Tag Archives: Toronto public library

Reference library’s new entrance taking shape

Toronto Reference Library revitalization

The frame for the Toronto Reference Library’s new entrance cube takes shape at the corner of Yonge St. and Asquith Ave. on March 24 2011

 

Toronto Reference Library revitalization

Steel frame installation for the library’s dramatic new glass cube entrance

 

Toronto Reference Library revitalization

Architectural rendering by Toronto’s Moriyama and Teshima shows how the new glass cube entrance and improvements to the building’sYonge Street facade will enhance the library’s look and streetscape presence.

 

Cube construction: External work on the Toronto Reference Library’s $34 million revitalization program has become a lot more noticeable now that the building’s new entrance is taking shape. Most of the renovation work has been hidden by hoarding for months, and progress on the library’s dramatic glass entrance cube at the corner of Yonge Street and Asquith Avenue seemed to be moving at a snail’s pace during the winter. But this week crews have been busy building the steel frame for the cube; today, Asquith was closed to vehicular traffic while a crane hoisted steel beams into place. More details about the renovations can be found in my January 17 post about the library’s renewal and expansion project. Below are photos from February and from this afternoon showing the ongoing renovation work on the Yonge Street side of the library building.

 

Toronto Reference Library revitalization

February 23 2011: No sign of progress yet on construction of the new entrance

Toronto reference library revitalization

February 23 2011: A three-storey glass cube entrance at this corner will be the star attraction of the library’s five-year renewal and expansion project

 

Toronto Reference Library revitalization

February 23 2011: Hoarding blocks views of street-level renovations to the facade, but work on the3rd-floor roof above Yonge Street is more apparent.

 

Toronto Reference Library revitalization

February 23 2011: Renovation activity is taking place along the full length of the narrow third-floor roof on the Reference Library’s Yonge Street facade

 

Toronto Reference Library revitalization

February 23 2011: Yorkville Avenue view of the Toronto Reference Library.

 

Toronto Reference Library entrance construction

March 24 2011: A crane lifts long steel bars being used to construct the frame for the three-storey entrance cube

 

Toronto Reference Library entrance construction

March 24 2011: The new glass entrance and windows along the Yonge Street facade will improve the building’s appearance as well as its relation to the streetscape

 

Toronto Reference Library entrance  construction

March 24 2011: Sections of the entrance cube’s frame are hoisted into place

 

Toronto Reference Library entrance construction

March 24 2011: The steel frames are lowered behind a rendering of the entrance


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

U of T residence

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.

 

U of T residence

Diamond and Schmitt Architects rendering of proposed residence tower


U of T residence

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


U of T residence

Site viewed from the north side of College Street


U of T residence

Development proposal sign on College Street


U of T residence

Another site view from the north side of College Street


U of T Residence

A printing centre once occupied this two-storey building


U of T residence

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


U of T residence

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


U of T residence

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


U of T residence

Glasgow Street view of the proposed tower location


U of T residence

Another Glasgow Street view of the proposed tower location


U of T residence

Proposed tower location viewed from the north end of Glasgow Street


U of T residence

Proposed tower location viewed from the north end of Glasgow Street


U of T residence

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


U of T residence

View south on Glasgow Street from the proposed tower location


U of T residence

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


U of T residence

The CAMH building directly across College Street


U of T residence

Another view  of the CAMH building on College Street


Will entrance cube, street-level windows and café improve facade for Toronto Reference Library?

Toronto Reference Library

A new three-storey glass entrance cube will welcome library visitors


One for the books: I love books, but I have never liked the 34-year-old Toronto Reference Library on Yonge north of Bloor. In fact, I could count on one hand the number of times I’ve been inside the place, but for me that has been enough. The library’s soaring central atrium always impresses me at first, but within minutes something about the look and feel of the interior makes me uncomfortable and downright depressed. I can’t put a finger on what bothers me, but once I’m inside I can’t wait to get out.

I’m not a big fan of the library’s vast brick fortress-like exterior, either. Although the building looks interesting and cool from some angles, it looms over a full block of Yonge Street with a hulking, brooding presence. I’ve never enjoyed walking past what feels to me like a prison for books; at street level, the facade is unwelcoming — dark and dreary, with nothing inviting to encourage passersby to enter and explore the literary treasures inside. But I’m hoping that will soon change with ambitious renovations currently underway to the entrance and facade — part of a five-year, $34-million “revitalization” program that’s supposed to finish in 2012.

 

Revitalization will connect the library to the street

According to a library website announcement detailing all the renovations and changes, the revitalization aims to create “a dynamic interface between the library and its community, connecting the library’s interior more directly to the street, and the public to the services inside.” The three biggest changes to the building exterior will include construction of a three-storey glass entrance “cube,” a glass wall running the full length of the library’s facade along Yonge, and a street-level library retail store and cafe.

Opening up that dark facade to let light into the library while adding some life and energy to the sidewalk sounds terrific to me; those renovations should address my biggest beefs about the building. Many significant changes are happening inside, too; they’re all outlined at the website link above. Will they improve the atmosphere I find so oppressing? Guess I’ll have to wait and see.

As for the exterior, I was happy to see hoarding erected around the library’s ground level in late 2010, a sign that the facade improvements were finally beginning. However, I have walked past at least three times since it went up, and haven’t yet heard any construction noise. The first time, a friend and I were halfway down the block before we realized we were walking under scaffolding; sadly, it didn’t feel much different than before the facade was boarded up. I have noticed that brickwork on some parts of the facade has been removed, though, so I’m hoping the project is proceeding on schedule. And you can bet I’ll be looking forward to the day the hoarding comes down and the new facade is revealed.

The architect behind the project is Ajon Moriyama of Toronto’s Moriyama and Teshima architects. Since Ajon is the son of Raymond Moriyama, the library’s original architect, it will be interesting to see how he improves on his dad’s design. Below is an architects’ rendering of the entrance cube and street-level glass facade, along with some photos I took recently of the building exterior.

 

Toronto Reference Library

Architectural rendering of Toronto Reference Library facade renovations


Toronto Reference Library

Toronto Reference Library Yonge Street facade November 11 2010


Toronto Reference Library

Toronto Reference Library Yonge Street facade November 11 2010


Toronto Reference Library

Toronto Reference Library Yonge Street facade January 9 2011


Toronto Reference Library

Toronto Reference Library Yonge Street facade January 9 2011


Toronto Reference Library

Toronto Reference Library main entrance under renovation January 9 2011


Toronto Reference Library

Toronto Reference Library Collier Street facade January 24 2011


Toronto Reference Library

Toronto Reference Library entrance cube construction January 24 2011