archited
Senior Member
The Design is not bad -- I would rank it better than Tower B (Ice District) but not quite as good as the Mackenzie Tower (which it seems to emulate in its facade details -- the Mackenzie Tower has an interesting vertical articulation that progresses from base to penthouse), X has expressed an effort at exposing the MacDonald from a street view perspective by stepping back the floor plan on the south side of the building, leaving room for the possibility of an interesting publicly accessible park as a buffer between two architectural types. The reason that I like this design better than the curvilinear first effort is that it is less affronting to the Mac Design and it somehow correlates and makes better the design of the existing building to the east. Its repetitive detail also anchors its place with the twin towers across the street to the west. I also like that its mechanical penthouse fits with the design and that the podium comes out to the street on the Jasper Ave. side. Although not much is discernible in this rendering regarding the proposed park (and it is likely only rough conception at this point), I like the sweep of the space, again reinforcing the visual connection to the Mac Hotel. Because of the podium step-back, there is ample opportunity for retail and hospitality ventures facing the park to enhance its activity quotient -- the previous design exhibited none of that.
