Play It Again, Jack could be the name of the show this morning when Waterfront Toronto's design review panel meets to consider the latest version of a large media complex on Queens Quay at the foot of Jarvis St.
The "Jack" in question is architect Jack Diamond, presiding guru at the firm Diamond and Schmitt Architects. He's returning to the review panel by popular demand to offer spiffy, improved renderings of what was once a secret building, known for reasons of security as "Project Symphony."
Diamond had been commissioned by the Toronto Economic Development Corp. (TEDCO) to design a media complex across from the Tate & Lyle (formerly Redpath) sugar refinery. But two months ago, when he presented a preliminary design to the review panel, things got a bit nasty.
"No applause?" asked Diamond.
Instead of applause, he got complaints from rival architects on the panel: that the plan lacked magic, the design did not engage the public, he should raise the bar higher.
Diamond feels confident that when he presents his improved version of Project Symphony today, the response will be much more positive.
After all, he has added details, such as an egg-shaped studio visible within a light-filled atrium dividing two halves of office towers, and a restaurant that spills out into an outdoor lakeside café, that some might even say deliver magic and raise the bar.
"A lot of shaping has taken place since that first meeting," says Diamond. And he has a sensational site, next to the Jarvis St. slip.
"This will be a catalyst of the first order," Diamond says. "It's the first building on the East Bay and it will animate the area."
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