I really like this building. The materials and colour palette feel warm and textured, especially on the brick ground floor residential units. The curved corner and the rounded archway reliefs on the retail frontage are nice. The possible brick screen on the westside of the building is very cool, something i've been looking forward to seeing on a design since that Hon Chinatown project rendering. Parapet design seems nice, transparency on the retail is good. Breaking the block into three phases will give what could have been a monolothic larger building so often seen in Calgary a much more fine-grained feel, it shows real vision from RNDSQR for placemaking on this block. Zero criticism here this is a sophisticated and solid approach to the development, i have confidence they will execute this build well. Not getting any vibes they are overpromising on the rendering either. Great design, 10/10 in my books.
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The only thing I think I don’t like are the railings. I’d also be curious to see what it would look like if the swapped the white at the top (and possibly inside the balconies) with the red brick. This may make the building feel too dark, I’d just be curious to see how it would look.
 
I don’t imagine that RNDSQR will need to work very hard to get Council to approve its land use redesignation application to increase those parcels’ height limit to 22m and FAR limit to 4.0, despite the fact that the current 16m and 3.0 FAR limits were only very recently set by way of a City initiated redesignation as part of the Main Streets program. The 2014 Marda Loop ARP is little more than roadkill at this point.
 
It's a little late to fight density in that area. From 17th to 50th and Crowchild to 14th, there's new development everywhere and anywhere. Those that don't like it should move to Inglewood, they need the help in their fight. Moving there might increase their density though...
 
It's a little late to fight density in that area. From 17th to 50th and Crowchild to 14th, there's new development everywhere and anywhere. Those that don't like it should move to Inglewood, they need the help in their fight. Moving there might increase their density though...
It’s not so much fighting density — more trying to manage it to achieve a really good outcome. As you are all likely aware by now, my concern is that taking a quirky “Main Street”, particularly one with east-west orientation in a northern city with prevailing westerlies, and lining it with 6 storey buildings, is more likely to “kill” it than enhance it. I think a much better outcome could have been achieved by keeping the building heights along the Main Street more “human scale” and putting the taller buildings/higher densities a block over, where the greater scale and shadowing would have far less impact on the Main Street’s public realm.
 
It’s not so much fighting density — more trying to manage it to achieve a really good outcome. As you are all likely aware by now, my concern is that taking a quirky “Main Street”, particularly one with east-west orientation in a northern city with prevailing westerlies, and lining it with 6 storey buildings, is more likely to “kill” it than enhance it. I think a much better outcome could have been achieved by keeping the building heights along the Main Street more “human scale” and putting the taller buildings/higher densities a block over, where the greater scale and shadowing would have far less impact on the Main Street’s public realm.

I don't mean to single you out as fighting density. I know you're not necessarily against it, but more prefer it be accommodated differently. Every time I'm anywhere in that area though, it's clear the train has left the station. 33rd is on it's way to being a corridor of 6-7 storey developments with ground floor retail.

It's what 10th in Kensington is heading for as well. The height hasn't been a detriment to the street. It enhances the corridor. The detriment is the loss of unique retail spaces with workable lease rates aligning with small food service and retail. A new blank rectangular concrete shell with aluminum storefront glazing is great for a bank or a chain franchise but often not for a small startup business. Unfortunately the economics of redevelopment takeover.
 
I 100% disagree with you Doug, density will definitely not kill this street, that's just ridiculous. Go to Paris, it's all buildings of the density you think aren't a human scale.
I wouldn’t describe Paris as a northern city. Do you also feel that Jan Gehl’s decades of research and writings on the importance of human scale to placemaking are ridiculous? Any thoughts as to why, on a sunny Saturday afternoon during a chinook, the south-facing patio at the Ship & Anchor Pub on 17th AV SW will be teeming with people — meanwhile the south-facing patio at the pub across the street from the 6-storey Treo building on 33rd AV SW won’t even have its chairs out?
 
A street wall of between 3-6 storeys is pretty much perfect for 33rd and 34th. It's very human scaled, doesn't block too much sun and adds much needed density. It all comes down to the execution of the development and I think we should be happy with how 33rd has gone. Aside from Cidex's Treo project, the new developments in the area are well designed.

I get the frustration with the ARP pretty much being ignored, but as soon as Treo got built, that set a precedent every other developer will use. That building is fugly, but it has done a good job activating that street IMO.
 
I wouldn’t describe Paris as a northern city. Do you also feel that Jan Gehl’s decades of research and writings on the importance of human scale to placemaking are ridiculous? Any thoughts as to why, on a sunny Saturday afternoon during a chinook, the south-facing patio at the Ship & Anchor Pub on 17th AV SW will be teeming with people — meanwhile the south-facing patio at the pub across the street from the 6-storey Treo building on 33rd AV SW won’t even have its chairs out?
Paris is at 48 degrees north latitude, about the same as Victoria, so yes it's definitely a northern city. Anyway the reson I mention Paris is that's it's considered one of the most human scaled Cities in the world (along with most big European Cities). Does Jan Gehl think Paris or Barcelona fail on a human scale? By bringing him up you actually support my argument!

Sure sunlight helps a patio, but is that all that goes into those retail spaces? Should all our urban planning decisions be determined by the viability of a patio in March?
 
I don't mean to single you out as fighting density. I know you're not necessarily against it, but more prefer it be accommodated differently. Every time I'm anywhere in that area though, it's clear the train has left the station. 33rd is on it's way to being a corridor of 6-7 storey developments with ground floor retail.

It's what 10th in Kensington is heading for as well. The height hasn't been a detriment to the street. It enhances the corridor. The detriment is the loss of unique retail spaces with workable lease rates aligning with small food service and retail. A new blank rectangular concrete shell with aluminum storefront glazing is great for a bank or a chain franchise but often not for a small startup business. Unfortunately the economics of redevelopment takeover.
So I guess Calgary is doomed to see its quirky Main Streets replaced with aluminum-glazed strips of chain franchises 😔. But hey, I have an idea for an attraction to spice up Marda Loop — now when I come off Crowchild at 33rd as I come down the slope from the raised interchange I feel like I am in an X-wing fighter descending into one of the Death Star’s channels for a bombing run. I think the Marda Loop BRZ should exploit that sensation by setting up a Star Wars themed zip line ride that zooms along above 33rd. Pilots would try to hit the target in the centre of the 20th Street intersection with a virtual bomb. RNDSQR and other developers of properties along 33rd could get in on the action by installing turrets on the tops of their buildings that would shoot at you as you zoomed by in your zip line X-wing fighter. Residents with units that face 33rd could stand on their balconies dressed as Storm Troopers and shoot lasers at passing X-wing fighters. It would be radical!
 
It’s not so much fighting density — more trying to manage it to achieve a really good outcome. As you are all likely aware by now, my concern is that taking a quirky “Main Street”, particularly one with east-west orientation in a northern city with prevailing westerlies, and lining it with 6 storey buildings, is more likely to “kill” it than enhance it. I think a much better outcome could have been achieved by keeping the building heights along the Main Street more “human scale” and putting the taller buildings/higher densities a block over, where the greater scale and shadowing would have far less impact on the Main Street’s public realm.
Hi Doug, i am curious why you think a 16m building is so much more appropriate for the 33 Avenue right-of-way than a 22m building? Best practice in building height to ROW width to create the appropriate sense of enclosure is a 1:1 ratio, measured from building edge to building edge.
Measuring it considering the public realm in front of the ARC building proposed, looks to be a minimum of 22m ROW width.
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In my opinion the 22m building is perfectly scaled for this type of ROW as the building height to ROW width is perfect to create a human scaled street. What do you think is the optimal height and public realm and why?
Also i understand and don't disagree with your concern about losing quirky main streets to boring aluminum clad franchises, i think we can all agree that sucks.
 
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I’m serious, by the way. I really think this is something the Marda Loop BRZ should look into! The Harry Potter days seemed to work well for Kensington.
 
So I guess Calgary is doomed to see its quirky Main Streets replaced with aluminum-glazed strips of chain franchises 😔. (MardaWars snip)

Until multi-unit developers begin to set up storefront facades as individual architectural elements left to tenants to design in conjunction with their internal tenant improvements, we may be heading that way. Breaking away the storefronts from the main building design team would allow from them to not feel from the same brain. Then over time they would evolve and change as tenants change, keeping a hybrid of character on newer development. Now, we essentially just get a sign change.
 

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