Canadian City Proposals

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

A 160 metre tower here is ridiculously overscaled. The minimalist, functional design is insufficient for a tower of this magnitude.

Of course, this may just be the first residential skyscraper of many residential skyscrapers crammed around this transit hub pleasing heighters but, changing The Danforth into something completely different.

This is where the Danforth unofficially ends, as does any sort of attractive urban fabric. Your comment is textbook NIMBY.

@ samne, the tallest is actually not that church or the somewhat nearby Mosque, its the 13 storey Nisbet Lodge for Christian Seniors on pape. Or the equally ugly Greenwood Senior Towers on the Danforth near the Mosque. And lets be honest, as far as Mosques go that one deserves to be in the Ugly Canada thread with it's cheap materials and poorly executed details.

[WhipperSnapper]

Nevertheless, there is an urban fabric and my point was about the precedence of approving this residential tower here. This is Toronto. A wayfinding landmark tower will be followed up by more upzoning exercises. The typical transit oriented community will impact The Danforth even, by miracles of miracles, proposed towers are exclusively in the ugly urban fabric eastwards. The precedence on floor space usage in these high density hubs is over 90% residential with less than 10% for commercial, community, other use. The point is to make reliable transit available to as many people as possible when they need it and not to build communties where transit become compulsory (conspiracy alert) satisfying ridership quotas.

[TorontoDrew]

From Urbantoronto.ca

Dawes Road Library Redevelopment
Address 416 Dawes Rd, Toronto, Ontario, M4B 2E8
Category Institutional (Community Centre)
Status Pre-Construction
Number of Buildings 1
Height 54 ft / 16.40 m
Storeys 4
Developer Toronto Public Library
Architect Perkins&Will, Smoke Architecture
Landscape Architect FRP Inc
Engineering exp, Husson Engineering + Management, The HIDI Group Inc
Site Services Land Survey Group Inc.
Transportation & Infrastructure WSP

Toronto’s Perkins&Will (P&W), with Smoke Architecture, a growing indigenous-led Hamilton firm, are wrapping up working drawings for the rebuilding of the Dawes Road Branch of the Toronto Public Library (TPL) in the Woodbine Gardens area of East York. The existing branch and 6-unit condo on the site now will close and construction will start later this year. P&W’s project lead Architect Andrew Frontini has given UrbanToronto an update on the design, since we covered this last summer.

[giallo]

^ Very cool.

[J.OT13]

That's a beauty of a library. This is the level of architecture you'd expect for a central library.

[TorontoDrew]

It's not that central actually. It's pretty far from downtown in East york.

[urbandreamer]

It's ugly.

[GeneralLea]

That's an exceptional design. I'm unfamiliar with the area, but only know it from a map, despite living not too far away. The materials and design look promising.

[scryer]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

It's ugly.

Just you wait until it gets value-engineered .

Then it will be ugly for everyone !

[GeneralLea]

It's strange to think we could see anything this tall in lower/older East York and this close to Greektown, but it makes sense considering this area will be that much closer to the core. Again, I'm really not sold on the proposal as it is now, but I don't mind the height in a general sense considering how development will continue around this future interchange station years after the Ontario Line is finished. (this is with regards to the proposal shown on the prior page, I don't think my quote went through fr some reason.

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

A 160 metre tower here is ridiculously overscaled. The minimalist, functional design is insufficient for a tower of this magnitude.

Of course, this may just be the first residential skyscraper of many residential skyscrapers crammed around this transit hub pleasing heighters but, changing The Danforth into something completely different.

Normally I'd agree with you, but as Pape & Danforth will be at the junction of the Danforth & Ontario lines, I think a higher density hub is justified here - though, that's something that should be planned thoughtfully & carefully. Unfortunately, in typical Toronto fashion it will not be planned at all and any towers will be used as precedence for more block-busting development to encroach further down the Danforth in either direction.

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

That's the new subway station. Metrolinx wants to realign the Pape subway station entrance from one block north to be right on the Danforth now. It will be a transfer station between Line 2 and the Onatrio Line (Line 5). It's removing some typically ugly East Danforth low rise buildings. Expect a huge buildup in the area as people who use this station will now be 6 stops from downtown and the Eaton Centre and P.A.T.H. I'm not sure why it's so large unless they plan on putting the bus terminal in it possibly. You can see the office medical building that will be replaced with the new condo tower.

I gathered as much from the Metrolinx signage, but what I mean is, why can't the station be something a bit more engaging - and especially, why not develop the space above it? This bunker looks like something from the 1970s Spadina extension.

I wouldn't call the Edwardian shops this is replacing ugly either, aside from the awful stucco job. If these were restored they'd look great: https://goo.gl/maps/aedTqpUQrJ9PRQYCA (though I recognize that probably isn't a realistic prospect given the development pressures at this location).

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

It's not that central actually. It's pretty far from downtown in East york.

What I meant to say, this is the level of architecture you'd expect from a central library, not a local branch.

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

What I meant to say, this is the level of architecture you'd expect from a central library, not a local branch.

Ah that makes sense. I think it looks like a great new Community space for the area.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

Normally I'd agree with you, but as Pape & Danforth will be at the junction of the Danforth & Ontario lines, I think a higher density hub is justified here - though, that's something that should be planned thoughtfully & carefully. Unfortunately, in typical Toronto fashion it will not be planned at all and any towers will be used as precedence for more block-busting development to encroach further down the Danforth in either direction.

My disappointment with the heights and densities being proposed around transit doesn't mean that the existing densities are satisfactory. 6 to 15 storeys is more than enough. That shouldn't be inferred that there couldn't be exceptions for taller landmark towers either. The form and function of a 50 storey tower hasn't changed if it was built 50 years ago or now. The number of 50 storey towers in a municipal boundary doesn't diminishes their form and function either. That's not usually how forumland sees it.

Whatever. We have over 800,000 planned apartment units in the GTA and, in a great year and if I remember correctly, we build 35,000 units.

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

I gathered as much from the Metrolinx signage, but what I mean is, why can't the station be something a bit more engaging - and especially, why not develop the space above it? This bunker looks like something from the 1970s Spadina extension.

I wouldn't call the Edwardian shops this is replacing ugly either, aside from the awful stucco job. If these were restored they'd look great: https://goo.gl/maps/aedTqpUQrJ9PRQYCA (though I recognize that probably isn't a realistic prospect given the development pressures at this location).

So much of Greektown and the Danforth going east from that location is covered in Stucco or worse, aluminum siding. I never understood how such a loved street never seemed to make an effort to look nice. Only the section from Pape to Broadview looks like a bit of effort was made.

I agree that the station looks like a bunker but there must be a reason for it. Metrolinx seems to be doing a really good job designing all of their new stations right across the city. That's why i was wondering if they plan on moving the current bus turnaround location into that structure which would free up the current Pope Station entrance to development. Or perhaps it's being designed like that so a structure can be built on top of it? There is very little info on this station atm which is strange because it will be a very important one when complete.

Even though technically I'm a NIMBY for the section of the Ontario Line that will go right past my front door and not underground like it was supposed to I'm looking forward to seeing my two closest stations built. Both about a 4 min walk away from me. I also like that even though these will be above ground stations for the line with the safety doors they will all technically be indoor stations which is a huge upgrade in winter for any Canadian City with stations like these.

source: https://stevemunro.ca
This is the Riverside Station at Queen and DeGrassi


And My favorite the Gerrard Street and Carlaw station which has an amazing Industrial look that pays homage to the areas manufacturing past.

[WhipperSnapper]

The Library is okay. Surely the space is a huge upgrade over the existing one. The cladding material better be on point. The Indegenious pattern will age poorly.

[TorontoDrew]

Here is another Danforth proposal but several blocks east of where we have been discussing. I don't predict any more renders until it goes into sales because of it's small scale. I'de be happy to see this kind of scale all the way down the Danforth a bit Like St Clair Avenue.




Source: urbantoronto.ca

Address 975 Danforth Ave, Toronto, Ontario, M4J 1M1
Category Residential (Market-Rate Rental), Commercial (Retail)
Status Pre-Construction
Number of Buildings 1
Height 115 ft / 35.20 m
Storeys 10
Number of Units 57
Developer Percy Ellis
Architect Paradigm Architecture Design

The current location has nothing worth saving. Currently it's home to a Wndy's trailer that is a mini kitchen for Uber Eats and Doordash pickups.
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.6802981,...2htd7cttTow7Ei-Npt6cg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

This is the sort of Scale that would be great along the Danforth. Just with more retail.
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.6869739,...b-EMVz0HXfExntKluXV4g!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

[Innsertnamehere]

175 John St N Hamilton - 19 storey apartment building:

[Maldive]

Bayfront Studio District (Hamilton) | ?m | 8s | Aeon | BDP Quadrangle l pre-construction

Great combo of film studios and mixed-use residential near the Hamilton waterfront. Nice public realm including a generous public square.


Branden Simon

Branden Simon

Branden Simon

[trueviking]

Those are really nice Toronto projects....love that library skin....really nice mid-rise composition on danforth.

also thanks for indicating they are in Toronto, TorontoDrew.