Love’m or hate’m, tall towers are as much a part of Toronto as the “gravy train” was to Rob Ford winning the election!  The growth of these towers, both in height and numbers, has attracted a of attention from various members of the community. The biggest complaint I hear from people on the opposing side of condos isn’t so much the number of them being built, but rather the heights at which they’re reaching… which leads to the age old question:

How tall is too tall?

Award winning architecture studio RAW invites all architecture buffs, shutterbugs and those interested in city design to contribute photos to a new Harbourfront Centre exhibit ‘TOO TALL?’ launching Sept 30.  In conjunction with the Toronto Society of Architects, Harbourfront has invited top architecture firms including RAW, Architects Alliance, KPMB and visual artist Douglas Walker to engage the public in a debate on the role, benefit and beauty of tall buildings.

RAW Architects (you may remember them from the wicked awesome bread party the held in May, or the fresh building design they delivered for Downtown Mini Cooper) is offering the general public a rare opportunity submit photos to the exhibit and put the debate over tall buildings into perspective.  Hundreds of images are needed!  Examining scale as a relative term, people are encouraged to send in a quick pic using any device of ANY building they consider to be tall, framed between their thumb and index finger. Could be a building people like or hate, just put it in perspective with a caption up to 140 characters.  Pictures will be incorporated into RAW’s ‘TALL IS MORE’ digital installation. Deadline for image submissions is Monday, September 26^th.

Images can be submitted via Facebook, Twitter or Email and should include a brief description up to 140 characters. Max file size is 600×800 pixels.

 Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/RAW-architects-and-designers/133960586658656

Twitter http://twitter.com/rawdesignTO

Email      tall@rawdesign.ca

‘TOO TALL?’ will launch with a VIP event Friday, September 30^th, and will be open to thepublic from October 1^st, 2011 through December 31^st, 2011. Harbourfront Centre is located at 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, ON M5J 2G8. For more information, please visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com

There’s two things I love in life: the smell of fresh bread, and architects that aren’t afraid to try something different… put the two of them together and you have the perfect recipe for a “loaf” of fun!

Last night, the Ontario Bread Co. was transformed into a block party of sorts as RAW hosted their annual “thank you” event! Guests walked down a lane-way off of Ossington and were greeted by an ice cream truck serving up summer time favourites. The crowd was made up of many different circles including real estate developers, HGTV hosts, fashion bloggers, tweeters and area residents.

Loaves of bread hung from the ceiling while the DJ played to the crowd from the office. (note the employee to the right carrying on business as usual)

The good times kept going as glasses of white wine were a common accessory for guests at the party!

Washroom were easily identifiable…Blue for the boys, Red for the girls!

What looked like the delivery yard, was used as the central focal point for last nights party! Tarps were set up above and thank god for that, as mother natures rainy side decided to join us towards the end of the night.

One of the coolest parts of the night for me was walking through the bread factory as workers prepared for the next days deliveries!

Tim (of ADhoc Marketing), Me, and Matthew (of BuzzBuzzHome) took a minute to pose with a loaf!

Its quite common to read about a project on the blog that’ll one day result in a high rise tower dominating over Toronto’s downtown core… and if you’re expecting that in this one, you’ll have to look somewhere else!

I recently attended the launch for Eleven Superior, Mimicos newest condominium project! Truthfully, I don’t have much experience in this part of town and was definitely intrigued to see what Mimico had to offer. The event was a huge success and featured local neighbourhood favourites…such as…french bites (crepes, duck confit, and maple syrup tarts) from Cafe du Lac, locally roasted, fair trade and bird friendly coffee from Birds and Beans, and an Eleven Superior signature sour apple martini by city favourite but local, Chasers Juice.  I know I know…this is supposed to be a real estate blog BUT the food from Cafe du Lac was sooooooooo good!  It’s a Montreal Bistro type-of set up and I highly recommend stopping by if your in the area (They also do a “Bring Your Own Wine” night).

Now back to the Real Estate side of things…

I’ve been spending a lot of my time on the East side of town lately, showing and selling at the various condo sites and hanging out in its eclectic coffee shops. The other day I was in the area gathering info on Trinity Lofts, when I passed the newly opened Mini Downtown…being a Mini Cooper driver/enthusiast/owner myself I just had to stop by!

The new looking dealership is MUCH different than the old! I first fell in love with my Cooper when I saw it sitting in the “loft-like” showroom at its King West location. The space had exposed brick, wood beams, and high ceilings. Shortly after I picked up the car, the dealership moved out of its place and headed east…Located in front of BMW Downtown (the tall glass building that can be seen from the DVP) the new place is an excellent evolution of design and space compared to its old digs.

Designed by Toronto based Raw Design (the geniuses’ in design behind the Cube Lofts on College St), it’s new look has replaced wooden beams with black steel ones and substituted hardwood floors with rectangular slate-like tiles. Perched above the showroom floor is the mezzanine that allows customers to watch their car being serviced as they hang out in the “lounge” atmosphere! The showroom is mainly black, but lightens up with the colourful Coopers that line the floor. Playful greens, oranges and other neon lights accent the space and help to put you in a “mini cooper” state of mind!

Check out some photos below. The East side of town is proving to be an excellent area, with tons of potential…I think we’ll be seeing more business follow Mini by heading east! If you to have thought about making the move  send me an email or give me a call… I’d love to help!

PS… if you’re looking to get into a Mini, talk to Sam Barbaro!  He did an awesome job getting me into mine and I’m sure he can do the same for you!!