Yeah, odd you think that. As this building strikes me as the most eye-catching in all of Cityplace.
 
Pic taken April 19, 2012


5FuXG.jpg
 
As much as I like this building, I can't help but think that it'll age poorly.

The engaging pattern of spandrels and white cladding will probably age a lot better than the towers clad only in grey glass without an interesting pattern or other strong design elements. When it comes to how a building ages, bold design elements which were successfully executed upon completion tend to evoke lasting admiration. This tower is better than other towers at CityPlace for its interesting north facade. (The Concord towers uniformly have bland north facades of grey glass as if no one would see that side.) Thus, it's more likely to positively stand out in its local context over time. Also, the lack of balconies will probably help it maintain its contemporary sleekness. Exposed balconies can mean dirty concrete slabs in time and messiness when residents use them as a storage space. Balconies will be maintained to different aesthetic standards at different buildings, but not having exposed slab balconies or minimizing them increases the likelihood of graceful aging.
 
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The engaging pattern of spandrels and white cladding will probably age a lot better than the towers clad only in grey glass without an interesting pattern or other strong design elements. When it comes to how a building ages, bold design elements which were successfully executed upon completion tend to evoke lasting admiration. This tower is better than other towers at CityPlace for its interesting north facade. (The Concord towers uniformly have bland north facades of grey glass as if no one would see that side.) Thus, it's more likely to positively stand out in its local context over time. Also, the lack of balconies will probably help it maintain its contemporary sleekness. Exposed balconies can mean dirty concrete slabs in time and messiness when residents use them as a storage space. Balconies will be maintained to different aesthetic standards at different buildings, but not having exposed slab balconies or minimizing them increases the likelihood of graceful aging.

But no tin foil or bedsheets in the windows, please.
 
I'm not sure if these last few comments are just knee-jerk racism/class prejudice, or it's people who feel bad that this building looks SO much better than their much more expensive City Place units.
 
I'm not sure if the last comment is just knee-jerk political-correctness/willful denial, or it's a person who's delusional that subsidized housing is maintained at the same level of repair as market housing and that bed sheets and tin foil in windows are equally prevalent everywhere.
 
I've seen more tinfoil up in condo units' windows (perhaps with students, but perhaps not, who knows) than in low-cost housing units.

Also, it's almost offensive to call this building low-cost housing when it's only a bit below market-rate.
 
Why do people put tinfoil on their windows? Who are these people? This is a form of cultural expression I'm not familiar with, and it sounds rather jolly.
 
Why do people put tinfoil on their windows? Who are these people? This is a form of cultural expression I'm not familiar with, and it sounds rather jolly.

It's simply a cheap alternative to blackout blinds. I find Asians tend to do this most often given their sensitivity to light.
 

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