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Toronto's smart condo designs
To an optimist, Toronto's glass is half full; but when it comes to condos, the city seems more than half full.
The face of Toronto has been irrevocably changed by the wave of residential construction that has washed across the urban landscape. The only question is whether that change has left the city better or worse off.
Most would say worse. Though the addition of thousands of residents to the downtown core is an entirely positive development, the problem lies in the quality of that development.
To be blunt, too much of it is really bad. Awful, in fact. Again and again, one hears complaints about the concrete curtain that has descended on Queens Quay, the out-of-control thicket of towers around SkyDome, the kitsch palaces of North York, the mess of south Etobicoke, or the mean and nasty slabs of Scarborough.
It's not hard to understand where people's anger comes from; it often seems the designers and builders of condos look no further than the bottom line. The idea that they are part of a larger whole — the city — doesn't seem to have dawned on many local developers, who think as cheaply as they build. Is it any wonder their profession is now viewed with such widespread contempt?
But there are always exceptions to the rule, and even in Toronto one can find reasons for optimism.
Perhaps the best place to start is King St. E., where some of the best projects are located. This is, of course, the street that runs through the heart of the old city and, therefore, a precinct with special significance. Though it isn't a particularly beautiful area, it possesses an authenticity rare in Toronto. Maybe that inspired the builders — who knows? But many have risen to the occasion.
Most spectacularly, there's Mozo. Designed by Toronto's leading condo designer, Peter Clewes, this glass, brick and steel structure occupies the northwest corner of King and Sherbourne Sts. with an aplomb and appropriateness that give it a feeling of absolute rightness.
It avoids the ersatz historicism that has turned so many developments into an embarrassment. Just look at the Chedington, One Post Road, and the Kensington.
On the other hand, Mozo respects the form, scale and materiality characteristic of the neighbourhood. It speaks a language that is of its time.
Farther west, at Jarvis St., St. James Place and the King George Square are models of architectural integration. They fit into their (very important) sites effortlessly and with sensitivity.
Clewes is also responsible for Radio City (on Jarvis St.) and 18 Yorkville, two projects that will lift the heart of all who care about Toronto and believe it deserves better. Both buildings are under construction, but already they have become landmarks and enhancements to the city.
Clewes, who also recently designed the successful University of Toronto student residence at Bloor and St. George Sts., seems uniquely able to produce tall buildings that are modern, urban, elegant and visually compelling.
It's true the tower is a difficult form, one that comes with restrictions as well as possibilities. But given the preponderance of this building type, one would expect greater sophistication.
In Toronto, however, the majority of architects still haven't solved basic issues, such as how towers should meet the street. That, and the developers' preference for precast concrete cladding, has had a deadening effect on the skyline.
Also on the horizon are a handful of projects — 100 Yorkville, the Russell Hill at the corner of Russell Hill Rd. and St. Clair Ave. W., and One City Hall, all by Hariri Pontarini, a Toronto firm with a reputation for design excellence. Its presence on the scene provides further evidence that things are looking up.
Though conversions generally fare better, the results can be hit and miss. The recently completed remake of the old Massey-Harris headquarters on King St. W., for example, is a textbook case in how not to treat a historic structure.
The Chocolate Company Lofts, at 955 Queen St. W., by contrast, ended up brilliantly.
Despite Toronto's much-hyped "cultural renaissance," the fact remains that architecture, which is, let's not forget, an art form and part of the culture, is memorable mostly for its mediocrity.
Yes, it's wonderful that such stars as Will Alsop, Frank Gehry and Daniel Libeskind and Norman Foster are working here, but so far none of these illuminati has been asked to do a condo. The sole exception is highly regarded New York architect Robert Stern, who has designed the One St. Thomas.
When that happens, Toronto's rebirth will have started in earnest.
October 2, 2004 in Buying a Home | Permalink
