Proposed Office Building & Pedestrian Bridge for Pickering - Page 2

AndrewJM3D · January 12th, 2011, 03:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticMcGoo

What else is suppose to anchor Pickering? The power plant?

Frenchmans Bay? How about a little urban planning like Markham or Vaughan are doing? Building a town around a mall is just sad.

MysticMcGoo · January 13th, 2011, 09:53 AM

The Frenchmans Bay area is actually very nice. But it had long before been residential. You cannot have a commercial area in there as well as the marina.

AndrewJM3D · January 14th, 2011, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticMcGoo

The Frenchmans Bay area is actually very nice. But it had long before been residential. You cannot have a commercial area in there as well as the marina.

It could still be done but no develper would be willing to invest and buy up that bmuch property that close to the power plant.

Sikandar · January 19th, 2011, 01:18 PM

***Taller, Better*** · January 19th, 2011, 07:06 PM

I like it! Very interesting.

vancouverite/to'er · January 20th, 2011, 08:09 PM

I think it'll have to be adjusted to accomodate the proposed expansion to 16 lanes.

Innsertnamehere · January 20th, 2011, 09:16 PM

is it just me or do the go trains look a bit too different from what they actually are??? they look like high speed rail trains (i wish)

Epi · January 20th, 2011, 10:13 PM

It would be funny if Toronto decided to adopt these trains. They look more or less like the Japanese Shinkensen high speed trains, except they appear not to be electric... sort of like those kit cars that people build that look like Ferraris but are actually crappy cars on the inside.

Sikandar · January 21st, 2011, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vancouverite/to'er

I think it'll have to be adjusted to accomodate the proposed expansion to 16 lanes.

I think you're referring to the proposed expansion east of Brock Road (2km east of this bridge.) The 401 through Pickering is the usual 14-16 lanes that is seen through Toronto.

AndrewJM3D · January 21st, 2011, 01:14 AM

I can't help but think this thing is going to get very dirty and very weathered fast.

current · July 15th, 2011, 03:50 AM

Toronto Star article:

Pickering’s Bridge to the Future Takes Shape

Carola Vyhnak
Urban Affairs Reporter
Published On Thu Jul 7 2011

Fifteen years ago it would have been the bridge to nowhere. Today it’s Pickering’s connection to the future.

Spanning 14 lanes of Canada’s busiest highway, the 250-metre, mesh-covered tube is rapidly taking shape, linking the GO station on the south side of the 401 to the city’s burgeoning downtown core on the north.

But the unique $22.5 million bridge just east of Liverpool Rd. is more than a safe, weather-protected crossing for pedestrians and cyclists.

It is, Mayor Dave Ryan proudly states, a “catalyst for growth” in the city of 94,000 east of Toronto.

“Now we have a way of fulfilling our role as a destination place,” he says of the gateway to Durham Region. The structure is also a fitting milestone during Pickering’s bicentennial year, he adds.

Expected to be completed in September, the fully accessible bridge will be wrapped in a metallic skin and illuminated with LED lighting, giving it the appearance of a giant, glowing worm at night.

It will be anchored by a just-opened 10-storey office tower, transit hub, learning centre and 500-spot parking deck on the north, and GO bus and train station with 1,300 new parking spaces on the south.

When city council tossed around the idea of building a link back in 1996, Ryan shot it down. “I called it a bridge to nowhere because there would be nothing else” besides the shopping mall on the north side.

Fast forward to 2006 when the Muncipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), which occupied a building in the north-east corner of Liverpool and the 401, had outgrown its space. Determined not to lose the corporation — and its 250 jobs — Ryan got the ball rolling for a new office tower with MPAC as anchor tenant. That led to an opportunity to build the bridge with government money for infrastructure projects.

A mad scramble followed to get funding and construction plans in place but everything came together, along with a commitment by Durham and Centennial colleges to jointly open a two-storey learning centre at the foot of the bridge.

“The location is excellent,” says Durham College president Don Lovisa, citing 401 exposure, proximity to Pickering Town Centre, and public transit options for students from the east and west....

....Soon, trusses will be installed to connect the stairways at either end of the 17-metre-high bridge. Ryan reckons that will be an end to perplexed observers asking: “What’s with the ski hills?”

Read More: http://www.thestar.com/news/article/...re-takes-shape

doady · July 16th, 2011, 03:35 PM

It looks great, but it is it really worth building such expensive pedestrian infrastructure in a suburban wasteland like the 905? No one would actually use this. People drive to the station, no one is going to walk there.

AndrewJM3D · July 16th, 2011, 06:41 PM

doady, it will get used. It links the station to the mall. Personally I think it's kind of ugly though.

icemachine · July 17th, 2011, 02:30 AM

I like it, and since their is supposed to be a college campus going in the north side, there should be lots of students using GO services

MysticMcGoo · July 17th, 2011, 04:50 AM

Which college?

icemachine · July 17th, 2011, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticMcGoo

Which college?

It's a joint project between Centennial and Durham Colleges

Quote:

http://www.centennialcollege.ca/news...hdurhamcollege

On June 20, Centennial College and Durham College announced their partnership with the City of Pickering in a venture to establish a joint learning centre at the Pickering Town Centre, the first post-secondary education facility in Pickering’s 200-year history.

The purpose-built, two-storey building will offer graduate certificate and continuing education programs commencing with the fall 2012 semester. The centre will feature classrooms, a computer lab, student space and offices in a new addition to a large office building already situated at the Pickering Town Centre. The building will be tied to the Pickering GO station via a new pedestrian bridge currently under construction across Highway 401.

Innsertnamehere · August 16th, 2011, 02:57 AM

although i didn't take a picture of the office building, it is pretty much finished, and looks quite sleek.

icemachine · August 16th, 2011, 07:11 PM

Drove by this on my way home from Montreal on the weekend, it will be quite interesting to see once it has its skin.

Innsertnamehere · August 17th, 2011, 02:11 AM

it looks quite boring in its current state that is for sure.

icemachine · August 17th, 2011, 04:39 PM

It really is reminiscent of a snake, I just hope it doesn't shed its skin.

January 13th, 2011, 09:53 AM	#22
MysticMcGoo d(X_x)b Join Date: May 2010 Location: Toronto Posts: 1,567 Likes (Received): 60	The Frenchmans Bay area is actually very nice. But it had long before been residential. You cannot have a commercial area in there as well as the marina. __________________ An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest. - Benjamin Franklin "The Fascists of the future will be Anti-Fascists". Winston Churchill In real life, there are no good guys and bad guys. Everyone feels justified in their actions, and still manage to sleep at night. - Humble the Poet .....................::::::::::::::::::::::::........................ My July 2012 North American Road trip!

January 19th, 2011, 01:18 PM	#24
Sikandar Iman, Ittehad, Nazm Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Toronto Posts: 611 Likes (Received): 5	Pickering Bridge renderings

January 19th, 2011, 07:06 PM	#25
*Taller, Better* Administrator Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Toronto Posts: 52,836 Likes (Received): 307	I like it! Very interesting. __________________ Please visit my photoblog! Montréal \| Mexico \| Niagara-on-the-Lake \| Brazil \| Hamilton aka "The Hammer"! "Fine words butter no parsnips"-17th Century proverb.

January 21st, 2011, 01:14 AM	#30
AndrewJM3D Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Location: Toronto Posts: 8,016 Likes (Received): 14	I can't help but think this thing is going to get very dirty and very weathered fast. __________________ Rob Ford October 8th 2010- ‘I will assure you that services will not be cut, guaranteed’

July 16th, 2011, 06:41 PM	#33
AndrewJM3D Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Location: Toronto Posts: 8,016 Likes (Received): 14	doady, it will get used. It links the station to the mall. Personally I think it's kind of ugly though. __________________ Rob Ford October 8th 2010- ‘I will assure you that services will not be cut, guaranteed’

January 20th, 2011, 08:09 PM	#26
vancouverite/to'er Registered User Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 2,007 Likes (Received): 1	I think it'll have to be adjusted to accomodate the proposed expansion to 16 lanes.

January 20th, 2011, 09:16 PM	#27
Innsertnamehere insertoronto Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Toronto Posts: 1,942 Likes (Received): 16	is it just me or do the go trains look a bit too different from what they actually are??? they look like high speed rail trains (i wish)

January 20th, 2011, 10:13 PM	#28
Epi Registered User Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Toronto Posts: 2,581 Likes (Received): 8	It would be funny if Toronto decided to adopt these trains. They look more or less like the Japanese Shinkensen high speed trains, except they appear not to be electric... sort of like those kit cars that people build that look like Ferraris but are actually crappy cars on the inside.

July 15th, 2011, 03:50 AM	#31
current Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1,944 Likes (Received): 3	Toronto Star article: Pickering’s Bridge to the Future Takes Shape Carola Vyhnak Urban Affairs Reporter Published On Thu Jul 7 2011 Fifteen years ago it would have been the bridge to nowhere. Today it’s Pickering’s connection to the future. Spanning 14 lanes of Canada’s busiest highway, the 250-metre, mesh-covered tube is rapidly taking shape, linking the GO station on the south side of the 401 to the city’s burgeoning downtown core on the north. But the unique $22.5 million bridge just east of Liverpool Rd. is more than a safe, weather-protected crossing for pedestrians and cyclists. It is, Mayor Dave Ryan proudly states, a “catalyst for growth” in the city of 94,000 east of Toronto. “Now we have a way of fulfilling our role as a destination place,” he says of the gateway to Durham Region. The structure is also a fitting milestone during Pickering’s bicentennial year, he adds. Expected to be completed in September, the fully accessible bridge will be wrapped in a metallic skin and illuminated with LED lighting, giving it the appearance of a giant, glowing worm at night. It will be anchored by a just-opened 10-storey office tower, transit hub, learning centre and 500-spot parking deck on the north, and GO bus and train station with 1,300 new parking spaces on the south. When city council tossed around the idea of building a link back in 1996, Ryan shot it down. “I called it a bridge to nowhere because there would be nothing else” besides the shopping mall on the north side. Fast forward to 2006 when the Muncipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), which occupied a building in the north-east corner of Liverpool and the 401, had outgrown its space. Determined not to lose the corporation — and its 250 jobs — Ryan got the ball rolling for a new office tower with MPAC as anchor tenant. That led to an opportunity to build the bridge with government money for infrastructure projects. A mad scramble followed to get funding and construction plans in place but everything came together, along with a commitment by Durham and Centennial colleges to jointly open a two-storey learning centre at the foot of the bridge. “The location is excellent,” says Durham College president Don Lovisa, citing 401 exposure, proximity to Pickering Town Centre, and public transit options for students from the east and west.... ....Soon, trusses will be installed to connect the stairways at either end of the 17-metre-high bridge. Ryan reckons that will be an end to perplexed observers asking: “What’s with the ski hills?” Read More: http://www.thestar.com/news/article/...re-takes-shape

July 16th, 2011, 03:35 PM	#32
doady Registered User Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 1,792 Likes (Received): 0	It looks great, but it is it really worth building such expensive pedestrian infrastructure in a suburban wasteland like the 905? No one would actually use this. People drive to the station, no one is going to walk there.

July 17th, 2011, 02:30 AM	#34
icemachine Registered User Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Richmond Hill Posts: 458 Likes (Received): 0	I like it, and since their is supposed to be a college campus going in the north side, there should be lots of students using GO services

July 17th, 2011, 04:50 AM	#35
MysticMcGoo d(X_x)b Join Date: May 2010 Location: Toronto Posts: 1,567 Likes (Received): 60	Which college? __________________ An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest. - Benjamin Franklin "The Fascists of the future will be Anti-Fascists". Winston Churchill In real life, there are no good guys and bad guys. Everyone feels justified in their actions, and still manage to sleep at night. - Humble the Poet .....................::::::::::::::::::::::::........................ My July 2012 North American Road trip!

August 16th, 2011, 02:57 AM	#37
Innsertnamehere insertoronto Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Toronto Posts: 1,942 Likes (Received): 16	although i didn't take a picture of the office building, it is pretty much finished, and looks quite sleek.

August 16th, 2011, 07:11 PM	#38
icemachine Registered User Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Richmond Hill Posts: 458 Likes (Received): 0	Drove by this on my way home from Montreal on the weekend, it will be quite interesting to see once it has its skin.

August 17th, 2011, 02:11 AM	#39
Innsertnamehere insertoronto Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Toronto Posts: 1,942 Likes (Received): 16	it looks quite boring in its current state that is for sure.

August 17th, 2011, 04:39 PM	#40
icemachine Registered User Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Richmond Hill Posts: 458 Likes (Received): 0	It really is reminiscent of a snake, I just hope it doesn't shed its skin.

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