Cityzen Developments

Sam Talks: April 2012 Edition

This year has graced Cityzen with tons of activity already. Our sales offices are astir, though we do anticipate the pace of sales this year to be somewhat slower than last year. I think this is a good thing for the industry because it was so overheated last year.  

L Tower construction update: April 2012

Daniel Libeskind's building is elevating, accelerating and propelling forward steadily. At L Tower, we're pouring level 35 this week. Our crew is on a four-day cycle, so a floor is being carried out every four days. Of course, it helps that the weather has been pleasant.

L Tower's low-rise elevator door frames will be completed this week and will virtually wrap up by the end of next week. The cabs are currently being set up on the mid-rise elevators, and we're putting finishing touches to them this week. Sooner than later, the high-rise elevator construction work will start soon. 

Want to know more? See more of our latest L Tower construction photos here.

Top 8 curvy buildings in the world

Lately, we've got curves on our mind. The Monroe-esque contours of the Absolute towers in Mississauga have motivated us to study various types of sweeping, twisted and sinuous architecture around the world.
 

Much to our delight, there are numerous voluptuous buildings to be witnessed. After some serious Google searches and hours spent in the proverbial library, we've come up with a well-rounded, full-figured list of voluminous buildings. (No pun intended).
 

Here are our favourites: 

 

The Aqua Building on Chicago's waterfront wins for most impressive undulating. 

The Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles is just one example of the many astounding buildings designed by starchitect extraordinaire, Frank Gehry.
 

The Turning Torso in the influential, miniature town of Malmo, Sweden, stands as a whirling statue for all of Scandinavia.

Devious! Frank Gehry's Dancing Building in Prague, Czech Republic, has us sashaying towards its whimsy windows.

In Groningen, Netherlands, these coiling treats are actually the Education Executive Agency and Tax Offices. We wish taxes were this exciting.
 

The Guggenheim in New York City is a classic, with art winding through the interior of the building, while the exterior leaves us thinking about The Future.

The Jameson House slinks into Vancouver, B.C., making its mark as one of the city's most intricate buildings.
 

30 St. Mary Axe is a salacious bullet in a fragment of London's skyline.
We can dig it.
 

Don't know about you, but we're adding these to our architecture sightseeing bucket list. Are we missing your favourite building? Tweet us your favourite piece of curvy architecture! 

What do Migrating Landscapes sponsors say?

Over the last month, we've had the pleasure of speaking with other sponsors of Migrating Landscapes and asking them why they support the project. Here is what they had to say. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Migrating Landscapes wraps up at Brookfield Place (181 Bloor Street, Toronto) on February 24th. To vote for your favourite entry, head down to Bay and Front before it's too late. Which of the contestants do you think will make it to the Venice Architecture Biennale this summer?

Sam Talks: February 2012 Edition

This is the first of a monthly contribution that I'll be making to the official Cityzen blog. I'll discuss all things Cityzen including the latest updates on our projects, interesting things that we have in the pipeline, upcoming events and much more.

Life Backstage: Latest Construction Update from The Esplanade

We recently visited the corner of Yonge and The Esplanade in downtown Toronto to see the progress of Daniel Libeskind's L Tower, but we also stopped by the Backstage site to see what was new. Our previous trip to the site in November showed that it was truly at the early stages of preparation for excavation.

This time around, there was a bit more to see. Caisson drilling is roughly 80% complete and the first row of tie-backs on the south side of the site are 20% done. We're still in the early phase of excavation, but the main job for the next few months is to dig, dig, dig.

We hope to reach footing elevations in June. If everything goes as planned, we'll be back at street level early in 2013.

So, we're getting there! In one month, we'll provide you with another update. Check out our photos below, and visit Facebook for the full album.

L is for Libeskind: L Tower construction update

Our last L Tower construction update was in mid-November, and since then, we've shared tons about Daniel Libeskind but not enough about the progress of his latest Toronto building. So what's new at the L?

The highly anticipated building is currently built up to the 23rd floor and continuing at a pace of roughly one floor built per week.

Windows have been delivered with some initial installations on the 4th floor with more on the way.

We've received a delivery of windows up to the 9th floor so work will progress on installation in the coming weeks.

Plumbing, electrical, and water work will be starting in the next few weeks so our already busy site is about to get a whole lot busier.

The Sony Centre Back of House work has also been coming along nicely. 

L Tower is one of our most exciting projects yet that screams "starchitect". We are beyond excited to see the final project and how it will effect the Sony Centre's revitalization.

For all of our latest construction photos for L Tower, see our Facebook album. Anything you'd like to see in the next construction update? Let us know!

Pier 27 construction update: Latest from the Toronto waterfront

Though it may not look luxurious now, Pier 27 will be screaming prestige at Yonge and Lakeshore in the future. 

We visited the Toronto Waterfront site late last week and the progress made since our last visit this past November has been substantial to say the least!

Check out some of our photos below. For a full album of construction shots check out our Facebook album here.
 

With many different crews on site at the moment, things are going well, especially with the weather.

Work has progressed up to the 7th floor on buidling B1, and up to floor 4 in building B2.

Phase 3 of Pier 27 is currently undergoing approvals, and we hope to bring the project to market in the near future. 

A view of the Pier 27 site from the 20th floor of L Tower.

A new model suite is coming to the sales centre, and we hope to have it ready for viewing this spring.

Stay tuned for the latest updates on Pier 27 and many more of our projects. Got a question? Tweet to us or catch us on Facebook.

Backstage: Behind the future of Union Station

Union Station is one of Backstage on the Esplanade’s biggest amenities, and Canada’s central hub for inter-city and national transit. At its widely recognized home at Front and Bay streets, Union Station was officially opened in 1927 by Edward, the Prince of Wales. Embarking on a journey from Toronto to Alberta, the first ticket ever issued cost Edward $71.20, which would cost around $1,000 today. 

Since then, the station has vastly changed. Thousands of TTC and ViaRail customers ride into Union Station daily in addition to over 165,000 by GO train. It’s inevitable that Union Station will play a role in the development of Backstage on the Esplanade at Yonge Street. 

Backstage will allow an underground PATH connection, consolidating the condo with Union, and even reaching out to St. Lawrence Market. The south side of Backstage is alongside the railway corridor, but residents will find it quieter than living on your average downtown street. Law require trains to enter at low speeds while residential units are built eighty feet above rail lines.

It only begins there. Union station is undergoing a $640-million revitalization project with expected completion by 2015.
 

What to expect from Union Station in the future
 

Union Station strives to be a beautiful entry point into the city for commuters and visitors.  With strong levels of economic and urban growth, the city plans on accommodating the central core with the following improvements:

• GO Station concourse and glass atrium
• Increased number of exits and entrances
• Reduced commuter congestion
• Restoration of historical elements
• Rail links to Pearson International Airport
• Improved underground PATH connections and other weather-protected connections
• Improved public space
• Pedestrian priority zones at Front and Bay/York
   

Photo from thestar.com

A number of reports from the Master Plan in 2004, the District Study in 2005 and the Revitalization recommended approach in 2007 address significant issues for Union Station and provide as a blueprint for the future. Such issues include heritage conservation, efficient transit and urban design. 

Are you moving to Backstage? For more, see our construction update on Backstage on the Esplanade. 

Track to the future: Union Station's proximity to Backstage is quite prized.

For lots of great old photos of Union Station, check out this BlogTO post and this Torontoist post.

 

Why you should come to Brookfield Place on February 6th, 2012

Sam Crignano, president of Cityzen, has a new video out on Migrating Landscapes where he explains how Cityzen's design competition launched the career of Yansong Ma of Beijing's MAD Architects with Mississauga's Absolute Towers. Sam also describes why he personally supports Migrating Landscapes and where exactly the money is going. 

 

 

Paul Golini, chairman of the Building Industry and Land Development Association, wrote a column in the Toronto Star on January 6th to spread awareness about Migrating Landscapes that we wanted to share. Check it out for more information on the free exhibition.

In order for the winning team to get to Venice, Migrating Landscapes needs donations. Please donate if you support young Canadian emerging talent in architectural design. A charitable tax receipt will be provided by the RAIC Foundation.

You can also contact Sara Crignano at saracrignano@cityzen.ca and 416-777-2489 ext 225 to donate.