Aura’s baby steps up to the sky. Image via Wikipedia
The City of Toronto has released new criteria for the design of tall buildings in the downtown core. The revised criteria – the first since 2006– use clearer language, layout and graphic illustrations to provide guidelines on design excellence, heritage conservation and sustainable design. New buildings are to “consider relationships to other tall buildings, including the cumulative effect of multiple towers on sunlight, comfort, and quality in the public realm,” as well as be “sympathetic” to heritage properties. The city is also encouraging sustainable design through the Toronto Green Standard, which sets out performance measures for tall buildings, covering air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, water quality, ecology and solid waste.
All of this comes after the announcements of ludicrously tall developments like Aura at Church St. and Wellesley Ave. (featuring a $17.5 million penthouse that hasn’t been sold yet) and 10 York at York St. and Harbour St.
Too little, too late? To the left, to the left…
[via Toronto Star]
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Vidal Wu is an intern at Toronto Standard. You can follow him on Twitter at @vidalwuu.
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