Quote:
Originally Posted by wardlow
I'm not stating one or the other that TNS is destined to be lumped with Portage Place, Winnipeg's Hopeful Megaproject par excellence. However, it's pretty undeniable that the surrounding urban fabric was of little consideration. Note the primary orientation (both in terms of details and entrances) being toward the quasi-public plaza, at the expense of both the Hargrave and Graham. For example, concrete elevator cores(?) for both towers are pushed back against the Hargrave and Graham facades, leaving stretches of blank walls instead of commercial units with doors and windows.
TNES even wanted to move the busy transit stop from Graham between Hargrave and Carlton!
It's looking pretty good, and it's definitely exciting to see something so big and ambitious rise on a piece of property that was a surface parking lot since the Depression. But to me there's too much insularity in the design for it to be considered truly urban.
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But that was always the point... it was supposed to orient inwards, become a gathering place in and of itself, not just a pretty neat development that plays nice with the area...
For one, nothing is happening on Hargrave anyway... there's nothing to integrate with. A case good be made to be more accessible to Graham,, but given the high transit traffic they might actually be wary of loiterers (it's a stretch, but perhaps). Carlton is clearly integrated through the skywalk and Sutton development.
The little grip I have is that the north east corner isn't so much like a gateway to the MTS centre but an afterthrought.
Quote:
Originally Posted by esquire
I'm with Wigglez, newer buildings built flush to the street are too rare downtown. Obviously if TNS involves brick walls along all the sidewalks (like at Cityplace across the street) then it'll be an urbanism fail, but if there are some windows and doors to animate the streetscape a bit then I think it'll work out just fine.
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Buildings flush to the property line are common everywhere... perhaps it breaks the handbook of urbanism ideals, but it hasn't done much harm everywhere either. I'm not concerned.