- Thread starter MichaelS
- Start date
YourBoy007
Active Member
darwink
Senior Member
Hello hotness.
UrbanRED
Active Member
Oh god that is absolutely horrendous... looks like some suburban townhome. IN THE MIDDLE OF DOWNTOWN? I'll take a parking lot for the next 10 years over this trash for 50
zagox
Active Member
It does look like a giant suburban rowhouse building, maybe mixed with the scale and uniformity of a Victorian workhouse.
I am less fussed about that than the urban form, seems like a missed opportunity to have some retail and/or ground floor unit entrances.
CBBarnett
Senior Member
It's actually pretty close to a lot of the contemporary stuff you see in the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Poland, even right in the city centre. Totally fine with this it and it's location. It's got full lot coverage and is purely urban. It's actually quite a large building and dense. Maybe 60-70 units?
Here's a similar style from Poland - albeit a few hundred years older and with way worse windows. Better bricks though.
Like usual, this will come down to two things:
Here's a similar style from Poland - albeit a few hundred years older and with way worse windows. Better bricks though.
Like usual, this will come down to two things:
- Materials
- If the development triggers any street improvements that materially improves the streets so they are less auto-centric and car sewer-ish in that area.
MichaelS
Senior Member
Calgcouver
Active Member
I really like this building! Shows a lot of design restraint, looks like it'll have deep windows and materials look good. Looks like European affordable housing, in a good way.
edit: Do agree with haltcatchfire that the ground floor does look a bit squashed.
Also think that I may have preferred gabled roofs to be carried E-W on the 6 Avenue section for more design restraint.
To change the podium from feeling squashed, I would’ve maybe went with a cream/nice beige instead of black to lighten it up and give a sense of airiness, while differentiating from the upper storeys.
That would give it a very European vibe which I think would be very welcome here and likely very energy efficient.
As it is it looks like a modern apartment that has a Hanseatic League affordable housing look which I’m totally cool with.
edit: Do agree with haltcatchfire that the ground floor does look a bit squashed.
Also think that I may have preferred gabled roofs to be carried E-W on the 6 Avenue section for more design restraint.
To change the podium from feeling squashed, I would’ve maybe went with a cream/nice beige instead of black to lighten it up and give a sense of airiness, while differentiating from the upper storeys.
That would give it a very European vibe which I think would be very welcome here and likely very energy efficient.
As it is it looks like a modern apartment that has a Hanseatic League affordable housing look which I’m totally cool with.
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haltcatchfire
Senior Member
First sight thoughts:
- Those middle downspouts will struggle to handle the large volume that roof design will generate in a heavy storm.
- The grade level feels a bit squashed IMO.
- Missed opportunity to do three separate colours or tones.
- No random rectangles.
- Feels like a downtown adjacent neighbourhood's building was accidentally moved a few blocks into the CBD.
- Last plot in a SimCity high density region to get upzoned.
- Those middle downspouts will struggle to handle the large volume that roof design will generate in a heavy storm.
- The grade level feels a bit squashed IMO.
- Missed opportunity to do three separate colours or tones.
- No random rectangles.
- Feels like a downtown adjacent neighbourhood's building was accidentally moved a few blocks into the CBD.
- Last plot in a SimCity high density region to get upzoned.
Urban Outdoorsman
Active Member
I'm into it. Looks fine, and tbh I'm just glad to see a parking lot get filled in. Truth is the market in Calgary isn't (and probably won't be) hot enough to fill each and every empty parcel with a tower, so in the time being I'd be happy to see a couple dozen buildings like this built in the inner city.
Mountain Man
Senior Member
Not sure I like that...
ByeByeBaby
Active Member
It's literally next door to The McLeod at RiverWest, 27 stories and kitty corner to Calgary Place, 36 stories. It's the same size site as Vista West (10th St / 8th Ave), which is 21 stories, 111 suites plus a little office and ground floor retail, or as a better comparison more recently 6th and Tenth, which is 31 stories, 224 units.
Fundamentally, it's out of scale to the community; it should be three times the height. Drop some of these in Montgomery, West Hillhurst, Capitol Hill, Ramsay; places that need starter density. Build downtown buildings in the downtown.
UrbanRED
Active Member
I personally think it's an abomination. Suburban style roofing, mid rise is all fine on a street outside of downtown, but this is the core. We should aim for higher densities and better design language, and at least some retail at grade. Sure, we aren't going to get a tower on every parcel, but it needs to be better than this.
YourBoy007
Active Member
Comments are open. I'll be submitting mine.
adamyyc
Active Member
I don’t mind the form (gable roof, etc.), and agree it’s a form you would see more in Europe, and has seen a resurgence.
Not the most contextual design, but then again, this area is a mishmash of buildings (e.g., the nearby Buddhist monastery building).
Ground floor is a mess. It’s going to be dark under the overhang of the second story, why not match the exterior of the ground floor with floors above and punch bigger openings (large arches maybe) for entryways/windows on the main floor?Alternatively, carry the materials above to the ground at the building corners and glass walls in the midsections of the building.
Materials will also be key but I’m not holding my breath that we’ll get nice materials on this one.
Not the most contextual design, but then again, this area is a mishmash of buildings (e.g., the nearby Buddhist monastery building).
Ground floor is a mess. It’s going to be dark under the overhang of the second story, why not match the exterior of the ground floor with floors above and punch bigger openings (large arches maybe) for entryways/windows on the main floor?Alternatively, carry the materials above to the ground at the building corners and glass walls in the midsections of the building.
Materials will also be key but I’m not holding my breath that we’ll get nice materials on this one.