[soupcrate]

The londonderry social housing project looks much better than this. Should they have made a point to make it look worse just because it was social housing?

Government funded social housing doesn't have the same economic constraints as private development.

 

[barhonda]

^^those railings are awful

This building looks like it belongs on a work camp in fort mac

 

[positive1]

Just because it's student housing doesn't mean it has to look like cheap student housing. The londonderry social housing project looks much better than this. Should thet have made a point to make it look worse just because it was social housing?

I'm tired for this apologetics for cheap design. "It's just for students" isn't a good excuse for lazy/cheap buildings. Almost every other city in Canada has figured out how to make their student housing look good, and this building will likely still command the same price point as anywhere else downtown. I'll reserve my judgment as well like everyone else, prefab/tilt up buildings can look good if done right and given additional desing treatment, but a lot would have to done make this look good, like introducing materials and design elements that weren't shown in the renders.

"I'll reserve my judgment as well like everyone else". Not sure everyone is reserving judgement. Lots of people are making definite judgements mid-construction. I'm surprised that with so many experts available we don't have world class design everywhere.

 

[IanO]

A positive one you be

 

[itom987]

We made judgements about the library mid-construction that ended up being right.

 

[Greenspace]

^LOL. Kinda.

 

[archited]

We made judgements about the library mid-construction that ended up being right.

In your opinion.

 

[JuliallThat]

I think it'd look better if it was all just plain concrete grey, and call it a brutalism throwback.

 

[occidentalcapital]

Put me in the camp of not liking what I am seeing at this point...

There is okay pre-fab then there is not okay pre-fab. This might be moving to the latter category.

 

[Glenco]

^^those railings are awful

This building looks like it belongs on a work camp in fort mac

The railing is perfectly fine it compliments the architecture.

 

[MattPT]

 

[Greenspace]

I think it'd look better if it was all just plain concrete grey, and call it a brutalism throwback.

Brutalism was all about accentuating the heaviness and mass of the concrete, to showcase it. Take the Law Courts and how it's tapered up at the top. There's a lot of architectural consideration there. Some Brutalist buildings have incredible overhangs clad in concrete, making it look like the concrete is floating.

This is just a pre-fab concrete box with minimal to no articulation on the façade except for the balconies. The massing is almost a block long with no break.

 

[Canadian 001]

Bye Bye Cranes

 

[JuliallThat]

Brutalism was all about accentuating the heaviness and mass of the concrete, to showcase it. Take the Law Courts and how it's tapered up at the top. There's a lot of architectural consideration there. Some Brutalist buildings have incredible overhangs clad in concrete, making it look like the concrete is floating.

This is just a pre-fab concrete box with minimal to no articulation on the façade except for the balconies. The massing is almost a block long with no break.

You're absolutely right, although I still think this building would look better a bit simpler.

 

[Clearshades]

I'm OK with this type of offerings, but I'm not OK with the location for it is next to a busy corridor. Hopefully a future tower to the north empty lot will shroud that.