It's glaringly obvious along the Front Street portion, that the brick should have went higher up. The brick portion looks so much nicer than the spandrel. It's almost like after the brick portion, they just forgot about decoration or design flourishes. I really hate how the roof is just an ordinary flat top, with not even the smallest attempt to make it distinctive or attractive.
 
It doesn't even have to be brick - an aA-like, neutral design would have easily disappeared into the background instead of presenting itself in such a horrifying manner.

Having a flat roof isn't a bad idea - unless you are proposing and executing something truly spectacular, one really shouldn't be imposing itself on such an iconic corner.

AoD
 
I'm not saying the top is brilliant, but I definitely don't think it's as hateful as you guys make it sound. It's not that different than many other low-mid height loft-style buildings happening on the east side.
 
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Ryan_T said:
I'm not saying the top is brilliant, but I definitely think it's as hateful as you guys make it sound. It's not that different than many other low-mid height loft-style buildings happening on the east side.
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I'm not exactly sure how the top could possibly be any worse.
 
interchange42 said:
Ugh!

I really hate this one. If it's still the plan shown in the "new" rendering above, then this is the worst kind of historicist schlock imaginable: worst because this is the kind of building that people will point at and say 'look how sensitive it is to its historical context by blending in with the brick of the other buildings' as if brick were the only determining factor in style. One only has to look at the existing neighbouring buildings shown in the rendering, however, to see that the form and details of this proposal have nothing whatsoever to do with those neighbours beyond the brick.

Historicky.

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interchange42 said:
Well, it didn't take long for that prophesy to come true.

Truth is that both parts suck individually, and the whole sucks greater than the sum of its parts.

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interchange42 said:
Redroom - - - I don't think it is a no win situation here. I know we're only looking at one measly rendering, and a lot about this building's design remains to be ascertained, but from what I think I see, the architects don't seem to have respected the proportions of the historic buildings down the street, which are a strong bunch. I think that's the way to win: reinterpret and enhance the historic context by not pretending to be historic, but by being sensitive to the proportions and massing of the best of the surroundings, and where you go above the rooflines of the lower buildings, drop the cornicey details, and just admit with the tower section that this is 2012 (well, by the time this is built...)

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interchange42 had this one’s number way back in September 2009, as did Urban Shocker and a few other prescient souls.
 
Honestly, it looks like the renders.

I think a lot of you are over exaggerating. The top cladding could of been better but overall I think it turned out well.
 
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I think it actually looks better in person. It isn't my favourite but works pretty well on the corner.
 
Youranthony1 said:
Honestly, it looks like the renders.

I think a lot of you are over exaggerating. The top cladding could of been better but overall I think it turned out well.
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I haven't seen this in person yet but you're probably right. Are the pictures even that bad? There are some great aspects to this project. Regardless, brick from top to bottom would have been a terrible mistake.
 
Divorced from the context, the brick section doesn't look that bad, and in fact it's pretty attractive. I'll stand behind the rest of what I said a few years ago though; in terms of this building blending with the adjacent heritage architecture, the Berczy's details are a sham as it does not share the same style nor extend the floor heights of its Front Street neighbours. The replicated warehouse down Church is the only bit that works in that regard.

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The way it's turning out for me, the top just looks good, not great. I think the spandrel lines are starting to look a bit busy for my liking, almost but not quite like Aura's turned out to be. I think it could have just been executed a bit cleaner because the bottom 4 floors are looking sharper than the rest of the building. There just seems to be too jarring a disconnect. Maybe it will grow on me after it's all finished which is why I want to wait to see how I really feel about it, but right now it just looks odd.
 
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