[Hed Kandi]

Aside from the upcoming Ritz Carlton and Jameson House, I find Vancouver's architecture to be very uninspiring and underwhelming.

I spent the last 30 mins or so browsing through world wide construction and I found myself inspired by what I had scene. International architecture firms such as UN Studios, Toyo Ito, Zaha Hadid, Future Systems, BIG, Atkins, Santiago Calatrava, etc grace cities around the globe with their art.

Yet Vancouver seems to receive the same old regurgitated designs with the green glass, mullions, and spandrels. Oh how I hate spandrels ! :doh: It's ironic that North Americans coin themselves as liberal and progressive, yet the majority of North Americans are some of the most conservative, short sighted people out there.

Vancouver needs to hold competitions with international design firms rather than assigning a project to a local studio. Great designs can be accomplished even with an imposed height limit.

Anyways, for those who haven't visited the international city threads - here is a very small sample of what is being developed world wide.

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/852/1vhnf39uvqn88jj2kq3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/3928/02ks1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/9473/20070626f4d80053412dd02tn9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/541/bionictowerxn6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/5539/efefoh2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/5826/8fe0b1a3c67cc95c6ae2f17wl4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/1338/200781520313476385qa9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/1199/03omabtmcnightviewlookiir5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/2475/44879qv1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/3928/njhvjna9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/4958/parkmichigan9dyjo3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/1836/2789721159441421yw9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/8338/fileview09ok9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/99/asadcfct7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/2633/njjbxs6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/5439/alburj1yams1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/7938/jiangbeitwinsgy1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/9180/f819fcf1pv4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/8227/nnhm0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/1308/jkbkjq4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/3966/mmmbmyt7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/4364/1156323335knuve4hqtyvrfq8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/6318/filenightscene3wf8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/3704/regatta2nl8yt4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/9821/mmkdp4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/8083/riai068rf9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/2619/toyoitomikimotoginza2zh4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/7190/401pxtorrespetronasmayogi0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)




http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/5508/200786210548172gq7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/5520/filerender3baf0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/8408/lnknkym4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/9268/vw0o5626kz0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/3559/18973290vg4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/4264/northnewzoneplan1tj0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/9382/retrieveassetca2cvd6wikzm5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/7686/zaha4dr4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/6467/cathedral20hill20tower2sr6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/7066/cctvheadquarters12he9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/8541/ewt01iy4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/4214/1539641122360202gboopu4ud9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/5466/1181264377jongrod1100pt7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/2134/20820416337db4714aaoyh1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/7605/bjkbjgz6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/9375/njbi1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/6756/180745169fb2197b86abwz1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/8634/14221100020asymptote20pxy1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/8139/projets006tourbouyguestub0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[SpongeG]

but we have the mountains and the scenery we don't need to outdo nature

note the sarcasm

cool stuff - maybe a suburb can pick up the ball that vancouver never picked up and do something great

[Hed Kandi]

but we have the mountains and the scenery we don't need to outdo nature

note the sarcasm

cool stuff - maybe a suburb can pick up the ball that vancouver never picked up and do something great


Yeah the suburbs of Dubai and China. :haha:

[nathan6969]

These look great in dubai or shanghai where its the norm, but i can't imagine any of these in downtown vancouver.

[Hed Kandi]

These look great in dubai or shanghai where its the norm, but i can't imagine any of these in downtown vancouver.


This tower would look great in Dubai or China too.


But wait...


It's being built right in the heart of downtown Vancouver.


I just can't imagine.




http://cdn.travidia.com/rop-ad/5062091

[giallo]

I agree with you, Hed, but for every one of those Shanghai proposals you posted there is another one that looks absolutely terrible. Risk comes with it's rewards, but also with it's failures. Shanghai is a perfect example. The city has some of the most amazing modern architecture found anywhere. It also has some of the ugliest buildings I've ever seen. Some of these looked pretty nice in their initial renderings, but turned out catastrophically bad when brought to fruition. That being said, I'd personally take the risk, but I can understand why Vancouver and other NA cities don't.

[Hed Kandi]

I agree with you, Hed, but for every one of those Shanghai proposals you posted there is another one that looks absolutely terrible. Risk comes with it's rewards, but also with it's failures. Shanghai is a perfect example. The city has some of the most amazing modern architecture found anywhere. It also has some of the ugliest buildings I've ever seen. Some of these looked pretty nice in their initial renderings, but turned out catastrophically bad when brought to fruition. That being said, I'd personally take the risk, but I can understand why Vancouver and other NA cities don't.

Everything in Lujiazui is looking pretty good right now.

http://www.skyscrapers.cn/forum/attachments/20071004_9277d3850b041f6ed972pH0IX0oqEYfr.jpg

[giallo]

Lujiazui has had some real stunners go up since I've moved here. There are a few that are rising in the area that look awful though. For example, the one just to the right of the Jin Mao (the Merryland Tower) is a disaster. It's true that most office towers in Shanghai have good to great architecture. It's the residential towers that really suffer from either a lack of imagination or they're just plain ugly. Vancouver has a far better residential stock than any Chinese city.

[Hed Kandi]

Just updated with some new ones!

[Coldrsx]

if you guys think asia and dubai are examples of architectural excellence...you better go back to bed. Sure there are interesting buildings, some very good ones, but generally i find both areas some of the worst greenhouses of modern design.

vancouver is bland generally speaking, but nice bland. As much as i hate it, it is well done and not something you will go yuck to in 10 years....bored maybe but not yuck.

[giallo]

^ I don't like most of what is going up in Dubai, but east Asia, well China, has some of the most incredible buildings going up in the world right now. The CCTV Building in Beijing looks like it may trail behind BOC in HK as one of the most appealing modern skyscrapers of our time. The SWFC is better than any skyscraper that has been built in the last 5 years in NA or Europe (excluding the Turning Torso).
All China is is a playground for the world's best and brightest architects. There is a lot of shite, but it takes a backseat when compared to the rest. Asia does not have a monopoly on bad high-rise architecture. This is something I though you'd recognize coming from Edmonton.

I do agree with you on Vancouver's overall blandness though.

[Hed Kandi]

if you guys think asia and dubai are examples of architectural excellence...you better go back to bed. Sure there are interesting buildings, some very good ones, but generally i find both areas some of the worst greenhouses of modern design.

vancouver is bland generally speaking, but nice bland. As much as i hate it, it is well done and not something you will go yuck to in 10 years....bored maybe but not yuck.

I'm not one for being bored or bland.

And yes we will look back on Vancouvers new condos and feel the need to vomit, just as we do when we look at the condos from the 70's and 80's of Vancouvers west end.

[jlousa]

Wow pretty harsh words. Fact of the matter, while we are far from perfect I beleive Vancouver is doing a great job. There is plenty of variety you just have to look for it with your eyes open. Yaletown proper has a very distinct design going, as does Gastown proper, head over to Coal harbour and you'll again notice the building are distinct to that area. Yes each area will have buildings that look similiar but that is a good thing, it adds to the community feel. Trust me the last thing we want is a Las Vegas style of architecture where each builing is competeing with each other for attention. The buildings should blend into the community. Thats not to say they can't look beautiful. I will disagree that we'll look bad in 10 years, heck I don't even think the westend look bad now 30 years later. While it might not be an architectal paradise, it is a casestudy in urban planning. Some of us are too obessed about the buildings to realize it was never about the buildings, it's about the people.

[Coldrsx]

^ I don't like most of what is going up in Dubai, but east Asia, well China, has some of the most incredible buildings going up in the world right now. The CCTV Building in Beijing looks like it may trail behind BOC in HK as one of the most appealing modern skyscrapers of our time. The SWFC is better than any skyscraper that has been built in the last 5 years in NA or Europe (excluding the Turning Torso).
All China is is a playground for the world's best and brightest architects. There is a lot of shite, but it takes a backseat when compared to the rest. Asia does not have a monopoly on bad high-rise architecture. This is something I though you'd recognize coming from Edmonton.

I do agree with you on Vancouver's overall blandness though.

for every 2 awesome towers in asia going up there are 20 brutal ones.......

But i do agree there are some of the most interesting designs coming from asia, nice maybe not, but interesting.

"Asia does not have a monopoly on bad high-rise architecture. This is something I though you'd recognize coming from Edmonton."

thank you for reminding me

[Lee_Haber8]

Wow pretty harsh words. Fact of the matter, while we are far from perfect I beleive Vancouver is doing a great job. There is plenty of variety you just have to look for it with your eyes open. Yaletown proper has a very distinct design going, as does Gastown proper, head over to Coal harbour and you'll again notice the building are distinct to that area. Yes each area will have buildings that look similiar but that is a good thing, it adds to the community feel. Trust me the last thing we want is a Las Vegas style of architecture where each builing is competeing with each other for attention. The buildings should blend into the community. Thats not to say they can't look beautiful. I will disagree that we'll look bad in 10 years, heck I don't even think the westend look bad now 30 years later. While it might not be an architectal paradise, it is a casestudy in urban planning. Some of us are too obessed about the buildings to realize it was never about the buildings, it's about the people.

Nailed it. Architecture isn't art - if you have an ugly painting you can just put it away in some closet. People have to live with architecture and buildings last a long time. The most important thing for buildings is that they interact well with the surrounding community and are friendly to people who use them and walk by them. Vancouver has done an excellent job at this, what Vancouver needs to do now is add some 'foreground' and signature buildings to a very good background

[Lyle]

A lot of those look like fantasy/vision renders that will never or are not intended to be built...

[SFUVancouver]

I think that inspiration is good. I think that this city’s last international architectural competition for the new main library resulted in a very good outcome. What I do think is important to remember about that exercise is that the architecture critics savaged it as being pastiche and out of context while the public fell in love. Moreover it accomplished the nearly impossible in that it both fits in and stands out while being highly functional.

I am thrilled Vancouver is getting some standout architecture lately with the Ritz-Carlton and yet I think we are selling ourselves short if we ignore the handful of good pieces that already exist with Canada Place being first and foremost on that list. However most of the new Vertical Vancouver Specials™ were never designed to be icons or on the cover of Architectural Record, but instead they were built to bring people downtown and offer a viable, and desirable, alternative to the suburb, and this includes the executive suburb.

The vast majority of the condo towers were built for the $300 - $600 per square foot crowd, not the $1000+ crowd that are being wooed for the Ritz-Carlton, Hotel Georiga, Fairmont Pacific Rim, Jameson House, Harbour Green 2 & 3, the Erickson, Millennium Water, etc. What I think is remarkable is that we got such good architecture for the majority of these rather affordable condo towers. We’ve taken a quantum leap forward in what’s an acceptable proposal from the bad old days of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. What was once enthusiastically approved by a rubber stamp permit department in the days before the Development Permit Board and the Urban Design Panel would now be laughed out of the room. No architect worth his salt would propose the commie blocks of that era today. Instead what we’re building is their modern iteration. They’re aesthetically passable, functional, and, moreover, wholly necessary to yielding the kind of neighbourhood that has been deemed desirable, and proven itself so to date.

I would love to see Parisian densities throughout our city on the main streets and thoroughfares, and while this is coming, the buildout of downtown over the last decade has given us a skyline identity. As others have said, we’ve got the background, now lets build some standouts. Rolling back height limits in the CBD and strategic locations elsewhere in the core will go a long way towards making the economics of architecturally significant buildings work. I think we may have missed the boat for this boom, though, at least so far as hyper luxury residential buildings are concerned. That list of top tier luxury projects is pretty long already and it may be hard for new projects to crack. I think we’ve already seen this with Jameson House taking longer than normal to get moving.

It is a good thing this city has as many millionaires, both on paper and the true variety, to be able to see projects like the Shangri-La, Ritz-Carlton, etc. ever see the light of day. Those too could have been glossy renders like the one’s Hed Kandi posted that we could ooh and ah over. I’d love to see some of those built and I would lay down in front of the bulldozers to stop some of the others from breaking ground. We’re making a city here, not a sculpture garden. This setting of ours is both our greatest asset and, possibly the greatest detriment to architectural creativity. We used to be the setting in search of a city, now we’re a city, but nothing can hope to live up to the setting. I’ll look back on the build out of Yaletown with pride, both that the true heart of Yaletown was saved and that the whole place isn’t overrun by millionaires. Real people and families live there, alongside absentee penthouse owners, spoiled dog-carrying brats, and the fake-it-till-you-make-it sleazy types. In other words it is a real neighbourhood and not a monoculture. To a large degree the average Vancouver Special condo tower made that possible.

[leftside]

Nailed it. Architecture isn't art - if you have an ugly painting you can just put it away in some closet. People have to live with architecture and buildings last a long time. The most important thing for buildings is that they interact well with the surrounding community and are friendly to people who use them and walk by them. Vancouver has done an excellent job at this, what Vancouver needs to do now is add some 'foreground' and signature buildings to a very good background

I'd love to see 3-4 tall significant buildings in the core of downtown. Seattle has a few.

[Pinion]

I definitely think Vancouver is being too architectually safe but isn't there a happy medium? Most of those buildings are horrible.

I think we're on the right track with the very latest buildings in the city. Just enough innovation without being tacky.