A bit of history on this dubious Toronto development:

The Bay Adelaide Centre is a proposed Toronto skyscraper that has sat unfinished since 1991. The tower was the last of a series of construction projects in downtown Toronto launched in the boom years of the 1980s. The Centre was to be a 57-storey office tower at the corner of Bay Street and Adelaide in the heart of Toronto's financial district. In earlier years a series of massive towers, such as Scotia Plaza, had been built nearby. The tower was a joint project by Markborough Properties and TrizecHahn and it was to have cost almost a billion dollars.

The building caused considerable controversy among those opposed to the erection of such massive structures. The tower stood far higher than was allowed by the city's official plan. To gain city hall's approval the developers committed some $80 million towards new social housing and other projects. A portion of the site was turned over to the city for use as a park that is now Cloud Gardens. Both of these deals went ahead, despite the tower never having been completed.

Construction began in 1990, but the developers soon ran into problems. The economy collapsed and office vacancy rates in Toronto rose to 20%. Construction was halted, and in 1993, with over $500 million already invested the project was permanently put on hold. All that was completed was the underground parking garage and several storeys of the concrete service shaft that now stands as a monument to the failed project in downtown Toronto. The stump of the service shaft is known to security and the locals as "the bunker".

There have been several attempts to revive the project. In 1998 TrizecHahn briefly revived it, but another shift in the economy caused them to again pause. In 2000 there was again talk of revving the project, but the next year TrizecHahn sold its 50% share to Brookfield Properties for $49 million. Brookfield was committed to completing the structure, to a smaller height of either 40 or 50 stories, but later that year the economy again soured and the project remains on hiatus. Brookfield also owns most of the buildings on the block, however it remains to be seen if any improvements will include these buildings or not.

As of October 2005, plans have been filed with the City of Toronto to improve the structure. An information sign (notice to amend the by law regulating zoning) was place on Bay St. between 347 Bay and 355 Bay, both also Brookfield properties. The notice, in short, informs the public that three mixed use high rise towers, surrounding an urban plaza will be built. The 3 towers will vary in size from 43 to 50 stories and contain and aggregate density of 240,396 Sq. Meters. Whether this proposition will fall flat like the previous two remains to be seen

The many failed proposals:
http://www.upside-down.ca/sdphotos/baevolution.jpg

Prep work on the site has begun. Concrete barriers were brought in to close two lanes on Adelaide street, steel fencing has also been brought. The underground parking garage entrance is now fenced off as well. Ellis Don contractors will be responsible for its construction.

Elevations from the City reports:
http://www.upside-down.ca/sdphotos/baNS.jpg

Basically the current stump at the site will be demolished to make way for a urban square. The plan by Brookfield developments calls for 2 more towers, a condo/office tower and a hotel/condo tower on the north side of the square.

Finally the rendering: A true TO corporate box!;)
http://www.upside-down.ca/sdphotos/bayadelaide1.jpg

EllisDon has been awarded the prestigious Bay Adelaide Centre office tower in downtown Toronto. The building is designed as a landmark signature tower which, with its distinctive rooftop silhouette, makes a unique and lasting architectural imprint on the Toronto skyline. The impressive 50-storey office tower contains over 1,525,000 square feet of rentable, Class A office space.

Located between Adelaide and Temperance Street, the project defines the north edge of the downtown financial core. Over 112,062 square feet of below grade retail space links this complex to the extensive downtown concourse network. Three levels of existing below grade parking provide space for approximately 1,100 cars. A challenge for the construction team is the historical façade at Bay and Temperance which will be removed, refurbished and reinstalled.

EllisDon is currently involved with an extensive preconstruction program for the Bay Adelaide Centre for construction to start in summer 2006.

I wish for the very best, and that it does not flop like the doomed first proposal back in '91:(

Construction prep photos will follow...

i like the original version of bay adalaide, the other ones are nice too but this new one they designed is terrible

This building signifies new growth in the downtown core... first major tower in a decade. But it's just the start to more great things to come.
At such a prime location, it is too bad that the tower could not be taller.

Here is the first update, the old core of the flop:
http://static.flickr.com/44/163630712_4e6d3bae58_b.jpg

Filip

Since you are using my bandwidth regularly to (re)post my pictures, or pictures I have found and hosted on my server (such as all 3 above) ... perhaps it's time for some forum manners, such as providing the source.

You grab my posts very quickly to re-post elsewhere but you never provide the source. Most forumers try to provide a source when appropriate.

Filip

Since you are using my bandwidth regularly to (re)post my pictures, or pictures I have found and hosted on my server (such as all 3 above) ... perhaps it's time for some forum manners, such as providing the source.

You grab my posts very quickly to re-post elsewhere but you never provide the source. Most forumers try to provide a source when appropriate.
Sorry dude, want me to host them myself or what? I was in a bit of a rush to post these... lol

I prefer the original render. It looks iconic.

Version 2 and 3 are the best but this one is still ok. Between Ritz, Cadilac Fairview and this they all pretty much look like the same concept.

It will be the tallest building being constructed in Canada as of now.

It looks a lot like 7 WTC in NY.

I still think the original design is better, it would be something unique in the city, unlike this copycat, of which we will have two, at almost identical heights.

How tall was the original proposal?

I don't like the intergration with the historic building on the site, looks kind of silly sticking out of the glass wall like that, they may as well just demolish it.

A better approach would be for the new tower to have a defined podium the same height as the historic building with the setback tower rising above.

From Ed007 over at UT:
http://chartattack.com/ed/BayAdelaide-June15,06(9).jpg
http://chartattack.com/ed/IMG_3964.jpg
http://chartattack.com/ed/IMG_3969.jpg

The original tower's height was somewhere between FCP and ScotiaPlaza.

I'm glad they are getting back on track with this project, not a huge fan of the new design but its better then just leaving that former stump to rot away for another 20 years.

This is great. Its about time that stump came down. Can't wait for this tower. It is the first of the major office towers going up. Guess the'll end up beating Cadillac Fairview after all.

FINALLY!!! This is probably the most frustrating project I've followed in Canada. A stump for so many years! God! As long as its tall, I don't care if its a box. Anything is better than that Stump and the box ain't that bad anyway...! :okay:

It's very understatedly elegant, I am looking forward to it.

Why was it redesigned from Version 3? I remember quite clearly that it was a recent design too... so what happened?

Either way, version 2 and 3 would have both been at home in our financial district... the first one wouldn't have fit in too well.

-thryve

Urgh! Always! A sweet design turns into a box, i like boxes but i'd just like this once for something different to come up.

Ya its crazy how much that building looks exactly like the Ritz...oh well its still a nice design. All these glass boxes i think will contrast nicely with their concrete surrondings.

I'm sad that the building with the blue box siding is going to get demolished. It formed a good part of the Bay street wall -- the uniform box pattern. This helped to further cement the city as BOX CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. No more.

http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/486/toronto009copy3jv.jpg

^^^^^^^^^^^ cheer up ... were getting a bigger shinier box.

Yeah beanie. Toronto seems to be getting something much better than what looks like a bad relic from the 60s or 70s. Great downtown shot BTW :okay:

Version 3 would've been pretty funky. Version 1 looks a lot like Helmut Jahn's Liberty Place Towers in Philadelphia, which wouldn't have been a bad thing (Was it a Jahn? I've searched the web and checked out a book on his work, but can't locate it). The latest version is nice, simple, very corporate and in guessing there to be no hold-ups this time, it will possibly turn out quite elegant. Thanks Filip for posting the info and pics.

it looks new and tall

version 1 looks like somethin outta philly or houston
version 2 looks like an extended Miami condo
version 3 looks like a robot
version 4 looks kinda boxy....but its nothing that toronto has ever seen before!*sarcasm*

oh well...either way atleast its tall

It will be the tallest building being constructed in Canada as of now.

I guess there is something to cheer about.......

Good news, although I would have preferred "Version 3". Once again, though, Toronto proves itself the city afraid of 1000 ft./300 m. (with one exception).

Good news, although I would have preferred "Version 3". Once again, though, Toronto proves itself the city afraid of 1000 ft./300 m. (with one exception).
Isn't it because of height restriction.?

Looks great and sleek from the render

Isn't it because of height restriction.?

There are no formal height restrictions. If the city doesn't like the placement of a certain tower they might restrict it, but in the proper location the sky's the limit :)

There are no formal height restrictions. If the city doesn't like the placement of a certain tower they might restrict it, but in the proper location the sky's the limit :)
Hypothetically at least.

I like the project but i preffer the original Version.The 2006 is too "boxy".

Original version? Yeek, looks too much like a rip of atlanta/philly. Prefer to keep the boxy Toronto thing going.

From Ed007 over at UT.. Great pics

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/filipv/BayAdelaide-June26064.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/filipv/BayAdelaide-June26065.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/filipv/BayAdelaide-June260610.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/filipv/BayAdelaide-June260614.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/filipv/BayAdelaide-June260615.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/filipv/BayAdelaide-June260619.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/filipv/BayAdelaide-June260622.jpg

Nice!!

According to a member on UT, the lead tenant of this building is Deloitte and Touche. Which probably means this tower will be known as the Deloitte building (or such..)

Kind of suprised the speed at which this project is going at, its moving a long nice and fast after laying dormant for so long.

So excited about this project - there was an ugly gap / stump there for so long. It will connect Bay and Yonge well, solidify this area.

So excited about this project - there was an ugly gap / stump there for so long. It will connect Bay and Yonge well, solidify this area.
Indeed, whenever I'm downtown I make a short detour to see the progress of this landmark office development, it's been over 15 years since we had a big office block built in Toronto!
I say this is the new era of office towers.. I have a feeling that in the next few years many more towers will be proposed (rumoured move of CanWest to TO and such).. Ya never know, we could experience another 80's, 90's type boom.. Or even better yet, something like the 60-70's! Toronto is long overdue for big bad bank boxes!

Yes, I also feel things are on the go now. Much more to come.

Bay-Adelaide project set to get under way
Jul. 15, 2006. 01:00 AM
TONY WONG
BUSINESS REPORTER
www.thestar.com

Developers at the moribund Bay-Adelaide office tower project in Toronto's financial district are finally expected to get a shovel in the ground.

Sources say developer Brookfield Properties Corp. will announce a ground-breaking set for next week.

The lead tenant is thought to be consulting firm KPMG LLP.

KPMG, whose offices are spread in three main areas throughout the city, would likely lease 225,000 to 250,000 square feet, said one source.

First approved by Toronto city council in 1989, the site was slated for a 57-storey office tower. But work halted when the real estate market imploded.

While a parking garage and some infrastructure remains, the project has largely been seen as symbolic of Toronto's economic fortunes. A plan to restart the project in 1999 on a downsized scale failed to materialize after an anchor tenant could not be found. A new 50-storey tower with a public square has been approved by Toronto council.

It was expected that with some infrastructure intact, the Bay-Adelaide project had an advantage going to market. But this year, two other projects have already been announced, including the Menkes Developments Telus tower adjacent to Union Station announced this week, and the Cadillac Fairview tower in the city's entertainment district announced earlier this year.

"This is the most significant development cycle downtown has seen in more than 10 years," said Paul Morse, executive vice-president of Cushman & Wakefield LePage. "What you're seeing is a development cycle in full bloom."

With three projects set for completion by 2009, Toronto expects another 3.1 million square feet of office space, said Raymond Wong, national director of research for CB Richard Ellis.

A spokesperson said KPMG would not comment. A Brookfield spokesperson could not be reached.

Tallest building underconstruction in Canada, WOOT!

it is Shangri-La in Vancouver is under 200 m while the BA building is 215m. However big difference, the Vancouver building will add a lot to its skyline while the BA will just be one tower in a sea of already tall office towers.

^^Well....when viewing the skyline from behind, say Yorkville to the Lake, BA will add a lot to the skyline, as it will fill the gap between Scotia and FCP

but the Shangri-la will be the tallest in Vancouver while BA will be around 6th tallest i think.

^^That's true....

Brookfield Properties to Announce Major Development in Toronto's Financial Core

'Stump Busting' and Construction Commencement to Take Place in Financial District

TORONTO, July 18 /CNW/ - On Wednesday, July 19, 2006, Brookfield
Properties Corporation president and CEO Ric Clark, joined by Toronto Mayor
David Miller and other dignitaries, will make a major real estate development
announcement regarding the site of Toronto's famed 'Stump' located on the
north side of Adelaide Street West between Yonge Street and Bay Street.
The announcement of this new commercial development will see the
landscape of the city's financial district change dramatically, as it is the
first significant development in Toronto's financial core since the BCE Place
was completed in 1992.

<<
WHAT: Toronto Mayor David Miller and Brookfield Properties president
and CEO Ric Clark will raise a sledgehammer to a bull's eye
target marked on the 'Stump'

WHERE: The 'Stump'
Located on the north side of Adelaide Street West, between Yonge
Street and Bay Street
Enter site on Adelaide Street West, at Gate 3

WHO: Ric Clark, President and CEO, Brookfield Properties Corporation
Toronto Mayor David Miller
A representative of the anchor tenant

WHEN: Wednesday, July 19, 2006

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm - Brookfield Properties Corporation
Announcement Ceremony

1:45 pm - 2:10 pm - Speaking remarks by Ric Clark and Mayor
David Miller

2:15 pm - 'Stump busting' photo opportunity

2:20 pm - Media Q&A session
>>

Wonderful news!!!!!!!!!!!
So waiting for this one.

Poor stump.... I will miss you

Can we see photos from that event? Sort of exciting, considering that stump has become a part of the financial district ;)

-thryve

From TOBoy at SSP from Ed at UT
http://chartattack.com/ut/@daybase_exterior_JULY13.jpg

http://chartattack.com/ut/@night_west_BASE02.jpg

http://chartattack.com/ut/new-LOBBY_JL14.jpg

Some facts:
- zoning of 2.5 million sq ft for entire site
- up to 639,000 sq ft of residential
- west tower height limit of 715 ft
- east tower height limit of 590 ft
- 1,100 parking spots
- north tower height limit of 393 ft

North Tower will only be 393 feet....that's a downer.....

Its a shame Toronto keeps building boxy-like buildings. There are WAY more innovative designs to chose from.

With its prime location as an advantage, I think a more innovative design could change the Toronto skyline more dramatic than another boxy building which will join other boxy buildings.

That's a nice looking building... Frankly, except for a few innovative deisgns here and there (turning Torso being absolutely magnificent, for example), boxy is simply better than most other crap being put out there.

^^Plus, it gives you the most bang for your buck.....with the box design, the template of the land can be equal to that of the top floor....the maximium area.....

more and more and more "boxy buildings" in OUR TOROTO.

From Ed at UT.

http://chartattack.com/ed/IMG_4682.jpg

The Stump breaking!
http://chartattack.com/ed/IMG_4714.jpg
http://chartattack.com/ed/IMG_4730.jpg

The lobby
http://chartattack.com/ut/new-LOBBY_JL14.jpg

The view
http://chartattack.com/ut/officeview-metal_resize.jpg

HAHAHA! Miller looks red in the face. He looks very tired and ragged.

Interesting render of the "view". I haven't seen that one yet. I thought that the lakeview would be mostly obstructed by Scotia Plaza / 44 King.

^^ That's what I thought.

I wouldn't mind having a golden sledge hammer of my own....

thats a pretty decent view.. wouldnt mind working up there

HAHAHA! Miller looks red in the face. He looks very tired and ragged.


Miller just looks like a Goof as usual...

^^Meanie.

I don't know, anyone is better then Mel!

Oct. 16, 2006

http://static.flickr.com/79/271341026_19765a5140_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/84/249829887_33117cbbc6_b.jpg

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/funinthegym/sets/72157594221706544/

^^ look at the density!!! unbelievable

Does it not disappoint anyone else that Toronto is getting ANOTHER boxy building. As if Toronto doesn't have enough. Where is the new type of architecture?

Does it not disappoint anyone else that Toronto is getting ANOTHER boxy building. As if Toronto doesn't have enough. Where is the new type of architecture?

No..not really...

First off it will be the sexiest box in Toronto, there is no doubte about that, plus it WILL improve the look of Toronto skyline from the side, being a box although not a wonderful thing, is certianly not a bad thing, it will just fit in with every other tower in the core.

And what do you mean "new" type of architecture...you mean like Hummingbird Tower and The Ritz and Trump and and ROCP3 and RBC Centre, Shangri-la and Signature Tower.....of which all are post modern design and will look nothing like Toronto's current boxes when they are built.

Does it not disappoint anyone else that Toronto is getting ANOTHER boxy building. As if Toronto doesn't have enough. Where is the new type of architecture?

That's Toronto for you! New type? Hmm, look at Shangri-La, that's a beautiful tower!

I vote for version 1 + 2

unconventional designs call for extra money, and we don't have it. i'd rather we build good looking classic skyscrapers

that peice of land had to be filled in sooner or later, it was too valuable to leave as a stump forever, so i'd rather have an average looking building there another decade or two for something more fancy to be thrown in there

I actually like the new design, the glass is nice and i would really prefer a box than some turning torso-like design. It would fit in best and make a nice shiny square on the skyline!

I am not at all against a box- but I can understand that people are tired of seeing so many of them constructed- whether office or condominium, boxes abound in this lovely city of ours.

However, I am pretty confident that this building will turn out fine- conservative, but good. I disagree that there isn't money for it, rather companies, would rather not spend the money. I understand, but let's not dispute the fact that most companies today would rather save money than spend it..unless they are taking over another company..

An elliptical tower would be nice- maybe I will have to plan one- i think it would have to have a min. height of 70 stories though..

p5

Classical box towers can be very nice.

Modern blue or green glass boxes? Not so much. Following the new pattern, this building looks chintzy and uber-bland, but we'll have to wait and see.

Here are some pictures I took of the stump yesterday on an overcast day.

http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/7060/img0502dh0.jpg

http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/384/img0500cn7.jpg

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/8546/img0498nv2.jpg

good progress

SO LONG STUMPY!!

I can't wait to see this tower go up, if all goes acording to plan, this little corner will look quite spectacular, the Trump, Scotia, bay-adelaide

I think the design of the tower.. FITS toronto, I would rather see this glass box, than just another modernist attempt, that will look dated within 4 years.

I'm anxious to see what the next two towers in this development will be like. Brookfield says it will likely be two mixed use towers, but I think they are flexible in their options.

With due respect to HK , a far bigger town than T-Dot, and NYC which invented density, when Trump, and 3 Bay Adelaides are built.... is there a denser, taller "few blocks" on the planet?

That guy on TV... the "Numbers" show, could create an algorithm. Or KGB could just chime in with the proof.

For some reason, this box just doesn't excite me as much as the new NY Times Building in NYC.

I like it. I might be blasted for this, but I prefer boxes. I look at some cities and their funny looking highrises and I just can't take them seriously. Would Toronto's iconic financial district command as much respect if the buildings were all artsy and po-mo? I realise you can have a dignified building that isn't a box, Toronto has many examples of this. But I just don't see how you can go wrong with a nice simple box.

I like it. I might be blasted for this, but I prefer boxes. I look at some cities and their funny looking highrises and I just can't take them seriously. Would Toronto's iconic financial district command as much respect if the buildings were all artsy and po-mo? I realise you can have a dignified building that isn't a box, Toronto has many examples of this. But I just don't see how you can go wrong with a nice simple box.

I agree but only when you're talking about North American cities. I think the traditional "box" design doesn't quite fit in Europe or in Asia- at least not right now.

I agree but only when you're talking about North American cities. I think the traditional "box" design doesn't quite fit in Europe or in Asia- at least not right now.

Good point. The archetecture that makes sense in one city or country may look strange in another.

hows it going?

Well...the stump is gone!

Hmmm, anyone save a piece?

The most hated thing in Toronto (besides Mel Lastman) and everyone wants a piece of it!

An icon... gone. But a better icon will replace it :)

Hmmm, anyone save a piece?

This isn't the Berlin wall, lol.

^^ But it is the T.O. block!! :)

Pic by taal

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/2353/16122006565rd8.jpg

Toronto is so exciting right now! That's a nice shot, too

I know eh! I walked by it on Friday.. My God, I thought I'd never see work happening at the Stump site.

BA and Trump are going to make that area a heck of a lot better.

^ agreed n more denser, which it already is dense as hell.

I can't wait to see what the next two BA towers look like.

^^The same.. lol

A rendering of the entire complex:

http://www.brookfieldproperties.com/images/buildings/auxiliary_images/150.jpg

Woah... Awsome rendering.

Ooooh! Looks great. Are the two towers in the background part of the complex?

^^Yep... triplets of blue glass... it will be a sort of beacon downtown I suppose.

Wow! Goodie:D

I have just come up with a possible reason for why so called "boxes" look good in USA/CANADA and more interestingly shaped buildings look good in ASIA/EUROPE.

Well.............

the common skyscraper in North America is an elongated box - just like the blocks of land.!!!! (Please someone find amusing).

AND

The funnily shaped towers in ASIA/EUROPE are a result of the funnily shaped blocks of land.

Mind you, my genious insight is COMPLETELY hypothetical


and maybe not even true, but still - it is interesting......right???

By the way, I'm glad the stump is gone.

It is like turning over a new leaf.

Thanks for the photo update!!!
Highly appreciated.

Good update, I miss the stump though :)

Woah... Awsome rendering.

Just one thing bothers me about that rendering, it starts with "Sh" and ends with "re".

I had forgotten about the Bay-Adelaide's other TWO towers! Does anyone know when those are supposed to be built?

^^When market demand dictates it...

Just one thing bothers me about that rendering, it starts with "Sh" and ends with "re".

I'm sorry, but what in hell are you talking about? lol.

I have just come up with a possible reason for why so called "boxes" look good in USA/CANADA and more interestingly shaped buildings look good in ASIA/EUROPE.

Well.............

the common skyscraper in North America is an elongated box - just like the blocks of land.!!!! (Please someone find amusing).

AND

The funnily shaped towers in ASIA/EUROPE are a result of the funnily shaped blocks of land.

Mind you, my genious insight is COMPLETELY hypothetical


and maybe not even true, but still - it is interesting......right???


Sorry, but I don't speak "Alcoholic".

I had forgotten about the Bay-Adelaide's other TWO towers! Does anyone know when those are supposed to be built?

Brookfield plans to make them mixed use but I think they are open to the idea of more office space. No date is set, but I would expect something soon since they are already on the ground running.

^^ But it is the T.O. block!! :)

Pic by taal

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/2353/16122006565rd8.jpg

very crowded !!!

how do they work in such an area ?????

I'm sorry, but what in hell are you talking about? lol.

Look beyond the rendering my young Padawan...

http://www.brookfieldproperties.com/images/buildings/auxiliary_images/150.jpg[/QUOTE]

In that rendering the other two towers look like Tower 1, but I'm actually hoping they'll all look different. But... if they were triplet towers THAT would be impressive! Fuck twin towers, the new 'in' thing should be triplet towers and they can start with Bay-Adelaide!!

very crowded !!!

how do they work in such an area ?????

There actually is quite a fair amount of space there. Now take a look at the lot where they plan to build the Trump Tower, that is a very small lot.

Perhaps we will be seeing some Times-Square-style lighting on this tower at night. I think horizontal bands of colour playing up and down the floors would look amazing, each a band of different colour. I doubt they'd ever do that though :(



Now, that's a bright idea
Artist James Turrell, famous for his massive crater project in an Arizona desert, tells how he plans to animate a downtown Toronto high-rise
by SARAH MILROY


These days, just a few steps east of the intersection of Bay and Adelaide streets in Toronto's business district, the remnants of a concrete column can be seen in a state of semi-dismantlement amid the rubble of demolition, a battered grey monolith flowering with mangled rebar and clumps of concrete.

It turns out it's not so easy to tear down the footing of an office tower, in this case the ill-fated stump of the long-planned Bay Adelaide Centre, an eyesore since 1991.

“It's like our monument to the recession,” says Jane Perdue, public-art co-ordinator at Toronto City Hall, and one of those responsible for shepherding into existence the forthcoming project on that site by noted American artist James Turrell. His artwork — a multifaceted, coloured-light installation — will animate the new Bay Adelaide Centre, slated for completion in 2009. And it will be the biggest urban public-art project of his career.

Since the effective building freeze of the early nineties, the site has been owned by a variety of developers, but now belongs to Brookfield Properties, and is likely to become an emblem of Mayor David Miller's dreamed-of cultural capital. Designed by Carl Blanchaer of Toronto's WZMH Architects, the 50-storey tower will be largely fabricated from transparent glass, a daring move, perhaps, in our frozen north, but it will have a certain incandescent brilliance, thanks to Turrell. Astonishingly, it seems likely a Toronto developer is poised to make something world-class. But who is this visionary artist preparing to cast his spell over the city?

Turrell was in Toronto last week, meeting with key players at Brookfield as well as their art consultant, Karen Mills, hammering out a budget (around $3-million), and reviewing the site. (He also gave a standing-room-only talk at the University of Toronto.) With his long white hair, beard and extravagantly bushy mustache, he looks like an American mystic in the Walt Whitman vein, an avuncular sage who wanders the globe creating art installations, attending exhibitions of his own work, accepting accolades, giving lectures — whatever it takes — in his mission to complete his magnum opus, the Roden Crater project in the Arizona desert.

The artist bought the volcanic crater and the land it sits on nearly 30 years ago, and set about tilling the extinct volcano to his aesthetic requirements, cutting channels in its core, sculpting its rim, and creating platforms for skygazing. Financial backers have come and gone over the years — most notably the DIA Art Foundation and the Guggenheim Foundation — but Turrell maintains his equanimity over these shifting fortunes, a kind of “it was good while it lasted and no hard feelings” vibe that bespeaks a good-natured endurance.

Over lunch, he confirmed he is about 65-per-cent finished, and he is still going strong, working with engineers and a team of native American stonemasons from the community there. The slowly unfolding undertaking is about as far from the caffeinated pace of the art world as one can imagine: Turrell's points of reference are the monoliths of Stonehenge, the Nazca Lines of Peru, and the Egyptian pyramids. Clearly, this is a man who takes a long view of success.

The long haul, though, is taking its toll. At 63, he looks like a man who has seen it all, and there's a touch of weariness now to his wanderings. At his lecture at the university, for example, he reheated several of the anecdotes from lunch — including a hilarious story about an Oregon Supreme Court judge who sued Turrell for lack of conjugal services after his wife broke a wrist in one of his mind-bending installations. This is the Turrell road show, honed over many miles.

He's also attending to preparations these days for his major touring retrospective in 2010, to be organized by the Guggenheim Museum in New York. You sense that the financial needs of the project, and the related need to maintain a front-row visibility, take him many miles from the things he loves most — making art in the Arizona desert.

Like his father, who died when his son was 10, Turrell is a pilot, and his love of light and the sky can arguably be traced to that shared passion. As well, his fascination with illumination is linked to his Quaker roots, and the Quaker notion of communing in prayer in search of an inner radiance. This passion for light has lead Turrell to create a range of important works.

Among the most spectacular are the simplest: his “skyrooms,” architectural interiors with some or all of the roof removed to admit the heavens. (Sitting in these spaces, one has the exhilarating sense of the sky as something tactile and alive.) He is also known for his installations and coloured-light projections in which such visual phenomena as depth and colour perception are manipulated by the artist, sometimes producing the uncanny effect of solid volumes hovering in space. All his works produce a heightened state of seeing, with the viewer invited to scrutinize the foundations of his own perceptions. (Among his many other achievements, including both Guggenheim and MacArthur fellowships, Turrell holds a degree in perceptual psychology.) They hum with spirit.

Turrell's public-art projects for such corporate clients as Brookfield fuel the Roden Crater endeavour with fresh infusions of cash, and, perhaps, a reprieve from its gruelling scale, but they spring from a kindred sense of wonder. The roots of his Toronto proposal, for example, lie in his childhood, he says, and his recollections of flying over Los Angeles at night with his father.

“The lights of the buildings,” he says, “are like a bioluminescent lichen” spread out over the land. Los Angeles is “a peasant by day, but it's a princess by night.”


The Toronto site, too, will be transformed dramatically from day to night, shedding its businesslike efficiency for something more sublime and otherworldly. Turrell is planning to include a series of smaller-scale, linked light works for the Adelaide-facing lobby of the building, and these will be visible by day. But at night their context will change, as the lobby, the outdoor plaza and the exterior supporting piers and top of the building come to radiate a shifting display of LED light.

Though neon light is his favourite, LED light is notable for the precision of hue you can attain, he says, and for the way you can precisely regulate its intensity. (Once installed, it is also the most economical.) “Traditionally, in cities,” he says, “people light the skeleton of a building, and the windows are left dark, like a death mask.” Instead, his illuminations will radiate from the windows, which will be tinged with light that will shift between various hues in a variety of sequences, driven by computer.


Turrell has created large-scale works of this sort before, and, listening to him mull over the engineering requirements, his proficiency is evident. The closest in concept to the Toronto proposal, he says, are Tadao Ando's building for Takarazuka University of Art and Design in Osaka, Japan; and the headquarters of Verbundnetz Gas AG, in Leipzig, Germany (designed by Becker, Gewers, Kuhn and Kuhn), where, he says, “people come out to watch the building at night.” The headquarters of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association in Zurich (designed by Tilla Theus) is another such project, a glass hummock that is infused with colour once evening falls.

While working on the Toronto project, he will also be developing one for the new Government Services Administration building in San Francisco, a slab-like creation that has a square section missing at the core. “I am essentially designing raiment,” he says with a quiet smile, describing his plan to ring the central void with light.

Toronto, though, given its light-starved northern vantage point, may be the optimum place for one of these creations. “If you think of Vermeer and Rembrandt, of Turner, and, of course, the Impressionists — these are all people who were working in places where light is precious,” says Turrell, who sees a fascination with light as a quality linking artists and the people who love what they do. “The Impressionists were drawn to the Mediterranean — they weren't from there. The ones who treasure light the most are the ones for whom it is most rare.”

Look beyond the rendering my young Padawan...

http://www.brookfieldproperties.com/images/buildings/auxiliary_images/150.jpg[/QUOTE]

Got it!

Maybe the lighting dude can do something to make it look better at night too?

NOW i am really excited! :nuts:

has construction commenced?

Wow, plain and boxy. The only part of this project that has any character is the old National Building at the base. But at least it's a big box...so that everyone can see how plain it is?

has construction commenced?

yes

Very sleek. Anyone have a floor count?

wow version one is beautiful in my opinion...i hate this 2006 version, anyone else with me?

I have just come up with a possible reason for why so called "boxes" look good in USA/CANADA and more interestingly shaped buildings look good in ASIA/EUROPE.

Well.............

the common skyscraper in North America is an elongated box - just like the blocks of land.!!!! (Please someone find amusing).

AND

The funnily shaped towers in ASIA/EUROPE are a result of the funnily shaped blocks of land.

Mind you, my genious insight is COMPLETELY hypothetical


and maybe not even true, but still - it is interesting......right???



i totally agree.......not really....but hey everyone needs some back up....America does make the best "boxes"...Look at the Sears Tower...thats made up of many boxes.

Wow, plain and boxy. The only part of this project that has any character is the old National Building at the base. But at least it's a big box...so that everyone can see how plain it is?

Yes. Too bad it is not shaped like a question mark, with lasers shooting out in every direction, and a glowing neon base.

50 storeys^pics from sat april 21

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j145/gbelan/100_0013.jpg


http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j145/gbelan/100_0014.jpg


http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j145/gbelan/100_0015.jpg

Sydneyaholic:

Alot of the so called 'boxy' office towers in the USA and Canada look good because the famous ones are very well designed. When a tower has few or no embellishments, every element becomes important: scale, proportion, materials, uniformity, and a meticulous attention to detail.

Mies van der Rohe's Toronto-Dominion Centre in Toronto is a great case in point. It is a box to some, but a closer look reveals it's timeless sophistication and beauty. It is sexy, elegant, powerful, sleek, expensive, and pure. It is, in fact, perfect.

This form is easy to get wrong, and difficult to get right. North America was blessed with architects who knew how to build them right. This is not to suggest that we are free of bland boring and ugly variations.

Side note: does anyone know what the plans are for that small concrete park with the waterfall directly east of the old stump? Will it remain? Will it be updated? Will it be removed?

It will be a great addition to an already awesome skyline.

Nice, Nice:)

I guess this is the official thread.

The Crane is up

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1354/636067134_b1ce3295bd_b.jpg

Good news, guess we'll see the rising tower pretty soon

Yes, and it will be constructed of steel so it should rise pretty fast once it gets going!

I am so looking forward to this one!!

are the other two towers going to be as tall as the first?

I dont think so, but you never know.. :)

At this rate, Toronto will have the boxiest CBD in the world. Not a bad thing, IMO. It shows architectural maturity.

The Crane is up

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1354/636067134_b1ce3295bd_b.jpg
- - -
J'adore cette tour rouge, comment s'appel t'elle ?

^^ Scotia Plaza?

Yes. Too bad it is not shaped like a question mark, with lasers shooting out in every direction, and a glowing neon base.

I wouldn't doubt the designers of this place coming up with a cheesy lighting setup like you suggested to go along with their blockheaded box design.

- - -
J'adore cette tour rouge, comment s'appel t'elle ?

Scotiaplaza 275 meters - built 1987

wow version one is beautiful in my opinion...i hate this 2006 version, anyone else with me?

ya everything sucks in the 2006 except for the glass. I hate the exposed wood in the lobby as well as the cheap pot lighting and cheap flourescent.
Version 3 worked better with the old building despite being a little akward.

I remember that one going up when i was younger!!! good ole days.......

Yeah and those beautiful twins too.

07/27/07

From FunkyTechnician at UrbanToronto.

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/3729/picture008ow6.jpg

http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/3979/picture010vx0.jpg

There will eventually be 3 towers. Is the second one Richmond-Adelaide? And what of the 3rd one?

Bay Adelaide Rising - pictures courtesy of paul451 on urbantoronto.ca

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/paul451/DSC_0747.jpg

And today;
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/paul451/DSC_0774.jpg

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/paul451/DSC_0777.jpg

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/paul451/DSC_0779.jpg

These next two are taken from those little viewing windows, please excuse the blurriness.
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/paul451/DSC_0781.jpg

Some demolishing work
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/paul451/DSC_0784.jpg


http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/paul451/DSC_0793.jpg

Sept. 23/07

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/pancsi/P1011295.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/pancsi/P1011290.jpg

So when is the Bay Adelaide Centre going to be completed?

fall 2009

great project, together with the new trump tower it will fit great in the skyline

this is very exciting. I am a big proponent of this tower!!!

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/paul451/DSC_1196.jpg

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/paul451/DSC_1200.jpg

They are about halfway to getting the first level ready:

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/paul451/DSC_1202.jpg

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/paul451/DSC_1203.jpg

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/paul451/DSC_1204.jpg

paul451 urbantoronto.ca

Bay Adelaide to 55 floors, hieght will remain unchanged.

its clear sailing UP from here boys(H)....

fall 2009

Knowing the rate of construction in Toronto (having lived there), I will change that to mean Spring of 2010 (the earliest).

Bay Adelaide to 55 floors, hieght will remain unchanged.

I guess they changed the roof then? :bash:

HVAC units on Bay Adelaide.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/paul451/Bay%20and%20Adelaide%20center/DSC_1206.jpg
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/paul451/Bay%20and%20Adelaide%20center/DSC_1205.jpg
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/paul451/Bay%20and%20Adelaide%20center/DSC_1208.jpg
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/paul451/Bay%20and%20Adelaide%20center/DSC_1207.jpg

pictures courtesy of paul451 on urbantoronto.ca

I guess they changed the roof then? :bash:

Yes they updated the roof design.

Bay Adelaide to 55 floors, hieght will remain unchanged.

Why is everyone so sure about the increase in the number of floors? When you check the website and view the page on availability it still says the building will be 50 floors. If it is to go by 5 floors then I can't help but wonder if the company that has leased the top 10 floors simply move up ten floors or do they now have (currently) 5 vacant floors above them. My belief is that this building is still 50 floors.

Bay Adelaide to 55 floors, hieght will remain unchanged.

no height increase...that was so clear :ohno:

Why is everyone so sure about the increase in the number of floors? When you check the website and view the page on availability it still says the building will be 50 floors. If it is to go by 5 floors then I can't help but wonder if the company that has leased the top 10 floors simply move up ten floors or do they now have (currently) 5 vacant floors above them. My belief is that this building is still 50 floors.

The wing design at the top of the old render was scraped and the replacement is the 5 extra floors. All they did was replace the wing with more floors, height unchanged.

So, structurally, few alterations are needed to accomodate the extra floors? Are most buildings able to adjust to later additions?

I am sure there were some minor changes...

Waiting for updates... It will be cool to see this and Trump go up side by side...

Waiting for updates... It will be cool to see this and Trump go up side by side...

Me too! I been waiting for updates and I do agreed with you about Bay Adelaide West between Trump, that's why I want to know if there have any live cam on this both construction from any internet? if yes then what is website address? I want see it so badly

This is my favorite project in Toronto!

So, structurally, few alterations are needed to accomodate the extra floors? Are most buildings able to adjust to later additions?

yes and yes. most buildings are able to be fitted with reasonable additions in construction, or renovation. Key term being reasonable

Well I went all over downtown today snapping pictures and skateboarding. I picked prolly the worst day (weather wise), but hey, it was better than spending the day indoors, rain wasn't that bad anyways. Some of them are blurry because of the stupid plexiglass covering the little windows.

10/18/07
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/2949/img0332kk2.jpg

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2531/img0337sg2.jpg

http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/5201/img0339za8.jpg

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/4355/img0342ik3.jpg

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/3980/img0340ch3.jpg

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/8546/img0345vr5.jpg

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/2047/img0347ec0.jpg

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/691/img0348jr4.jpg

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/3818/img0354pu5.jpg

http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/5492/img0360ye8.jpg

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/7586/img0364ct2.jpg

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/2514/img0368sv4.jpg

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/6656/img0378jf0.jpg

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/1548/img0380yz1.jpg

Hope this doesn't explode your computer with all the images!

Thanks for the update. :)
It's looking good...

Thanks for the update. :)
It's looking good...

No problem.:)

Is there a thread for trump yet? Because theres equipment at the site.

The Trump Toronto thread is in the Toronto section. I don't think there is one over here... There is also another one in the supertall section which has the old height of 324m. You can create one here or post in the Toronto section. :)

Finally! Thanks for the update! :cheers:

No problem.:)

Is there a thread for trump yet? Because theres equipment at the site.

The Trump Toronto thread is in the Toronto section. I don't think there is one over here... There is also another one in the supertall section which has the old height of 324m. You can create one here or post in the Toronto section. :)


http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=462662

This is my favorite project in Toronto!
Really? Why?

Really? Why?

It's big....really really big.

I like big.

these are from yesterday. Look at the covered windows on the left to see the height difference.
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/8545/img0410ad8.jpg
pumping crete, the lower levels are a lot more filled in now
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/8292/img0411mu5.jpg
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/1879/img0412xv0.jpg

Looks like it's about the same hight as the old stump. How long did that take?

Really? Why?

chz there are 2 office towers under construction atm in Toronto, and if u like office towers, it ain't hard to pick a first.

UD2, Though I love your quote, I have to disagree with your choice, I for one am a much bigger fan of the RBC development then this box. Typical Brookfield, no imagination, and even less brains. I guess we can all thank them for the fact that there is less office space needed in the city, after all, they effectively killed our Mining Sector last year with their ill-timed exit from Falco, and the following chain of events. Cheers..

I think Telus Tower will look amazing and so will 151 Front, both are office towers. I think BA is a little bland but still has a classy look to it. I still don't know about RBC Tower but i think once standing beside the Ritz it will look amazing! Every coner of Toronto is building up nicely, we are in a condo building boom and an office building boom with 151 Front, Telus, BA, RBC, MaRS II, Richmond Adelaide III, and MLS. All will look great when completed and so will the many condo towers being constructed, approved or still in the planning stages.

chz there are 2 office towers under construction atm in Toronto, and if u like office towers, it ain't hard to pick a first.

Actually 4 under construction (RBC, Bay-Adelaide, MARS and Telus), but a hell of a lot of other projects most would find more interesting that B-A.

That said, caltrane74 already gave me his answer "It's big....really really big. I like big."

Of course with the demographic on this board, I'm not too sure if he was still talking about skyscrapers. :lol:

Great progress!

Looks like it's almost at the height of the original stump:

http://static.flickr.com/44/163630712_4e6d3bae58_b.jpg

I think Telus Tower will look amazing and so will 151 Front, both are office towers. I think BA is a little bland but still has a classy look to it. I still don't know about RBC Tower but i think once standing beside the Ritz it will look amazing! Every coner of Toronto is building up nicely, we are in a condo building boom and an office building boom with 151 Front, Telus, BA, RBC, MaRS II, Richmond Adelaide III, and MLS. All will look great when completed and so will the many condo towers being constructed, approved or still in the planning stages.

Richmond Adelaide III was cancelled and never build

Actually 4 under construction (RBC, Bay-Adelaide, MARS and Telus), but a hell of a lot of other projects most would find more interesting that B-A.

That said, caltrane74 already gave me his answer "It's big....really really big. I like big."

Of course with the demographic on this board, I'm not too sure if he was still talking about skyscrapers. :lol:

Don't worry Jack,

There is nothing homosexual in my post!

:banana:

I think Telus Tower will look amazing and so will 151 Front, both are office towers. I think BA is a little bland but still has a classy look to it. I still don't know about RBC Tower but i think once standing beside the Ritz it will look amazing! Every coner of Toronto is building up nicely, we are in a condo building boom and an office building boom with 151 Front, Telus, BA, RBC, MaRS II, Richmond Adelaide III, and MLS. All will look great when completed and so will the many condo towers being constructed, approved or still in the planning stages.

Richmond Adelaide III was cancelled and never build

I want to make sure if you mean Richmond-Adelaide Centre II and Richmond-Adelaide Centre II will not build, cancel it

Richmond-Adelaide Centre III, I never heard before and who did say it?

that thing was so, so ugly

Richmond Adelaide III was cancelled and never build

RA III is proposed again to get more information go to the Toronto section.

Perfect shot to see its location in relation to Scotia Plaza and the rest of the financial cluster. If you look closely, it's just right in front of the Scotia Plaza (red building) with the red and white crane. Trump Toronto (280m) will be right beside Scotia Plaza.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2073/1795340987_19d47835f0_b.jpg

Thanks for this grat photo update!!

great shot. the location next to the First Canadian place is very good i think, that makes the cluster much denser

I wonder when the steel framework will begin.....

This is very fitting for Toronto.

http://www.bayadelaidecentre.com//upload/photogalleryphotoimage/73-exterior_image01.jpg http://www.bayadelaidecentre.com//upload/photogalleryphotoimage/66-lobby-c1.jpg http://www.bayadelaidecentre.com//upload/photogalleryphotoimage/67-lobby-c2.jpg http://www.bayadelaidecentre.com//upload/photogalleryphotoimage/96-@BAC_baseview_July7_HR01-co.jpg http://www.bayadelaidecentre.com//upload/photogalleryphotoimage/76-night-BASE-480.jpg http://www.bayadelaidecentre.com//upload/photogalleryphotoimage/68-concourse-01.jpg


Phase II (180 m / 590 ft)
(White tower for size comparison)
http://www.ghettoshots.net/david/Photos/107/WebFullSize/Bay-Adelaide_Centre_Tower_II.jpg

Nice renders...

will be quite a wide building...

..

Something that is quite amazing is the underground city beneath the CBD. If you stand stationary down there at 4pm, the sea of humanity walking by is overwhelming. The sound of thousands of expensive shoes hitting the marble for 45 minutes straight is a sound I've never heard anywhere else. It would have made a great opening sequence for the movie 'American Psycho' which was filmed in this area.

Great Render

I think that first render is missing a few floors. Maybe not, but it just looks it.

Something that is quite amazing is the underground city beneath the CBD. If you stand stationary down there at 4pm, the sea of humanity walking by is overwhelming. The sound of thousands of expensive shoes hitting the marble for 45 minutes straight is a sound I've never heard anywhere else. It would have made a great opening sequence for the movie 'American Psycho' which was filmed in this area.

So true! Great reference to American Psycho btw. I loved how they panned up the TD Centre throughout the movie. I was thinking to myself "damn Mies really did build the exact same towers everywhere, including the plaza"

http://img476.imageshack.us/img476/1659/110702dop9.jpg

http://img476.imageshack.us/img476/4657/110702bvz8.jpg

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/7964/110702ana1.jpg

http://img476.imageshack.us/img476/1331/110702cwl0.jpg

Courtesy Geekaroo on UT

BCE, BCE2 and 1 King West look like they're all one big, nasty tower in this pic. :)
http://www.bayadelaidecentre.com//upload/photogalleryphotoimage/73-exterior_image01.jpg
Phase II (180 m / 590 ft)
(White tower for size comparison)
http://www.ghettoshots.net/david/Photos/107/WebFullSize/Bay-Adelaide_Centre_Tower_II.jpg
Wouldn't that be Phase 3? I was under the impression that Phase 2 would be directly east of Phase 1.

Something that is quite amazing is the underground city beneath the CBD. If you stand stationary down there at 4pm, the sea of humanity walking by is overwhelming. The sound of thousands of expensive shoes hitting the marble for 45 minutes straight is a sound I've never heard anywhere else. It would have made a great opening sequence for the movie 'American Psycho' which was filmed in this area.

That always amazes me aswell!

But the one thing I hate about having the PATH is that the streets in the CBD of Toronto are dead, no matter what time of day, it's a ghost town...you walk around and think to yourself, "Where are the pedestrians:S..This is a city of 3 million??" :(:(

Oh please... in January maybe (looking for shelter from the cold) ... just like Dubai most of the year... (looking for A/c).

its true..theres absolutely no one on the streets...maybe a couple on yonge/bloor, but thats about it...and Y&D square is a joke...its trying to pay homage to times square? Half the day its deserted.

Toronto does seem quiet sometimes when you've just come from London or Hong Kong, but I wouldn't say its deserted. It is getting busier each passing year. Within 20-30 years, there probably won't be any significant difference.

ale26: you seem to be very US-centric. Are you American? There's a massive world out there. Areas like Dundas Square are to be found in many cities around the globe from Tokyo to London. It is hardly paying homage to Times Square in New York. Times Square isn't even a square. Dundas Square is Dundas Square, period. We aren't taking cultural cues from them, any more than they are from us. Dundas Square is paying homage to Canadian consumerism. It is a natural evolution of our own culture. Dundas Square is simply that area of Yonge Street taken to the next level. Your assertion is rather insulting to this country.

You may not like Dundas Square, but it's arguably the most successful redevelopment that downtown has seen in living memory. It is already amazing, and will continue to evolve organically. Give it a chance. It's not even finished yet.

I'm actually from Toronto, and Toronto is deserted I mean people make Toronto out to be a city rivalring New York and it's not even close...obviously its going to be less busy than London or Hong Kong b/c they're much bigger,, but Toronto seems less busy than cities like Cincinatti for God sakes, and it's prob smaller.

and about Dundas square, all i'm saying is that its seriously underused

I like this building.

Ale26:

Toronto is certainly not New York. People do need to stop making that comparison. Toronto is a much smaller city, but quickly emerging as a big influential city on the world stage. Toronto is Toronto, and has nothing to feel inadequate about. There are things that are more exciting about New York, but the reverse can be said also.

It's easy to become impatient when you want Toronto to be this 15 million person metropolis overnight. I can relate to that on many levels, but it's wiser to acknowledge the transformation happening here. Toronto is booming and it's been a 40 year long boom with no sign of abating.

Globally, Toronto wasn't even on people's radar screen in 1970. That can't be said now. Toronto may not be where we want it to be, but it is rapidly moving in that direction. I fully expect Toronto to become a big influential global city. It is already there by many measures. People just don't realize it, because the ascent has been so rapid.

Just be patient. If you saw the massive strides this city has taken just in the past 10 years, it would be an eye opener. I've travelled and lived in London, Paris, and New York so these observations aren't made blindly. It will happen here, you just need to look around to know that it is inevitable. The downtown population jumped from 102,000 to 169,000 between 2001 and 2006. 100,000+ immigrants are settling in Toronto every year. Perhaps, it is better to enjoy the ride, rather than get frustrated.

i guess, lets see.

and Toronto is deserted...Toronto seems less busy than cities like Cincinatti for God sakes, and it's prob smaller.

Wow...you really are a fucking retard, aren't you?

and about Dundas square, all i'm saying is that its seriously underused

I guess you never really go to Dundas Square. I go there to study and always have problems finding a seat. I usually end up sitting on the ledge on the North East corner of the square.

Ale26:

Toronto is certainly not New York. People do need to stop making that comparison. Toronto is a much smaller city, but quickly emerging as a big influential city on the world stage. Toronto is Toronto, and has nothing to feel inadequate about. There are things that are more exciting about New York, but the reverse can be said also.

It's easy to become impatient when you want Toronto to be this 15 million person metropolis overnight. I can relate to that on many levels, but it's wiser to acknowledge the transformation happening here. Toronto is booming and it's been a 40 year long boom with no sign of abating.

Globally, Toronto wasn't even on people's radar screen in 1970. That can't be said now. Toronto may not be where we want it to be, but it is rapidly moving in that direction. I fully expect Toronto to become a big influential global city. It is already there by many measures. People just don't realize it, because the ascent has been so rapid.

Just be patient. If you saw the massive strides this city has taken just in the past 10 years, it would be an eye opener. I've travelled and lived in London, Paris, and New York so these observations aren't made blindly. It will happen here, you just need to look around to know that it is inevitable. The downtown population jumped from 102,000 to 169,000 between 2001 and 2006. 100,000+ immigrants are settling in Toronto every year. Perhaps, it is better to enjoy the ride, rather than get frustrated.
Well said, the human population of downtown is intensely growing. Not everyone will be able to hide underground.

That said, the underground itself is a reason to visit Toronto. CN may have fallen from top spot in the Guiness Record Book but PATH still holds true for largest underground retail with the only real rival being Montreal. Currently with 27km of tunnels the current city plans have room for up to 60km.

Are you aware of where the PATH might expand to? It would be amazing if you could one day get all the way to Bloor from the ACC, and perhaps one day, a parallel system going up University.

Are you aware of where the PATH might expand to? It would be amazing if you could one day get all the way to Bloor from the ACC, and perhaps one day, a parallel system going up University.
Not sure on the actual planned connections but here is a link to all things PATH:

http://www.toronto.ca/path/

I'm actually from Toronto, and Toronto is deserted I mean people make Toronto out to be a city rivalring New York and it's not even close...obviously its going to be less busy than London or Hong Kong b/c they're much bigger,, but Toronto seems less busy than cities like Cincinatti for God sakes, and it's prob smaller.


ale26, you should consider moving to Cincinatti since you have such a high regard for it. - I mean honestly why waste your time in toronto.

I'm just kidding, obviously Toronto isn't deserted, I just wanted to see the remarks you fucking assholes would have:)

I'm just kidding

Judging by all your past posts, I don't think any reasonable person would be able to conclude that. Considering every one of them prior to this is either something which lacks any value and adds nothing to a discussion, or is a "we are not worthy" remark.


I just wanted to see the remarks you fucking assholes would have

That is called "trolling" and is something which can warrant a banning. :)

I'm surprised I don't see an "in the brig" next to Ale's avatar.......

Let's get back on topic.

Wasn't the height recently increased to 55 floors? The thread header still says 50 floors.

Let's get back on topic.

Wasn't the height recently increased to 55 floors? The thread header still says 50 floors.

Height wasn't increased.

When is construction supposed to finish?

Not sure on the actual planned connections but here is a link to all things PATH:

http://www.toronto.ca/path/

Thanks for the link.

Regarding the addition of floors while the height remains the same: Does anyone know if the wing feature is completely gone, or just much less prominent?

Yay Steel
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/paul451/Bay%20and%20Adelaide%20center/DSC_2122.jpg

More steel and what looks to be a third crane, second mobile one.
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/paul451/Bay%20and%20Adelaide%20center/DSC_2126.jpg

Some Forms
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/paul451/Bay%20and%20Adelaide%20center/DSC_2129.jpg

Signs that show that the sidewalk is probs going to be closed during the erection of the steel.
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/paul451/Bay%20and%20Adelaide%20center/DSC_2127.jpg

Some of the hoarding was taken down, I assume this has to do with the sidewalk closing signs and the steel.
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/paul451/Bay%20and%20Adelaide%20center/DSC_2130.jpg

Its really sweet to see the building at ground level, no-more hole.
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/paul451/Bay%20and%20Adelaide%20center/DSC_2131.jpg

The final, nice november day in TO.
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd313/paul451/Bay%20and%20Adelaide%20center/DSC_2135.jpg

paul on UT

thanks guy!!!!!

Good update. Indeed, no more hole.

Thanks for the update.

Nice pics, good updates

more steel, pics by Geekaroo over at UT...

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/4434/dsc00226ba4.jpg

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/4176/dsc00227je6.jpg

Great update! This one is rising fast.

Well its officially no longer just a concrete stump!

Great updates...

here are some updated Bay Adelaide shots.

courtesy of Geekaroo at UT.

Some Heavy Metal Rockers

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/4613/dsc00257pv5.jpg

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/9365/dsc00258yy2.jpg

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/381/dsc00259vm7.jpg


Pardon the dirty window
http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/1592/dsc00262sh2.jpg

Great update - thanks a million. This tower is now growing like there is no tomorrow!!!

In this render it doesn't really look like it reaches 217m, it looks like the height would closely match the 1 king west building in the back, anyone else think that?

http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/3940/73exw3.jpg

Thnx for the rendering Kamuix:cheers:

it's a monster lol

In this render it doesn't really look like it reaches 217m, it looks like the height would closely match the 1 king west building in the back, anyone else think that?

http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/3940/73exw3.jpg


Kamuix, I think they did the rendering shorter so they could show perspective.

The building would actually block FCP from view from this angle.

it's a monster lol

Yes it is... Yest it is!!!

Very true. If it would be as tall as that rendering indicates in reality, it would probably T/O at only 180 metres.. Anyhow, looks cool.

Nov, 2007
http://www.bayadelaidecentre.com//upload/photogalleryphotoimage/114-P1000169.jpg


From Marcanadian
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z236/Ziggy5857/BA_stacking_with_fasken.png

awesome:cheers:

Photos taken December 8th Looking west and south. The small Trump site is where the green billboard is located.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2309/2096951570_9cacc19423_b.jpg


The southeast corner of the tower looking north.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2365/2096951556_353584464f_b.jpg


Northwest corner of the tower looking south.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2385/2096951562_85928d7c76_b.jpg

Wow this building really plain and boring... Why doesn't someone build the beautiful city of Toronto the supertall that they deserve? I just don't get it.

Give us (Toronto) a break. We haven't had an office tower (major) built in this city for almost 20 years. We're just easing our way back into the game. Com'on man.

It's boring, but it's sleek and it's tall (yet massive). And the design is timeless.

A fine looking office tower...should be 380m:D
FCP has had the title way too f...ing long:down:

Give us (Toronto) a break. We haven't had an office tower (major) built in this city for almost 20 years. We're just easing our way back into the game. Com'on man.

It's boring, but it's sleek and it's tall (yet massive). And the design is timeless.

You echo many people's sentiment. It's not architecturally exciting. It's disappointing how boring it is, but at least we're finally getting major office towers going up. The excitement lies in the addition of a significant tower more than anything else.

nicest looking stump thus far:cheers:

Wow this building really plain and boring... Why doesn't someone build the beautiful city of Toronto the supertall that they deserve? I just don't get it.

that "someone" needs to be the city of toronto, because they strike down or shorten any 300m+ proposals that come up. it's fucking frustrating man, trust us. the good news is that it seems that the city is accepting the reality of the want to build a bit taller...we still won't get anything like Spire or even Sears for a decade or so, but there is definitely hope for something that replaces FCP as the second-tallest in the city.

Well, the old concrete stump has been demolished, but the building next to the historic one (which is to be preserved) is also being demolished. What is the name of those buildings next to the site of the Bay Adelaide West?

Quite a lot has been done with the steel frame since yesterday (and it's still morning):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v455/mongo62aa/2008-01-05.jpg

Bill

updated steel frame construction from the Bay Adelaide Webcam.

Great. It looks like we'll be seeing the first narrowing of the core anytime now.