ganjavih said:
Yeah, but it will be rebuilt with new materials, like at the Bay Adelaide Centre. What's the point of that? One of the reasons to preserve historical structures is that we cannot recreate them without them looking fake.
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Sometimes, the only reason why a rebuilt building looks fake is because no one of the present generation realized how the building looked when new. (The differences between new and old buildings aren't always as great as we think they are.) When I see an old stone facade completely cleaned of pollution, revealing rich hues of colour on a facade that used to be a lot greyer, I find it looks beautiful but also odd because I didn't imagine that the original facade was so sophisticated in terms of material choice.

I would advocate rebuilding only if it's impossible to preserve a building or if it was demolished some time in the past, because it's such a challenge to get it right. But challenges can be good. If a building can be rebuilt to the exact same design and proportions, using the same materials down to the colours of the original, it should be a fine way of continuing the existence of heritage architecture. The problem with the Bay Adelaide case was that they modified the design of the heritage facade in rebuilding it, further compromising the heritage aspect. It was already a facadectomy, one of the shallowest forms of heritage preservation, but they watered it down some more.
 
17 October 2010: Reality check:

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Dark blue okay; light blue makes my eyes hurt.
 
With that combination of blues and the setbacks, it almost seems to be leaping off its foundation in that last shot. With buildings like this one, no one one will notice the grey skies of winter.
 
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I find in photos the blue looks more dull and institutional. In person it's rather nice.

I also quite like the massing. It's a great addition to the area.
 
I think the colours are insane-looking and chintzy (this is why people usually clad buildings in neutrals!). But the overwrought tackiness endears me to it.
 
I actually like the use of colour - it's about all the building has going for it. The vibrant, mid-rise form reminds me of something you might see in Montreal or certain parts of Europe.
 
A few places, the colours look like paneling has not yet been added. The yellow looks like insulation, and the grey looks like concrete. Maybe it needs some dark red, I'm not sure. Or the mullions need to be narrower.

But one thing's for sure: that bus station has got to go! We need a new one in a better location, badly.
 
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