A bold vision for a quarter-billion-dollar film production hub in Toronto wowed the masses when first revealed in 2021, but the latest plans for the site have stripped away much of what made the project shine, leaving a comparatively sad collection of boxes indicative of a much larger problem with design in this city.

The proposed Basin Media Hub (since renamed Basin Media Studios) was to be a $250 million jewel in the ongoing redevelopment of the Port Lands, with a team of architects working to create a varied, walkable and aesthetically pleasing film production hub that would breathe new life into the barren post-industrial Ship Channel.

The 2021 plan for the new studio hub called for varied massings and splashes of colour.

New plans for the studio were revealed in 2023 — the same year the facility was initially set to open. The updated plan from developers Hackman Capital Partners and affiliate The MBS Group notably lacked much of the visual interest used to sell the public on the project back in 2021.

The updated 2023-2024 versions of the design notably lack much of the colour and variety proposed in the initial plan.

Approaching three years since first announced, an updated draft showing a detailed design for the production hub was presented to Waterfront Toronto's Design Review Panel in late March.

Varied massings have been replaced with simple box forms, while splashes of colour have been replaced with a uniform green and beige scheme.

Gone is the proposed extension of the red granite-paved waterfront promenade that lines much of Toronto Harbour's edge. However, documents show that the promenade will be advanced through a separate process, which could explain the granite paving's absence from the most recent renderings.

An updated rendering shows the granite-paved promenade matching existing waterfront walkways in Toronto has been removed from the plan.

Two glassy towers draped in greenery have been cut from the latest design, replaced with shorter buildings with less visual impact.

The new draft plans revealed for the Basin Media Studios follow an unfortunate yet entirely predictable three-step bait-and-switch cycle of overpromising and underdelivering:

• Step 1: Captivate the public with whimsical renderings
• Step 2: Get approval/funding
• Step 3: Realize that the design is not feasible and downgrade

What's truly insulting about this downgrade is the knowledge of what the lead design firm involved is capable of when provided an adequate budget.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is known for designing some of the most important structures on the planet, including the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, and other megaprojects like One World Trade Center in New York City.