dventura
Active Member
My thoughts exactly.
My thoughts exactly.
pepper79
New Member
Indoor pools you can use year round and they cost less to maintain. Indoor pools make much more sense in a city like Toronto. If we were talking about a city like Phoenix or Miami, I would agree with you on outdoor pools being better but in Toronto, building an outdoor pool is just stupid. Maybe the cost to maintain that outdoor heated pool is the reason why Cresford decided to give its residents crappy washer/dryers. LOL!
dventura
Active Member
Indoor pools you can use year round and they cost less to maintain. Indoor pools make much more sense in a city like Toronto. If we were talking about a city like Phoenix or Miami, I would agree with you on outdoor pools being better but in Toronto, building an outdoor pool is just stupid. Maybe the cost to maintain that outdoor heated pool is the reason why Cresford decided to give its residents crappy washer/dryers. LOL!
Can you please explain to me how exactly it costs more to maintain an outdoor pool if it's NOT heated and left open in the winter than an indoor pool? It's personal pepper...if I'm the type of person that like to swim on a regular basis for fitness then I would want to buy in a condo with an indoor pool and probably not buy here. But I am the type of person that would never enjoy swimming in a stuffy in door pool and would rather sit outside on a hot day and go for a swim where I'm outside. You can't have it both ways....some people get what they prefer and some don't either way the pool is configured.
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
You can here at Waterclub with a dual indoor/outdoor pool!
There is one example of total waste /money and energy/. I have never seen anyone to use this pool in the winter.
steveve
Senior Member
^^^
In the winter it could be used as a miniature skating rink!
In the winter it could be used as a miniature skating rink!
prosperegal
Senior Member
Actually, Casa's pool is supposed to be a heated, outdoor pool that can be used in the winter. That is how the condo is being marketed.
Traynor
Senior Member
Casa is gorgeous, but every time I imagine stepping out onto a 37th floor balcony I get vertigo.
I love the idea of a glass balcony... When you're sitting enjoying dinner, you can still see all the view. But the reality is I'm moderately afraid of heights...
Yet I can walk right out on a 37th floor solid-sided balcony and look right over... However, the 7th floor of a glass-sided one scares the crap out of me! Visually the railing disappears and it's like walking out on a ledge to jump off! I can't help but feel I'm in a Harold Lloyd silent movie. But I still want to sit and enjoy the view.
So I propose the best of both worlds... New Condos like Casa should have that Piezo-Electric Smart Glass on the balconies that can go from opaque to clear with the flip of a switch. Once I've walked out and settled into my chair, I could just hit the remote control and the balcony is clear glass again and the view is laid out before me!
That stuff is more expensive but at the costs of today's Condos... it would barely be noticeable. And visually the building would shift in colour no more than when people open or close their white blinds.
Here's a sample demo on YouTube. Keep in mind this isn't a special effect but actual glass.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DbP0zqEVN4&feature=related
I love the idea of a glass balcony... When you're sitting enjoying dinner, you can still see all the view. But the reality is I'm moderately afraid of heights...
Yet I can walk right out on a 37th floor solid-sided balcony and look right over... However, the 7th floor of a glass-sided one scares the crap out of me! Visually the railing disappears and it's like walking out on a ledge to jump off! I can't help but feel I'm in a Harold Lloyd silent movie. But I still want to sit and enjoy the view.
So I propose the best of both worlds... New Condos like Casa should have that Piezo-Electric Smart Glass on the balconies that can go from opaque to clear with the flip of a switch. Once I've walked out and settled into my chair, I could just hit the remote control and the balcony is clear glass again and the view is laid out before me!
That stuff is more expensive but at the costs of today's Condos... it would barely be noticeable. And visually the building would shift in colour no more than when people open or close their white blinds.
Here's a sample demo on YouTube. Keep in mind this isn't a special effect but actual glass.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DbP0zqEVN4&feature=related
dventura
Active Member
Traynor....that is some crazy cool stuff! I can't even believe that it's real!!!
That would be way more useful on all windows period as one could completely avoid buying expensive window treatments to block out glare and provide privacy at times. Now as far as a builder throwing this in...they don't care about what prices are being charged in terms of what they give you. If they won't spend an extra $100 per unit to give modern front load washing machines they aren't gonna go crazy on the balcony glass. Now on the other hand, if they offered the entire building made out of this and they got some huge bulk rate on it all and promoted it in their marketing for the building...that's another story....that could be a huge success if they marketed it right. Any idea how new this technology is?
That would be way more useful on all windows period as one could completely avoid buying expensive window treatments to block out glare and provide privacy at times. Now as far as a builder throwing this in...they don't care about what prices are being charged in terms of what they give you. If they won't spend an extra $100 per unit to give modern front load washing machines they aren't gonna go crazy on the balcony glass. Now on the other hand, if they offered the entire building made out of this and they got some huge bulk rate on it all and promoted it in their marketing for the building...that's another story....that could be a huge success if they marketed it right. Any idea how new this technology is?
cdr108
Senior Member
it's not new ... maybe around a decade now but probably more commercially (ie. financially) available now.
the first time i heard/saw this feature was for a club/restaurant washroom that had clear glass during regular times, and frosted when it was locked to provide privacy.
they are also using this type of glass for some of the emergency rooms in North York General Hospital.
khris
Senior Member
That's a lot like me too. I feel like I'm just standing on a ledge with nothing around me. It really freaks me out. I prefer recessed balconies myself.
Traynor
Senior Member
I KNOW!!!
This stuff is SOOOOO affordable in today's condo market... I think it should be everywhere!
I think it just needs to be out there as a "Want" before it hits the mass-consciousness level and suddenly it's everywhere.
Mark my words... It will be a standard Condo feature in the next decade.
And to all the enviro-geeks like me... Look up "Smart Glass" on Wikipedia... it only takes a pulse of energy to affect the change and another to change it back... No energy is expended while it is opaque or transparent.
BTW...Cadillac has a sunroof on their new models with this glass... look that up on YouTube.
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Ramako
Moderator
Who needs blinds? Why not clad an entire condo tower in smart glass controllable by unit?
Tuscani01
Senior Member
Because sometimes its not privacy that you need the blinds for. Ever live in a south facing unit? The sun is intense.
AGTO
Banned
It's LCD based...just like all those LCD monitors and other displays that have been around for decades. It's not new. It doesn't block any light and the liquid crystal breaks down on exposure to UV.
Traynor
Senior Member
Very little of what you said is true of the technology... One form of Smart Glass is based on LCD technology others use a different principle. Also some forms are very good Light or Heat reducers and UV degradation is moot due to protective coatings a la sunglasses with UVA and UVB protection.
Please read the Wikipedia article on Smart Glass... Here's the link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_glass