Good starting point to hire HPA for this project. Although it's a bit too Miami-beach for my liking. Decent enough basic design, but after taking it in for a few minutes the overall effect of the sailboat underwhelms IMO. The ground level concept feels more like a standalone, isolated island type development. For a stretch of the waterfront that is still in the process of establishing its urban fabric, this doesn't exactly build towards that. Hopefully, they can improve upon these points in the future as they continue with its planning.
 
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I like that the ground level is broken up a bit compared to the massive podium of its neighbor to the east.
 
Not so sure about the plaza - it weakens the emergent QQE streetwall, and has a "what's the point" feel to it.

AoD
This doesn't go all the way down to Queens Quay; this only takes up the northern two thirds of the block. The south third is under other ownership.

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Not a personal fan of the sailboat motif (an overused waterfront cliche the world over, and there is nothing sail-like to most buildings - with exceptions - at that scale when executed)

AoD
I should also say that the video that was presented at the launch did not emphasize the sails of sailboats, but the volumes of the hulls.

Even if sails are a cliché at waterfronts the world over, I'm tired of all the boxiness on our waterfront. I'm looking forward to the curves at Aquavista and here.

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Not a personal fan of the sailboat motif (an overused waterfront cliche the world over, and there is nothing sail-like to most buildings - with exceptions - at that scale when executed) - but the ask seems pretty reasonable. Not so sure about the plaza - it weakens the emergent QQE streetwall, and has a "what's the point" feel to it. The materials are also a continuation of the Southcore bland - which one'd hope wouldn't creep this far east.

AoD

This doesn't have QQE frontage, the plaza would be internal to the block.

The density ask is surprisingly low. Still a little high that will inevitably get whittled down, but not the crazy I was expecting with the sale price.
 
Channeling the seaside, eh HPA?

fonziejumpsshark3sl.gif
 
I should also say that the video that was presented at the launch did not emphasize the sails of sailboats, but the volumes of the hulls.

Even if sails are a cliché at waterfronts the world over, I'm tired of all the boxiness on our waterfront. I'm looking forward to the curves at Aquavista and here.

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My bad re: courtyard. Agree with boxiness - but on top of that I wanted to see more use of colour.

AoD
 
I whole-heartedly concur that we need more colour… and if we could do that through the use of more engaging materials for the 60% of the building face that's not windows, that would be big step in the right direction.

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From the launch party.

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David Pontarini
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Henry Cao, President of Greenland
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