83 replies to this topic

[Nparker]

I have never advocated getting rid of design guidelines, but in this case enforcing them made no sense.

[jklymak]

Agreed, but if you are going to completely reclad a building downtown its reasonable that the city gets a say in how you are going to do it. Seems to me that the process worked adequately in this case, perhaps with some prodding from the publicity in the paper.

[aastra]

This sort of thing has the potential to be a huge issue going forward. Chelsea, the Sandpiper, North Park Manor, the Oswego Hotel, Harbour Towers, the Laurel Point Apartments, St. Andrew's Square, Aria, Shoal Point, Swallows Landing, the Harbourside buildings...

The city of bricks might end up being the city of stucco one day.

[Baro]

As nice as bricks are, they really aren't a suitable building material for Victoria. We've got some great old buildings truly made out of bricks, but that was before they knew what an earthquake zone this was and before they had better alternatives. Simply adding them to the exterior of a building through elaborate and expensive fastening systems seems dishonest and silly. We should find how to best use and celebrate the materials best suited for our modern construction, which is the exact thinking that produced all our great brick buildings.

[Nparker]

This sort of thing has the potential to be a huge issue going forward. Chelsea, the Sandpiper, North Park Manor, the Oswego Hotel, Harbour Towers, the Laurel Point Apartments, St. Andrew's Square, Aria, Shoal Point, Swallows Landing, the Harbourside buildings...

The city of bricks might end up being the city of stucco one day.

That is quite unlikely. First off, no one has suggested that ANY of those buildings requires remediation. Some of the ones named are more than 30 years old. If they were going to leak, it would likely have shown up by now. Second, I am sure IF any of them needed to be repaired they would have to propose their designs to the city before being allowed to proceed. I am sure each would be assessed on its own merrit. It might be that in each or any of these other buildings, stucco would not even be considered. I really don't think a "dangerous" precedent has been set.

[Baro]

Well who says it would have to be stucco. We could put some vinyl siding or a hardiplank material on it to mimic the old clapboard wooden buildings that were important in Victoria's heritage had.

[aastra]

That's right. Every building will have some sort of work done on it eventually. What's the point of fretting about how it looks when it's new if we don't care what happens to it a few decades down the road? Denby Place isn't in a prominent location (and it's not a great looking building to begin with) so we're inclined to let it slide, but then what do we do when a more prominent building needs work and the residents there expect the same consideration?

Question: what are the rules with regard to paint schemes and colour choices? When it comes time to repaint a building like Belvedere or Astoria, are they obliged to reproduce the same scheme that the buildings had when they were new?

[Nparker]

Question: what are the rules with regard to paint schemes and colour choices? When it comes time to repaint a building like Belvedere or Astoria, are they obliged to reproduce the same scheme that the buildings had when they were new?

Clearly there are none. Case in point Dollar Giant on Douglas Street. If ever the city should have intervened when it comes to appropriateness of paint schemes and location this was it. Obviously they didn't or couldn't intervene. I see no reason why the city should have any more say in regards to colour (and materials) on any future repairs to a residential building. If they allowed the DG abomination, clearly anything goes.

[Phil McAvity]

^We clearly need a paint bylaw.

When it comes to leaky condos I thought stucco buildings were usually the problem, not the solution. Conversely, I thought brick buildings were usually pretty watertight which is why I was so surprised to see Denby Place being remediated.

Also, "A staff report concludes such extensive use of stucco doesn't fit in with other buildings in the area." So nearby buildings all have to look the same to be approved?

[martini]

Clearly there are none. Case in point Dollar Giant on Douglas Street. If ever the city should have intervened when it comes to appropriateness of paint schemes and location this was it. Obviously they didn't or couldn't intervene. I see no reason why the city should have any more say in regards to colour (and materials) on any future repairs to a residential building. If they allowed the DG abomination, clearly anything goes.

Thank you. Especially considering the work the Rialto did next door. Shameful really.

[D.L.]

Question: what are the rules with regard to paint schemes and colour choices? When it comes time to repaint a building like Belvedere or Astoria, are they obliged to reproduce the same scheme that the buildings had when they were new?

There's a 14 storey slab residential tower on Douglas across from the park which had a pleasing architectural paint job done in blue when it was built in the 60s. Several years ago the building received a new paint job which was done in drab beige colours to try to obscure the appearance of the building, because you know, highrises are *bad*.

[Nparker]

There's a 14 storey slab residential tower on Douglas across from the park which had a pleasing architectural paint job done in blue when it was built in the 60s. Several years ago the building received a new paint job which was done in drab beige colours...

See this is what happens when you try to regulate taste. I remember when that building was blue and I recall thinking it was hideous. I much prefer the "drab beige". Colour in architecture is greatly affected by setting and light. In the bright sunlight of southern Florida or the Caribbean bright blue or pink buildings look great. In our softer light and often grey days I find that earth tones are more pleasing to the eye. Ultimately, colour is SO subjective, and such a matter of taste that I don't know if anyone's opinion is better than another. Except for the Dollar Giant store on Douglas. That has to be ugly to EVERYONE.

[Baro]

Nope, I'm the one person who loves the happy yellow of dollar giant.

[Nparker]

Nope, I'm the one person who loves the happy yellow of dollar giant.

Yes I am sure it makes the owners of the Rialto really happy to see it "shining" at them after their millions of dollars of renovations. Real classy is that yellow all right.

[D.L.]

In our softer light and often grey days I find that earth tones are more pleasing to the eye.

The building was an earth tone of blue, plus brown brick.

[jklymak]

Several years ago the building received a new paint job which was done in drab beige colours to try to obscure the appearance of the building, because you know, highrises are *bad*.

Are you saying the city imposed a drab paint job?

I understand that we don't want the whole city to look the same, but on the other hand, I still think some oversight on the aesthetic remediation of a large downtown building is reasonable. Oversight is not the same as regulation.

[Nparker]

The building was an earth tone of blue, plus brown brick.

Yes, a most jarring combination.

[D.L.]

Totally subjective. Are we to paint the entire city beige so as not to offend anyone?

[G-Man]

^ I don't know, I might be offended by that...