[IanO]

.. what's the name of the project just a block south of this one?

One 12.

 

[Edmcowboy11]

I passed by this evening and it is definitely creating a presence. Also saw the building from the other side of the river, it is also helping add to the skyline. I hope that some good tenants will eventually occupy the CRU's.

 

[Avenuer]

I passed by this evening and it is definitely creating a presence. Also saw the building from the other side of the river, it is also helping add to the skyline. I hope that some good tenants will eventually occupy the CRU's.

 

[Mattyeg]

from lemarchand and high level

 

[JNO1]

I really like how the exterior cladding looks thus far. Looks really good up close and in person. From earlier today.

 

[Glenco]

The vertical accents with the windows is in style right now I really like it.

 

[northlands]

This is going to be absolutely gorgeous.

 

[Edmcowboy11]

Very nice. I wonder about that space next to the alley. Access into building? Parking stalls?

 

[Canadian 001]

I love that this project is happening
And that is some NICE cladding

This is why i am hopeful that Edmonton motors will also look great

 

[CplKlinger]

 

[archited]

...and the taller of the two towers has another 11 or 12 floors to go. Its presence will definitely be felt on the campus skyline!

 

[IanO]

Higher yearning.

 

[David A]

This is great, it looks like a building that would not be out of place in a central area of a larger city. Despite some of the negativity, we actually do have some nice projects here.

 

[Avenuer]

...and the taller of the two towers has another 11 or 12 floors to go. Its presence will definitely be felt on the campus skyline!

The taller tower will be the tallest building on the south side of the river.

 

[occidentalcapital]

I didn't say anyone was comparing Stantec to Brookfield. I said it's regarded as if it's as nice as Brookfield. However, the two were being compared as they were being built around the same time.

The Toronto comparison is because of the exact reason you said: bigger = more buildings. Thus, Edmonton isn't an actual big city.

On the topic of smaller cities, Winnipeg's infill development is of a much higher calibre than Edmonton. From new high-rises to small-scale apartments and townhouses, there's a level of quality there in terms of design you don't see here. Of course, there's still ugly buildings that have been built here and there in the central city, but on the whole it's nowhere near as prevalent as here. I have no doubt that having an architecture school plus a long legacy of great architecture has helped Winnipeg a lot in this regard, even though its urban planning and policy overall is significantly worse than Edmonton's.



I'm not suggesting there aren't nice buildings being built in Edmonton. There are, but the level of quality in aggregate is still lower than you see in peer cities like Calgary or Ottawa, or even smaller ones like Winnipeg. This city is not a very design conscious one, despite improvements over the past 15 years. We're still letting Langham butcher downtown's best street with buildings that look like they belong on the outskirts of Regina. We still let big box style development happen in Oliver. Our new central library is the laughing stock of the country. Etc. Sure, other cities also have mediocre buildings and not every structure needs to be a gold star, but there should be a base level of decent design on the whole, and that's something this city lacks because it's a city of value engineering. One or two nice buildings doesn't change that. Also, the Winspear Centre expansion is absolutely gold star architecture, I'll agree there, but I'd say the Parks would barely make anyone notice in Vancouver or Toronto. It's not bad architecture, and it'll stand out in Edmonton, but it's not exactly amazing either.

Lots of up and coming African cities and a bunch in south east Asia have almost no "high quality" architecture but nevertheless seriously impress you with their presence, pace, etc.

Edmonton has more in common with these boomtowns in some respects.

I still think we're properly in the league of major midsized and moving towards larger global city based on where the population is going. This is a separate question from architectural quality.

On architecture quality, I want Edmonton to develop more of its own unique style, and not just look to Toronto or Vancouver or what's trendy in uber-expensive cities around the world.