MONTREAL | Altitude | 124 M / 406 FT | 33 FLOORS | T/O

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by Rumors

Seeing the building from this angle actually makes me rather like it. With all other angles my reaction ranges from bored to horrified.

A big part of why this building doesn't work is that it needed a rich or vibrant colour. The colour scheme of Montreal highrises tends to be very cold and bland - greys, blacks, beige, etc. The angles and massing of this building show it's trying to be fun and funky, but having more interesting colouring could have really brought this guy to life.

[big T]

Colour may be one factor, but for me the real problem is the roofline. That little inexplicable stump, the jumble of mechanical penthouses of random shapes and heights - it is just a complete afterthought. And of course the height-to-width ratio makes it very disgraceful, sort of an overgrown, hastily updated Crystal de la montagne.

I hate it more every time I see it. The only interesting feature is the base, with the somewhat elegant stone cladding on university and the red brick in the back (for whatever reason I enjoy the dash of colour)

[Martin Mtl]

Originally Posted by big T

Colour may be one factor, but for me the real problem is the roofline. That little inexplicable stump, the jumble of mechanical penthouses of random shapes and heights - it is just a complete afterthought. And of course the height-to-width ratio makes it very disgraceful, sort of an overgrown, hastily updated Crystal de la montagne.

I hate it more every time I see it. The only interesting feature is the base, with the somewhat elegant stone cladding on university and the red brick in the back (for whatever reason I enjoy the dash of colour)

You are right about the base; it meshes very well with the street wall of University and the use of grey stone is great. But the rest of the tower is a true eyesore, very disappointing.

[mousquet]

Bah, it's really not that bad. As mentioned earlier, it's still far better than a stupid hole in the fabric and some blinds in there might liven the facade up.

[MTLskyline]

Originally Posted by Martin Mtl

You are right about the base; it meshes very well with the street wall of University and the use of grey stone is great. But the rest of the tower is a true eyesore, very disappointing.

I have to disagree with you guys about the base. It's the part I like the least about the tower. If the entire base had been done the way it is on the corner of University/Cathcart, I would have liked it a lot. However, instead it's a complete mess of far too many glass balconies and window wall cladding. The whole base should have been done in stone, including the balconies (like on the corner of Cathcart). Having said that, I don't mind the red brick in the back as much as I thought I would.

[frenchcanadian3]

from the second floor on a St-Catherine Shop.

[Robertpuant]

Originally Posted by frenchcanadian3

from the second floor on a St-Catherine Shop.

I cant see your pic, what a tease!

[SkahHigh]

My pic.

[Rico Rommheim]

Nice picture.

The building, not so much.

[SkahHigh]

I'm also not crazy about it. From the Bonaventure Expressway it looks like a pile of buildings badly glued together. I also don't like the cladding, it's dull and adds nothing special to the skyline. The tower is barely noticed.

[MTLskyline]

This is the building's most flattering angle. At least this angle is tolerable. I can't stand to look at it from René-Lévesque.


Altitude by Sebastien Morin, on Flickr