Downtown Toronto architecture

Took a stroll in downtown Toronto on Sunday in the business district. It’s a good time to do some architecture shots because it’s Sunday and the business district is finally empty of all the people. The two shots below are the fruit of the labour today.

This is Allen Lambert Galleria or “crystal cathedral of commerce”, which is located at the BCE Place. The roof structure is designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. The roof is 130 meters long and 27 meters high with only 9 arches going up to support the roof. As the arches goes up they split into two and the further up split into two again making that a 36 sections on the top. The top is then covered with glass to utilize the natural light. This must be one of the sexiest roof that I’ve ever seen.

This is Royal Bank Plaza taken together with the clock in front of the Union Station. The building’s exterior is covered in gold leaf. Under the correct lighting such as an late afternoon sun, the building shines like gold ingot. And real gold it is. The Royal Bank Plaza has 140,000 windows, to reduce the heating and cooling bills, 2,500 ounces of 24-carat gold is baked into the glass to help insulate the building. Real gold or not it sure does make a great photo.