Mirvish and Gehry: The Right Names for the Job
By Lucas on Oct 05, 2012
By now, everyone has heard of David Mirvish and Frank Gehry’s plan for King Street West: three towers, reaching more than 80 storeys, all of which are unlike anything Toronto has ever seen architecturally.
We are very excited about this project because this could be the turning point for architectural design in Toronto. Everyone from Kirkor Architects’ Clifford Korman to the Toronto Star’s Christopher Hume has criticized Toronto for being home to a plethora of mediocre towers, and for the most part, they are right.
Don’t get us wrong; there are many great designs in Toronto, like The L Tower by Cityzen, Castlepoint, and Fernbrook, or the new Daniels Spectrum in Regent Park – but shouldn’t a self-proclaimed world class city like Toronto strive for every building to be beautiful and unique? At last year’s PUG Awards, a man from the crowd said, “When cities like Paris and London plan to construct a new building, they seek out the best architect. In Toronto, they look for the best lawyer.”
If Mirvish and Gehry’s project is approved, and they are allowed to build tall and be creative, then that cynical/absolutely correct man from the PUG crowd will be proven wrong. Mirvish and Gehry can set new standards with their groundbreaking project, and Toronto can finally become a true world-class city.
For the most part, the project has received positive feedback, but there have been some negative nancies and Gehry-haters that have rejected the concepts for the development. We believe there is hope. Why? Because of David Mirvish and Frank Gehry. If anyone else proposed three 80-storey towers, it would have been shut down immediately, never to see the light of day. We’re not saying that there won’t be any vibrant displays of NIMBYism, but the number of people in support of the Mirvish family and the countless number of Gehry-fans probably outweigh the NIMBY factor.
Mirvish and Gehry still need to submit an application to the City, and then it will be in the City’s hands. Hopefully everyone involved recognizes that this is a game-changer for Toronto. If the plan is rejected or dumbed down, Toronto slips back into its groove of mediocrity. But, if the plan is approved, Toronto will change forever – architecturally and globally.
