MichaelS

MichaelS

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A new smaller commercial project has been applied for on one of the vacant corner lots in Marda Loop:

From the drawings:
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And I found this page on Moda's website, with much better renderings:

FARM – 2021 WORLD ARCHITECTURE FESTIVAL FINALIST & 2021 CANADIAN ARCHITECT AWARD OF MERIT | MODA

moda.ca moda.ca
Money-Shot-WEB.jpg


Elevation-Render-WEB.jpg


Rear-Perspective-Render-WEB.jpg


Gallery-Render-WEB.jpg


Courtyard-Render-WEB.jpg
 
Huh, good catch. The website on Moda shows it as clearly being for Edmonton, but the name and overall design matches what is in the Marda Loop DP..... Good catch. I just saw the fancy pictures and posted them without reading..... I hope the Calgary client didn't pay extra for an "original" design.
 
I actually think it would be kind of cool to have similar buildings in both cities.

That corner has been vacant a long time. I was excited for something to replace the Farmer's House (which seemingly served pizza cooked in a toaster oven), but then the new owner tore the building down.
 
The plan on dmap clearly shows the corner of 33 Ave and 21 St SW in Marda Loop, so it’s clearly the correct location, but it does seem like a recycled design, but I like it! I really like these small scale commercial buildings popping up on corners in Marda Loop.
 
Perhaps the developer who commissioned the original for Edmonton decided to bring the concept to Marda Loop instead, modified for a smaller site than originally proposed. Will be interesting to find out. Makes me happy regardless. Does anyone know if the 124th Street version was ever built?
 
Is this a parcel that needs development? Yes.
Is this the right scale for the neighbourhood? Yes.
Do I like the look? No. This would make a good brewery in the Barley Belt but I don't think it fits Marda Loop at all.
 
shermanator said:
Is this a parcel that needs development? Yes.
Is this the right scale for the neighbourhood? Yes.
Do I like the look? No. This would make a good brewery in the Barley Belt but I don't think it fits Marda Loop at all.
Click to expand...
What about it doesn't fit in Marda Loop?

What does fit into Marda Loop?

I am genuinely curious in your thoughts. To me, Marda Loop is nothing if not a mash up of bits of every era of design, scale and use. There's 1970s, 1980s and 1990s-era strip malls, gas stations, modern walkable apartments, faux-heritage Garrison Woods stuff, all sorts of McMansions, tasteful infills, non-tasteful ones, townhomes and row houses, 1950s era bungalows. What about this proposal doesn't fit?
 
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shermanator said:
Is this a parcel that needs development? Yes.
Is this the right scale for the neighbourhood? Yes.
Do I like the look? No. This would make a good brewery in the Barley Belt but I don't think it fits Marda Loop at all.
Click to expand...
Personally, I would be happy to see this building in any neighbourhood. A place like Marda Loop which already has some architectural diversity is a good place for these kind of buildings.
 
StratosCityDweller said:
Perhaps the developer who commissioned the original for Edmonton decided to bring the concept to Marda Loop instead, modified for a smaller site than originally proposed. Will be interesting to find out. Makes me happy regardless. Does anyone know if the 124th Street version was ever built?
Click to expand...

Nope. Landowner never developed, instead a few food trucks call the location home under the name 'The Lot'.
 
The Marda Loop lot had been for sale for a while and I noticed a sold sign today for the first time, which I think is recent (or I’m not very observant). If it’s a recent sale, I’m hoping that means the new owner is motivated to develop given they were obviously working on the planning application during the closing period.
 
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