City
Sexy Simcoe WaveDeck Waves Hello
Fun... sexy... unique. The sleek, curving design of Toronto's new waterfront WaveDeck isn't the only attractive aspect of the latest addition to our evolving waterfront. Today it was unveiled, coming in at half a million dollars under budget and opening two weeks ahead of schedule, after eight months of intense construction.
Acrobats danced across the deck at today's ribbon-cutting. The opening means the new $5.5. million urban dock is ready for tonight's Luminato finale, Cirque du Soleil (free, starting at 7pm).
The wonderful flamboyant new deck more than doubles the width of a pedestrian space that used to be grimly utilitarian. The deck is the latest in the Waterfront redesign by Adriaan Geuze, whose Dutch firm West 8 won Toronto's 2006 Waterfront design competition. Over time, a vibrant lakeside walkway will stretch from Bathurst to Parliament Street.
Alongside the acrobats, Toronto & Region Conservation was on hand to discuss the new fish habitat underneath and around the WaveDeck. Kids from nearby schools watched Gord MacPherson of Toronto & Region Conservation release fish, including foot-long bass and Northern pike, and a tiny scale-less catfish into their new habitat.
The fish haven't moved far -- they were captured elsewhere in the harbour earlier this morning. Apparently, if they like their new zone, with its specially-installed rock shoals, they'll stay. Let's hope they like the WaveDeck as much as I do.
"This wavedeck is unlike any structure you'll find anywhere in the world," said Toronto City Councillor Paula Fletcher at the opening. "The craftmanship on this wavedeck is just phenomenal. We're asking for 'wow' factors here at our waterfront." And for once, the city has delivered.
"Before" photo courtesy of Waterfront Toronto. All others by the author.
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This is so stupid in so many ways. One design grad gets something on their resume, and Toronto gets stuck with this for decades to come.
Asinine.
How do you build a wave deck, AND put RAILS on it, and then put up little placards saying "no skateboarding".
Let's all get worked up over this! Who wants to start a petition or something? Let's go, fellow BlogTO grandpas! Get off our lawns with your new-fangled curves! In my day a deck was flat and we liked it!
although i have to agree that the signage for "no skateboarding/blading" is so out of the way and teeny.. a little silly.
Why won't anyone notice this crazy price! This is pure example of corruption in this city: e-health, TTC, city council... wow, its all about the untendered contracts and kick backs
I saw this today, while visiting the "1000 Tastes of T.O."; foodie fair - the structure was quite beautiful. Tones of kids playing on it, with plenty of comfortable seating available - I especially loved the curved benches lining the dock's edge.
A definite improvement from the concrete wasteland it used to be.
the people who dont like it can stay in the 905 where they live anyways
After being privatized, the Federal government takes your tax dollars and gives millions and millions to the privatized waterfront. Not only has this privatized usurping of our waterfront taken place - even worse the privatized entity (called Harbourfront Centre) has privatized the sidewalk (where HFC trucks are parked every day) and roads in the surrounding neighborhood!!
HFC doesn't have the 10,000/year tourist buses (bringing tourists to Harbourfront Centre) park on Harbourfront Centre's 4 gigantic parking lots. Instead these 10,000/year tourist buses are parked for 1 to 6 hours at a time on the roads directly under NO PARKING signs in the neighborhood. At the same time these buses are idling for HOURS at time.
As well these illegally parked buses remove one lane of car traffic - which causes grid lock and lots of slow moving idling cars. The pollution is incredible! And so is the all night and day noise pollution - because of lack of design knowledge when it comes to public sound strategy.
So what's then? The Federal government takes more money out of your bank account - and gives this privatized entity another $40,000,000 to build these BRIDGES TO NOWHERE. These bridges have no function - whatsoever. That is unless you have one half of your ass removed so that you then can sit on the sloped seats on these Bridges to Nowhere . Only in Toronto.
Toronto's Waterfront has been sent to the "Hall Of Shame" by one of the world's outstanding organizations PROJECT FOR PUBLIC SPACES. Toronto continues to be the "Armpit Of Bad Design"
http://www.pps.org/great_public_spaces/list?type_id=2
1) Tear down the Bridges To Nowhere and demand Bridges to Somewhere.
2) Close Queen's Quay to all traffic. Are there not enough east/west roads already?
3) End the private ownership of the waterfront: Return all waterfront land to the people (the government). People living in the condos will be given a deadline to move out, and the taller buildings demolished entirely.
Who's with me? Let's die angry!