CONDO CRITIC
Eglinton a victim of good intentions
February 20, 2010
Christopher Hume
Suburban intensification may sound like an oxymoron but it happens all the time. Eglinton Ave. E. is no exception; indeed, here's an area well into second or third wave of development. The large industrial complexes that appeared in the 1950s and '60s are now surrounded by malls and condos.
At the same time, buildings have grown taller; the lowrise topography of the post-war era has been replaced by residential skyscrapers.
The results can be interesting, if not always for the best of reasons. Different planning ideas have held sway over the decades, each leading to different outcomes. The spread-out aesthetic of traditional suburban planning has given way to densities that reflect increased land values in an ever expanding city.
Because density will be key to future prosperity, this is all good. The problem lies in design, planning and architecture.
Worst of all, the clash of intentions and philosophies along a street such as Eglinton means the public realm ends up as leftover space that people pass through but never inhabit.
CONDO CRITIC
ACCOLADE, 181 WYNFORD DR.: Located at the end of what might be described as a sort of suburban laneway, this failed attempt at architecture stands out on the landscape for all the wrong reasons: At a time when most buildings are going green, this one went blue.
What the designers were thinking isn't clear; perhaps it had something to do with a desire to create a monument, a local landmark. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but this tower – all 35 storeys of it – stands out as one of the most unfortunate-looking additions to the skyline in some years – and that's really saying something.
Located on the east side of the Don Valley Parkway, just north of Eglinton, this is the ghastly blue highrise that appeared recently. It sits on a small hard-to-find lot tucked in behind a badly designed hotel and other condos. Despite its height, Accolade occupies a relatively tiny site and makes good use of it.
The shaft sits atop a podium of about 10 floors; a precast concrete grid has been added to provide greater definition. From a distance, the (very traditional) massing of the tower is harmonious and makes sense. Tall and thin, it has a spire-like quality. More than most, this is a tower that celebrates verticality.
Too bad, then, about the choice of glass. For most, it will be hard to see beyond that obvious and painful mistake. That's why regardless of its virtues, this will forever be that blue building at Eglinton and the DVP.
GRADE: C-
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Email: condocritic@thestar.ca.
chume@thestar.ca
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