[archited]

I can't help but wonder if slamming Westrich is biased due to your hatred of @IanO?

I do not hate Ian at all! -- I think he may be misguided in some of his opinions (but that is just my opinion) and I can understand (sort of) his apologist nature for what Westrich is producing (although I am almost certain that none of their product is berthed from his mind). Ian is a bit of an egotist (but so am I) -- I enjoy some of his viewpoints on various subjects -- I admit, we do spar from time to time -- but it is not with hatred -- not even close! Now the turn in developmental directions that Westrich has taken -- that is another subject altogether. They had a beautiful start on 103rd street with good Architectural product -- they seem to be progressing steadily downhill ever since.

 

[Didama]

This is without the doubt the worst of Westrich's developments so far, in my non-expert opinion. They've still got some good projects in the pipeline and I'm hopeful for those, but to cheap out here is wrong and seems out of character. It's like they decided that this is a student area and no one will give a crap if they put up something that would make Regency proud. We have every right to call them out on it.

 

[archited]

None of you have ever complained about them.

Oh yes I have -- and quite frequently at that. Most recently talking about the walk-up that I briefly lived in on 119th street north of Jasper. These six-story hässliches Gebäudes are the new architectural subclass every bit comparable to the walkups of the 60s, 70s and 80s. There are good example exceptions to the six-storey undertakings -- like Stadium yards -- but they are rare in terms of the current landslide. Now these fuglies are creeping into the downtown scene.

 

[constance_chlore]

A '50s bungalow is still one of the most common style of house in Edmonton. A typical '60s 4 storey walk up apartment was copied everywhere, we have hundreds of them and they are all identical. None of you have ever complained about them.

While they might not be ideal for residents, I think a lot of the brick-clad walkups from the 60s are quite a bit more handsome than this sort of building.

What I don't get about a lot of these bad stick-build apartments is that you could often make them obviously better by subtracting elements, like the blue squiggles here, which makes it seem like their badness is as much a result of just plain bad taste as aggressive cost-cutting.

 

[itom987]

Not every building is going to be an architectural gem, besides this project is smack dab in the middle of a neighbourhood. Architectural gems are usually in areas where they are visible.

 

[constance_chlore]

Not every building is going to be an architectural gem, besides this project is smack dab in the middle of a neighbourhood. Architectural gems are usually in areas where they are visible.

This project might be just "not a gem" by Edmonton standards, but I think by the standards of the core areas in any other major Canadian city it would be almost insulting. Our bar is just really low.

 

[davcocom]

This project might be just "not a gem" by Edmonton standards, but I think by the standards of the core areas in any other major Canadian city it would be almost insulting. Our bar is just really low.

Is there anything we can do to change that? Maybe messaging the city council or the Edmonton Design Committee can make a difference? We just need someone who cares to put some rules in place to enhance the overall architecture in the city, because it is inevitable that developers will try to cheap out to make better profits.

 

[thommyjo]

A '50s bungalow is still one of the most common style of house in Edmonton. A typical '60s 4 storey walk up apartment was copied everywhere, we have hundreds of them and they are all identical. None of you have ever complained about them.

I have. They’re just not new developments with dedicated threads. And 65 years later, I expect us to be better at building homes than in the 1960s when most of the essential tech of our current life was even invented yet…

Ill gladly ranted about the ugliness of many of the walkups around 156st

 

[_urbanite]

A '50s bungalow is still one of the most common style of house in Edmonton. A typical '60s 4 storey walk up apartment was copied everywhere, we have hundreds of them and they are all identical. None of you have ever complained about them.

When do we really ever get a chance here to complain about them? We certainly don't lament the loss of those bungalows or older walk-ups when they're torn down for infill, though.

 

[buildings]

looks like a cntl+C cntl+V from their project in Kelowna. Must be their BLUE phase.

 

[Edmcowboy11]

I do like the fact that this will eliminate a big empty lot.

 

[macblender]

The more parking lots they can eliminate the better especially if you can get to a critical mass where downtown becomes more attractive with more businesses to support the residents. Obviously better looking would be nice

 

[buildings]

I suppose at the end of the day offerings at a variety of price points is a good thing.

 

[crisp]

Honestly don't even have to do much to make these buildings look nice. Remove the stupid blue and white accent lines and make floors one to four all brick.

 

[buildings]

^cant wait for that trend to die.