Quote:
Originally Posted by IanWatson
I might be in the minority, but I am totally okay with most buildings being average when it comes to architecture. There are only so many ways to skin a cat, and when buildings try to stand out or be unique it just kinda gets overwhelming. I basically want my buildings to be:
(a) Cohesive
(b) Non-offensive
(c) Honest (i.e. not trying to "ape" other designs or architectural features--such as unnecessary columns or fake little peaked dormers)
(d) Quality materials
Beyond that I couldn't really give a crap, except in some high-profile locations. Great cities come from the people, the businesses, and the spaces inbetween.
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I agree with (a)-(d) although I'd say that satisfying those requirements makes a building above average in Halifax. The municipality should encourage the construction of good quality buildings. What new buildings don't all need to be is unique architectural standouts. Most of the highly valued heritage buildings in Halifax were built using the standard stylistic idioms of the time, with good quality materials, proportions, etc.
My main problem with the existing buildings along that block on Robie is that they are fairly small/plain and have gaps. The little bay window house at the southern end is nice but it's hard to adapt a building like that to a midrise commercial area. Houses like this are character defining for the city but it also might not make sense to keep them along major streets in central areas.