The podium on Renaissance Two is just awful. The huge wall of above-ground parking combined with a tiny main entrance really leaves a lot to be desired. Is this a case of York Street getting no respect? It seems like there isn't much street level retail either.
I actually like the tower of Ren Two a lot more, though. What Snark said about the vertical lines being more clear really does make a big difference. I also like how the middle portion that leads up to the slanted roof is wider. Being wider makes the slanted roof appear more significant, as apposed to just a dinky triangle sitting on top. Plus as Symz said, Ren Two has a slimmer appearance.
When it's all said and done, the Renaissance complex will bring hundreds of new residents to our downtown. That's far and away the best aspect of the project.
It's going up quite fast, I drove by last night before the Knights game (was the worst I have seen the Knights play in years) besides the point I am looking forward to seeing the second phase topped out.
Lets hope this is as successful as phase 1 and they want to look into another site
I walk passed the Renaissance towers on my way to work, and for taking up half a city block they have a terrible street presence. On King there's a convenience store and a hair salon. On Ridout there's fake windows and parking garage access. You'd think for such a high-profile development designers would have tried a little harder on the podium. Now with the York portion of Ren 2 potentially incorporating less retail... I keep telling myself that the added residents outweigh the lackluster design of the complex. That these buildings are better than an empty parking lot. However, I still see the whole thing as quite the C+ development. Let's hope that if Tricar builds downtown again, they bring their A game.
Anyone know what's planned for the section between the Ren towers? I'm fairly certain it will also be parking, but is there any chance of a few storefronts slipping in there too? Just hoping there will be something of interest there.
Last edited by bolognium; Jan 29, 2012 at 11:33 PM.
Ya there needs to be a setback or something for a building as colossal as The Renaissance. A 3 or 4 story podium would work wonders.
Even our glorified One London Place suffers from this too. Human scale needs to be considered. It would also make the street less windy. (Bay Street feels like a windtunnel.)
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