123 James St North | ? | ? | Complete

[thomax]

Originally Posted by matt602

I think it's that curved glass section on the corner which makes it look so bland and suburban. If it were more squared off sort of like the corners of the reclad/renovated First Canadian Place it would look better (I know thats an absurd comparison but its the only example of squared corner glass I can think of)

I think I get your comparison. Something like this?



Edited by me.

[matt602]

Pretty much.

[SteelTown]

http://www.hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/...__PED12141.pdf

That a grant in the estimated amount of $593,248.25 under the Hamilton Downtown Property Improvement Grant Program (HDPIGP) for J. Beume Real Estate Limited

[ihateittoo]

new rendering:

found here:
http://www.icx.ca/propertyDetails.as...dKey=245669405

[Berklon]

I like it.

[Beedok]

I like it.

[realcity]

needs more glass. more cowbell. and about 20 more floors.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Here's what I like about the building:
- It's a decent scale (though I'd prefer another floor)
- Brick is a good choice (thank God it's not stucco)
- Seems like it would interact well with the street

Here's what I don't like:
- The design was plucked right out of 1987 (why must every proposal in this city have a touch o' the 80s? Curved, reflective glass?)

Anyway, it's just a rendering...

[mattgrande]

Originally Posted by pEte fiSt iN Ur fAce

Anyway, it's just a rendering...

Yep, plenty of time to add stucko in the future!

[arch100]

Construction fencing is going up around the site today.

[thomax]

Originally Posted by arch100

Construction fencing is going up around the site today.

^ Awesome. One more parking lot about to disappear.



Here is a bigger/clearer rendering for anyone who hasn't seen it:

Source

[Beedok]

Very nice infill.

[matt602]

This is gonna be pretty awesome. That render also looks better than the last one I saw. Definitely excited.

[SteelTown]

The building permit has been approved

Permit Type Status
13-106695-00 Offices New Construction Issued
Description
To construct FOUNDATIONS ONLY for a future 3-storey building.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/news/stor...struction.html

Renderings of the project show red brick walls consistent will the early-20th Century buildings in its surroundings. The glass cylinder planned for the corner of James and Vine shows decidedly more modern flair.

My question to the architect would be 'why?' Why bother with a tinted glass cylinder? I understand its function but stylistically it looks ominous to me, like some sort of giant nuclear fuel rod they've just jammed in the top or perhaps a big AA battery. I don't get it. Sorry, guys. Belongs in the Meadowlands.

“To the best of our ability, we're trying to replicate the streetscape,” said John DiSimone, an architect with Lintack, the company that designed the project. “And we're trying to continue the James Street feel.”

The infill is nice and sorely needed after decades of neglect by the property owner but if their goal is to integrate it with the surrounding streetscape, then they're going to have to go with another architecture firm, likely outside this city. Try harder, please because this misses the mark.

If you want to know roughly what this will look like, swing by 61 Robinson and have a look at those townhouses. They're not bad but they're far from great.
http://www.lintack.com/portfolio.php?cat=26&project=343

[Beedok]

There's a huge variation in styles of historical buildings, why can't something new and similar but still new not be allowed?

[Dr Awesomesauce]

^It is allowed and encouraged but this is a concept not widely understood in Hamilton. Few if any examples of what you mention exist in Hamilton. Spend some time in Toronto and Montreal, however, and you see it everywhere. Here's an example from Ottawa, no less:

Does this modern condo project not compliment the neighbouring Chateau Laurier? Sure it does, much better than if they'd tried to recreate that Chateau-style of a hundred+ years ago - it wouldn't have worked.

And the CBC building right across the road is another example. They didn't try to match it to the surrounding buildings, they went with a modern take that would compliment those around it - worked nicely.


As I've said a million times before, the recreation of historic buildings is something that should be undertaken only by professionals. There are very few firms that do this sort of work properly. Take some cues from some of the other newer buildings on James North - CBC, Hamilton Artists Inc. (also designed by Lintack) - and put a modern take on this building.

[Beedok]

I always thought that Ottawa building was really ugly and stuck out. Of course it has two castle-y buildings beside it, so it couldn't really fit in.

[palace1]

I dont' like the "modern take" of the facade on The Dominion Furniture Building (AGH/CBC). It seems to be missing something at the top with all that grey, maybe if it had a black border to match the windows or a matching cornice in line with the older buildings it wouldn't look so strange.

For the new building at 123 James St. N. does anyone know why the permit is for "FOUNDATIONS ONLY for a future 3-storey building" or is this normal process?

[SteelTown]

There's all kinds of permits. Foundation, structural, fire sprinklers, outdoor signage, etc.

You don't get the permits all at once. You do one permit at a time.