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It’s always nice to look out the north-facing windows at Grip.
The blue building on the left is the Art Gallery of Ontario, recently redesigned by Toronto-born architect Frank Ghery. You can’t really see it from this photo, but that gleaming silver extrusion is an exterior spiral staircase. This is the back of the building. The front resembles a post-modern glass pirate ship.
The white box on stilts at right is the Ontario College of Art and Design’s Sharp Centre for Design – completed in 2004 by British architect Will Alsop. I’ve heard there’s a bottleneck at the elevators that prevents good flow between the main OCAD building and the “tabletop.” Whatever. It looks cool.
On their own, each of these destination-architecture pieces helped to reinvigorate their organization’s brand. Together, they work hard to shape the story of the city that surrounds them.
Stuart Thursby
March 30, 2010 @ 10:17 am
I’m a fan of the recent “bit ticket” architecture projects in Toronto — namely the Michael Lee Crystal at the ROM, the OCAD tabletop and the AGO canoe.
Some people might decry them for being too avant-garde and too out of place in their surroundings, but these kind of buildings can spur on development in an area and push it forward. Sometimes I feel like Toronto rests on its laurels way too easily, so some envelope-pushing is a good thing so far as I’m concerned.
Javier Lovera
March 30, 2010 @ 10:33 am
Nice view! I wish my windows would oversee something other than a condo that just came up (which is merely 50 mts away from them).
As far as the recent architecture in town, I really like the AGO. The whole concept and flow of it is really nice, and the finishings and details are incredible.
I am with Stuart being a fan of the new developments, if nothing else to attract a tourist crowd Toronto is definitely in need for.