innsertnamehere said:
That is what happens when you have several hundred thousand people moving into cities every day.
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Huh? Several hundred thousand people a day would be around a hundred million people a year, moving into the cities. China is rapidly urbanizing, but not remotely as rapidly as that.

According to Wikipedia, China's urban population is projected to increase by some 230-250 million in the 23 years from 2012 to 2035 -- that's an average of 10-11 million a year or ~30 thousand a day, a factor of ten below your assertion. On a percentage basis, that's about a 33% increase in total urban population in 23 years, or a compounded average 1.2% increase per year.
 
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jtnathan said:
yes it is 45 bay but i think its either an old rendering or the architects portrayal of what could go there
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Yup, that looks like it's this old rendering of 45 Bay:


45bay.jpg

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=189643
 
Hanlansboy said:
Totally agree, so what if we have the most construction in the Western Hemisphere?......I equate it to the food critics expression on the Simpsons who says "why make 31 flavours when you can't get vanilla right?" Why do they keep building these square boxes of glass (which, I might add, will not last beyond 30 years before it all needs replacing) that look like clones of every other new tower (save perhaps Aura, the Ice Towers, and the L Tower)? If we're going to build, why not aim higher? The market is obviously there, and I'm willing to bet many would pay more for the distinction of living in an artistic tower of non-conformity. As for height, if I have one dying wish, it's that please, for the love of god, build something over 300 meters to top the very old record of FCP, with so much construction, it's time to take our skyline to the next level. I know we'll never be Dubai, nor should we be (we don't have any oil billionaires to pay for it), but the demand is there. I know many will completely disagree, but it's time we built something appropriate to usher us into the ever increasing heights of modern architecture. 1-7 Yonge has so much potential, yet they still manage to ruin the project before it even begins. Or is there something I'm not aware of? Is there a curse in Toronto on any building over 300 meters, or one with a little artistic merit? Bottom line, if we're going to brag to the international community about our rate of construction, then please, I beg of the powers that be, give us something worth bragging about.....but that's just my two cents.
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Absolutely right!
Also, I'm not saying that all the new condo should look like something out of Dubai (that would make the city even more ugly than it already is). I'm saying that developers should put money into not only the architecture to make the building stand out (i.e. more L Towers), but also put more money into energy saving and community-centred features, like NOT cladding the whole building in glass, having smaller and more diversified retail at street level, and including more 2 and 3 bedroom apartements.

As for the skyline I do think we need a super tall simply to distract the eye from the hideous behemoth that is the FCP, and hopefully new projects like M+G, One Bloor, and The Holt Renfrew Tower will take that role.
 
verticalvillage said:
...to distract the eye from the hideous behemoth that is the FCP,...
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I love to photograph FCP as one of my favourite structures in the financial district. I didn't realize that anyone thought that it was hideous lol. The recent recladding and renovations look awesome, plus it's right across the street from one of my other favorite complexes: TD Centre. The contrasting black TD Centre with the bright white FCP says that we are in 'Toronto'...(and thankfully we will never look like Dubai)!
 
Goes to show there's no accounting for taste. I too have a soft spot for FCP and the recladding has been a resounding success. Not sure what supposedly makes it "hideous" but hey - there's all room for all kinds of opinions in this burg.
 
I agree Lenser, how quickly we forget how sooty & stained it was. The re-clad is austere, clean, cool, crisp - very Artic. How many cores have a White/Black building? Like a huge polar bear standing on its hind legs with black eyes & claws.
 
The recaldding helped A LOT to improve the FCP's appearance, but I feel it just falls in the crack between good modernist architecture (TD Centre) and good postmodernist architecture (Brookfield Place). Also, the antennas are a mess.
Still, it looks a much better than the AON Centre in Chicago, which has a very similar floor plate and massing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aon_Center_(Chicago)
 
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FCP is one of the few office towers that is not a faceless glass box like everything else being built today, and people still don't appreciate it?
 
salsa said:
FCP is one of the few office towers that is not a faceless glass box like everything else being built today, and people still don't appreciate it?
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no doubt FCP is among 2 or 3 other boxes that are pretty but I think its really old it needs to retire and some other nice sexy looking supertall (not a box) should replace it. what do you guys think?
 
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ushahid said:
no doubt FCP is among 2 or 3 other boxes that are pretty but I think its really old it needs to retire and some other nice sexy looking supertall (not a box) should replace it. what do you guys think?
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Any sarcasm aside: First Canadian Place has been one of the star attractions to the Toronto skyline and downtown cityscape for many decades. It's part of the city's identity; and indeed "heritage" isn't limited to Toronto's oldest stock of buildings.
 
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