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Originally Posted by Hawrylyshyn
Ya that's very understandable! However, this project (to me at least) does seem a step above most recent projects and actually appears to be a quality proposal and design
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Never judge a mediocre project by the less worthy when there are better ones to compare to. And to be clear here I only have an issue with the at grade first 2-3 stories - the rest imo is fine. It's hard to be innovative with balcony stuff. It's the giant cookie cutter/ellen faircloudesque brick monolith entrances I have an issue with. Don't be fooled by the glossy renderings - brick never looks like that when it's done.
Compare to legends like Liuna and Core urban who are currently rebuilding the gore buildings and the downtown.
I get that we need all types downtown - I just really hate where our trend is going. If it wasn't for the 2 aformentioned architectural firms every single new build would be cookie cutter plastic soulless geometric shapes with windows punched in. It's not a good feeling for us.
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Noone is going to come here 100 years from now to look at any of these buildings like they did those built a century ago, but a little bit or architectural detail never gets old. That's why all these buildings that are 100-200 years old are getting revitalized instead of just torn down, because they have architectural details worth preserving. Can you say the same for the design for this one?
It's brick walls with windows punched in. No lintels, no stone, no architectural designs of any kind. To add insult to injury they could even use concrete precast panels with stamped brick on them like they did at king and queen.
We may not be able to stop it, but by god we are not laymen here - we are ALL here because we HIGHLY value architectural design, so it is well within our right to call out shoddy craftsmanship when we see it, esp when we have seen decades worth of other stuff to compare it to, both in the past and current.
I know this may not be an architecturally "significant" building - I mean it's tucked away - but when you look at the buildings that are literally everywhere in this city from the past - they ALL had something architecturally ambitious or beautiful about them, and not only that, do you know why people come and film in this city? It's not for the modern crap they build - it's for all the old historic buildings. Character is not dead, and the way to get with the times is not to strip every ounce of character out of everything we build just for the sake of size.
Take the render below - and cover the building on the right that is existing with your hand - ist is actually the building next door that actually makes the new design seem better - without it - it's just a boring brick entrance.
Now look at the back of it - the building on the left looks like the same people who made the ellen faircloud building made it - it's a brick monster lol.
Still, the gunmetal grey brick COULD be worse - at least they have some sorta design on the top and there seems to be some grates and balcony glass, but it's still evokes a bit of an "ugh".
Anyways I've said my piece - old man rant done haha. Also are those stone lintels on the ellen faircloud back building on the left? I can't really even tell.. if so it's very unusual to recess them that way.. and to have them at the top instead of the bottom..
also I will give them credit, if you look really closely above and below the windows they appear to have turned the brick on its end and have the brick going up and down instead of across - but still -we're capable of more fancy brick design - and before anyone says "we don't have the skilled labour for that" - bullshit - it's placing brick ffs not rocketscience.
(also for those pissed that I may be being pessimistic and picking this design apart - that is LITERALLY what this forum is for - is to add critique, as well as show progress pics and debate it lol - that and I am one of the few people here with an architectural background and not just going off how i feel hehe)
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It's a service street with a parking lot where a building used to be, but the parking lot doesn't blend well with it's surroundings, so altogether it's messy and disjointed, and not in a good way. It can't just be woonerf'd either, since with the 2 new condos going up there'll still need to be a service street.
It needs a new building, because this is the 1 missing tooth in an otherwise unbroken streetwall, from Wellington all the way to James! I do like the idea of putting that clock in a park, because It's actually not that bad now that I look at it... Imagine it in Wellington Square where that fountain is now.
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