I was just looking at some massing studies for the tower (I'll post them later). It's going to be huge!

The city wants to have a transition in heights between BCE, Bay-Wellington and the new Hummingbird Tower. So ideally the city would like to cap the height. Maybe no taller than the ~208m Bay-Wellington.

But even at 200m, it will be a significant building on the skyline.

The new London condominiums and the Esplanade will create a dense cluster of high-rises, but they will be dwarfted by the 200m Hummingbird tower. This is good because the buildings play compliments to each other. It will add some dramatic excitement to the eastern section of the skyline, and knowing that Libeskind is the architect, it will be a landmark.

Also what the city wants, the city rarely gets. Libeskind may end up snubbing the city's desires and go taller.

Gimme Gimme.

I was just looking at some massing studies for the tower (I'll post them later). It's going to be huge!

Well, we all knew (assumptions running rampant) it was going to be at least 500 feet, so ~700 isn't terribly surprising.

Makes me wonder how Signature will come out with all of this going on. I believe they advertised it as Canada's tallest residential for the brief time it was around.

Now both the eats and west sides of the cdb will be getting something, this area will be vastly improved in a few years. Will this building rise behind the flatiron or at the edge of the corner so its visible almost right from the bottom?

Not that I am married to the oft-discussed 500' threshold (I'll take 10 @ 400 foot over one 500'), but since HVE 2 has topped out handily above 500' (50 or 51 storeys plus enclosed/architectural floors for mechanical, originally described as 49 storeys).... it seems timely to remember that two 500-600 footers have topped out, one is out of the ground and on the way up, and a fourth is excavated and soon to rise.

If even a portion of the 700-1100 proposals start in a year or so, Toronto will a very fun place for a skyscraper buff to hang out... actually it already is fun.

Go Hummingbird!

HVE 2 (upper 2 architectural/mechanical floors not visible)
http://www.emporis.com/files/transfer/sixwm/2005/02/341667.jpg

Not that I am married to the oft-discussed 500' threshold (I'll take 10 @ 400 foot over one 500'), but since HVE 2 has topped out handily above 500' (50 or 51 storeys plus enclosed/architectural floors for mechanical, originally described as 49 storeys).... it seems timely to remember that two 500-600 footers have topped out, one is out of the ground and on the way up, and a fourth is excavated and soon to rise.

If even a portion of the 700-1100 proposals start in a year or so, Toronto will a very fun place for a skyscraper buff to hang out... actually it already is fun.

Go Hummingbird!

HVE 2 (upper 2 architectural/mechanical floors not visible)
http://www.emporis.com/files/transfer/sixwm/2005/02/341667.jpg

Yeah... I have no idea what happened to HVII. I was watching the committee of adjustments and they never went back for another height increase yet now it's 50 or 51-storeys instead of the 49 on file with the committee.

Oh well good news, Toronto most likley has another 500fter to brag about.

That could be very bad! How to get you building permits revoked!

I was gonna copy + past + upload images but got lazy.

Here is one of the PDFs: http://www.toronto.ca/planning/pdf/summary_2mb.pdf

Look on page 27.

"That could be very bad! How to get you building permits revoked!"

As if that would happen (who wants a 500 foot incomplete tower gracing the skyline)

make 'em pay a fine and don't allow them to register until they do so.

Anybody here old enough to remember the Bayview Ghost? It was a ten or so storey building built at the top of the Bayview extension. Problem was the city never gave approval for it. It stood empty for a few decades unfinished. It was ultimately torn down and recently replaced by a subdivsion.

Interesting story:

http://www.torontoist.com/archives/2004/12/during_the_1970.html

http://www.torontoist.com/archives/images/2004_12_13bayview_ghost.jpg
During the 1970's, the area just behind the Bayview extension overlooking the Don Valley was half-developed for the Hampton Park apartments. The apartment building was constructed but never completed due to zoning restrictions, and the unfinished building gave most neighbourhood residents the "spooks." The Hampton Park apartments, known as the Bayview Ghost, kept the area undeveloped and uninhabited for decades, a trend that continues today. Reading this old NOW magazine description of the Bayview Ghost is both interesting and informative (especially for the news of Judy Sgro and the "Bill Saundercook factor"), but is by no means a comprehensive web search engine on the subject. As of this week, the City of Toronto has launched such a comprehensive web search engine to research the rich cultural heritage of Toronto buildings and properties. The site will list over 7,000 properties, ranging from landmark buildings to private homes to heritage districts to g-g-g-g-ghosts. See if your house is haunted here, or here. Zoinks! (Photo from the Eric Trussler collection)

Now that's a tower that I'm looking forward to the unveiling of the design. I only hope it doesn't end up even vaguely ressembling the new WTC.

Quote from Report Mr. Man posted

"The proposed scheme for the Hummingbird Centre consisted of a
condominium tower approximately 170m above grade at the northeast
corner of the Yonge Street and The Esplanade, the Artslab wing below
the tower and to the east, loft unit residential floors above and the creation
of a larger backstage and support space. Both the condominium and
Artslab would be set back from the street. These structures would be
additions to the existing “modernist heritage” building. Both the west and
south sides of the site would be built up to create a highly visible structure
in a prime location. The corner of Yonge and Front Streets would become
a “cultural cross-roads”. The designers consider this building to be a
“transition site” from the tall towers of the financial district west of Yonge
St. to the lower-rise buildings of the West St. Lawrence area."

Mike, details have slightly changed since then. 189m

http://www.urbandb.com/canada/ontario/toronto/hummingbird_centre/

I believe that number was from an architect working on the project. But that was before Libeskind jumped on board.

hum hum.
http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/547/2507hum.jpg

Nice picture Skybean.

hum hum.
http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/547/2507hum.jpg


This isn't the Liebskind proposal, is it?

No, this is an old proposal.