Today Fri Sat
It is forcast to be Fog at 11:00 PM EDT on May 24, 2012
Fog
29°/18°		 It is forcast to be Chance of Rain at 11:00 PM EDT on May 25, 2012
Chance of Rain
31°/18°		 It is forcast to be Overcast at 11:00 PM EDT on May 26, 2012
Overcast
26°/15°

23 Comments

news

The Eight Buildings That Should Come Out on Top in the Pug Awards, and the Five That Should Be Torn Down Immediately

By David Topping

All photos courtesy of the Pug Awards. Photos of 263 Wellington and Chateau Royal by Joy von Tiedemann; photo of the Royal Conservatory by Edward Hueber; and photo of the Telus Tower by Shai Gil.

Comments

  • http://undefined the_yellow_dart

    To me, the one in Regent Park and the Salvation Army building are the worst. I don’t even understand what you guys are complaining about with most of the “Worst” pile. Personally I like the Chateau Royal better than most of your “Best” picks!!!

  • http://undefined smasharts

    Kudos to the photographers who found the right spot to capture these buildings – architectural photography is very difficult to get right.
    …and I hate the Chateau Royal for two reasons: 1. it’s buck ugly; and 2. the Frenglish mixing of the name just underlines it’s absurd design.

  • Mark Ostler

    Do any of these buildings channel ancient deities from other dimensions like the Ghostbusters building? Because if not then I’m spoiling my ballot.

  • David Toronto

    The Harbour Light doesn’t appear to have windows and therefore suggests it’s impenetrable. Imagine–no windows in a building at an intersection!
    The Conservatory is a mixture of old and new–just like music–Bach and Bartok.
    Number 60 Richmond St. East has as daring a design as Moshe Safdie’s Habitat ’67 did in its day. Say au revoir to the boring box!

  • http://undefined rek

    I can’t stand the jumbled/offset stack of boxes look, so 60 Richmond gets a fail. Zip looks like a rural high school circa 1977.
    The Conservatory wins just because part of the inside of the building used to be outside, an effect I can’t get enough of.
    The Arc is nice. And at least the Chateau isn’t another rectangle… you might even be able to fool yourself into thinking it’s a heritage renovation.

  • http://undefined Usus

    What building is the first picture of?

  • http://www.torontoist.com David Topping

    Same one as the second: 60 Richmond.

  • http://undefined Usus

    Sorry, just saw the second slide.

  • http://undefined Cobalt

    Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be any representation from the firm of Ivo Shandor and Associates.

  • http://undefined torontothegreat

    I’m always in awe of The Arc. It’s beautifully out of place in an area with 20 of the same buildings.

  • http://undefined Gloria

    Great picks. Agreed all around. The Chateau is atrocious — that faux historicism that doesn’t belong among genuine historical buildings (because it doesn’t get any of the classic principles that make up Old World beauty) or among contemporary ones.
    I really love Richmond 60 … it plays with depth and planes, and gives a little whismy, lots of light and air. I’m not sure I’d call it “daring”, but it’s clean and cool. I’d like to live in a place like that.
    It’s funny … the Edge development actually looks OK in your photo. It’s much worse in person — a dreary prison-like structure.

  • http://undefined Mark Ostler

    Sucks. I’m a huge Gozer fan.

  • http://undefined Eric26

    60 Richmond is definitely the winner in my book. I’m so glad that I get to see it every time I leave my apartment. On the other hand, I’m intensely jealous because I don’t live there.

  • http://undefined Snuggles

    It might not be daring in the sense of a Victorian adventure novel, but it’s certainly daring as Toronto Community Housing projects go.

  • http://undefined Gloria

    Fair enough!

  • http://www.blog.canoe.ca/canoedossier David Newland

    Kudos for putting conversations about architecture into this public forum.
    Regardless of whether you or any of us have a smattering of education on the matter, it’s a great subject for debate.
    And in that context, I’d like to berate you for pompously taking on the “boxy” building at Queen and Carroll, while ignoring the hideous “Rivertowne” development only a block away.
    Boxy it may be, but that building manages to coexist with its neighbours quite unassumingly, and has brought some great new energy to the neighbourhood.
    Rivertowne, despite much promise to the contrary, appears to have replaced Don Mount Court with a contemporary version of itself in red brick, just minus the faux-villa stucco. What a shame.

  • http://www.torontoist.com David Topping

    Rivertowne’s not a nominee for this year’s Pugs, as far as I can see (though correct me if I’m wrong!).

  • http://www.blog.canoe.ca/canoedossier David Newland

    You’re right David, and I should have been more clear: my point is you slagged a building on the basis of its looks without any reference to its context.

  • http://undefined John

    I think I agree with a majority of your picks, but not all. The Pugs really do seem to bring a focus on the buildings in isolation more than how they work in context.
    I like a lot of things about the Salvation Army building, but it is almost completely impermeable at street level. I know it’s intentional, but it really just contributes to a further deadening of Shuter & Jarvis Streets.
    I really love 60 Richmond as well, but think it fails in context too. There’s a reason the picture of it is from a full block south across a parking lot–when you’re walking on Richmond it’s looming and, with the blocks less visible, strangely repetitive.
    The Chateau Royal is fake, fake, fake. And they didn’t even bother to put nice fake details. That roof is particularly horrendous. But from street level, I suspect it works much better than most of the ones you’ve chosen as the best. The same goes for the tower on the Esplanade.

  • http://paul.kishimoto.name Paul Kishimoto

    part of the inside of the building used to be outside, an effect I can’t get enough of

    Ditto.

  • http://undefined MerCrigs

    Who are the experts?
    are you sure you have the right building people?
    London on The Esplanade is a great building – Christopher where are you? Even Mr. Hume gave it an A, i want to know how you generated these votes, this is disgraceful……come visit and i will take you for a tour and we will talk ARCHITECTURE…..416 777-2489 x224

  • http://undefined taliya01

    I absolutley do NOT agree with London on the Esplanade being on the worst list!! Come on people, this building is beautiful both inside and out! Wait until they get the canopy up and the trees are in bloom, Im sure you will change your tune.
    A spectacular addition to the St. Lawrence Neighborhood!

  • http://paul.kishimoto.name Paul Kishimoto

    I ALSO AM ANONYMOUS AND HAVE PECUNIARY INTEREST IN LONDON ON THE ESPLANADE.