3,500 students in the the schools of Dental Health, Health and Wellness, Nursing and Health Services Management.

Designed as a joint venture by Stantec Architecture and Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects, the building will have eight floors including a three-storey glass podium and a rooftop terrace. Besides classrooms and office facilities for the health care faculties, the full-service campus will house a health care clinic, bookstore, administrative offices and food service operations. The project cost is $175 million, of which $61.5 million is being paid by the Ontario government, and $30 million by the federal government.

That’s just phase one of the campus development; the facility will grow further in its second phase, for which the College is still seeking to raise funds from individual and corporate “partners.” And in several years’ time, the College plans to add a third campus in the vicinity. Once all the college faculty and students start joining the Corus employees on the waterfront in 2012, the East Bayfront lakeside promenade and boardwalk should be buzzing with activity all year long.

Those lucky kids won’t even have to cut classes to hit the beach — they’ll be able to catch some rays or walk along the lake during lunch breaks or between labs and lectures. Below is a college webcam photo of construction progress at the campus site, along with some of my photos of building activity between last August and this past Thursday.