131 replies to this topic

[aastra]

 

I hope the rental project for View/Vancouver takes note: a blocky brick-covered lowrise can still look decent.

 

Methinks the main points are to emphasize vertical lines and sections vs. horizontal (or otherwise de-emphasize the horizontal), and break up the pattern of windows and balconies (even in a simple way).

[Rob Randall]

First thing that entered my mind was we need to get us some of those clocks. Put them in all the barren empty spaces. Beside the Janion, the Rothingham/ 750 Pandora, Hudson, etc.

[AllseeingEye]

Victoria could learn a boatload from Halifax, starting with its superb four kilometer harbor boardwalk - Victoria can only dream about such a thing.

 

Our grandiosely-named "David Foster Walkway" is a pale wisp of a shadow of what a real harbor walk looks like and Halifax has that in spades, with fantastic foodie and drink outlets along the way. 

 

https://discoverhali...ront-boardwalk/

 

Also found on that amazing boardwalk is the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic: this BTW Victoria is what a maritime museum SHOULD look like:

 

https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/

[aastra]

I've mentioned the orange terracotta on 10 Bond Street before (far be it from me to advocate theft, but if I could swipe a building from another city when nobody is looking, I think that one might be it), but I also really like this 363 Lafayette project. Methinks this is the sort of stuff that Victoria should be doing like crazy. Modern yet conservative yet also notable/distinctive for this or that aspect. They fit in effortlessly with older buildings, yet aren't deferential. I also expect designs like this to age very well.

 

Consider:

If a big earthquake knocks down every century-old building and only the newest stuff is left standing, would architecture buffs find any consolation in the remaining inventory? Buildings like these would be worth more than most, I think.

Edited by aastra, 26 February 2020 - 09:41 PM.

[Rob Randall]

I'm in love with that Bond St. building with the rich terra cotta. It has a look of substance and depth. Not just a bunch of aluminum panels.

[Mike K.]

Eight homes in the entire thing.

[Jackerbie]

Coincidentally, Rize Alliance has released concept renderings of an office project in Vancouver, which is clad in terracotta tiles.

 

[aastra]

Some bozo on the interwebs said:

 

 

Between the retirement residence and the tower levels of Yates on Yates in the distance, I'm kind of hoping this "grey panel" phase in Victoria architecture is going to end as suddenly as it started. There's nothing wrong with that cladding unto itself, but it's just really bland when used to excess.

 

I can imagine the CoV embracing it for being charmless and thus uncontroversial (similar to that goofy plank siding we've seen on various new lowrise buildings). Having too much of it around on prominent buildings would definitely not be a good thing.

 

Pic below by "thegreatscaper" at flickr.com illustrates the point:

 

[Nparker]

"Chardly" my favourite highrise aesthetic.

[aastra]

Are you being churlish with that? At least you're not Yello about speaking your opinion.

 

Speaking of boring architecture, didn't somebody say Toronto was like New York run by the Swiss?*

 

*Chard reference

[aastra]

Seriously, how cool would it have been if just the top two levels of Yates-on-Yates had been clad in more distinctive panels? It could have been a nifty homage to the cathedral. This is what I mean when I say a touch of something more interesting could liven up conservative projects like Yates-on-Yates/Vivid or Concert's retirement residence, all without breaking the bank or getting avant-garde with the overall design.

 

Bronze or Copper-look panels...

 

Silver or Steel-look panels...

[Rob Randall]

^Yes.

 

Are you being churlish with that? At least you're not Yello about speaking your opinion.

 

Speaking of boring architecture, didn't somebody say Toronto was like New York run by the Swiss?*

 

*Chard reference

 

It took me a few days but I got them both.

[aastra]

Where's HB when you need him? He could've slipped up to the top of Yates-on-Yates and replaced those few panels overnight. Nobody would have been the wiser.

[Nparker]

Seriously, how cool would it have been if just the top two levels of Yates-on-Yates had been clad in more distinctive panels?..

And draw even more attention to the incredible height of this building? Thank goodness the battleship grey panels will blend into the sky 50% of the time. We really dodged a bullet here. Nice of the developer/architect to think of this really.

[Rob Randall]

Stu Young really has it out for architects, seeing them as just another annoying bit of red tape getting in the way of development.

 

A decision by the City of Langford and its chief building inspector to move forward on a development without input from a licensed architect has been declared ‘unreasonable’ by a B.C. Supreme Court justice.

The ruling comes in a response to a 2016 decision by the City’s chief building instructor Jerry Worobec to issue a building permit for the construction of a residential/commercial strata complex at 689 Hoffman Ave. According to court documents, the project did not involve a certified architect and was drawn up by a designer.

 

 

https://www.vicnews....-supreme-court/

 

As far as the city is concerned, “it is sufficient that it reviews applications for compliance with the BC Building Code”.

Moreover, the city argued that the Architects Act “regulates people”, but “not design or construction, per se”.

“The Architects Act does not regulate work proposed to be constructed under a building permit, it regulates people,” [Justice Stephen] Kelleher quoted from the city’s written argument.

However, Kelleher did “not find that argument persuasive”.

“’Work’ is performed by ‘people’,” Kelleher wrote.

 

 

https://www.straight...cision-provides

Edited by Rob Randall, 13 June 2020 - 10:31 AM.

[aastra]

I saw this office building on Chard's website. Methinks this would be a decent Victoria-style building, but of course it's going up in Vancouver instead.

[Nparker]

Does Victoria actually need any additional office space?

[aastra]

Far be it from me to offer any assertions or indications about what Victoria does or does not need. It would be improper for us to stray from our stations, thus I defer the more challenging conceptual issues to our politicians and city planners.

 

I'm just saying the height and the style looks like a modern Victorian office building. Kind of like a less dreary version of that ~1970 office block at Douglas and Johnson, the one that replaced the Permanent Loan/Bank of Toronto building.

[Nparker]

I agree it's a nice looking design. I'm just not sure who is going to lease the new Telus building or the Jawl proposal at the Capitol Theatre site, yet alone any future projects.

[aastra]

Some examples from Portland of new lowrise residential buildings that a) aren't clad in plain panels, and b) that have distinctive ground level commercial units which stand out in terms of style, colour, and materials rather than just repeating the building's overall architectural vibe right down to the sidewalk. Methinks Victoria coulda/shoulda been doing this stuff blindfolded.

 

Example 1

 

Example 2

Example 3

Example 4