The Great Canadian reclad Thread! - Page 38

ericmacm · #**741** Posted **Apr 23, 2020, 9:25 PM**

I like this reclad. The existing complex looks pretty worn and some of the windows look mismatched. The appearance of the complex could drastically benefit from the flattening of the facade and increased reflectivity that the new cladding will offer.

It will go very nicely with the redone Terrasses de la Chaudiere complex.

905er · #**742** Posted **Apr 27, 2020, 12:49 AM**

The Assumption life tower in Moncton could really use a nice reclad.. its too bland given it's prominence in Moncton's "skyline"

AuxTown · #**743** Posted **Apr 27, 2020, 2:03 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 905er

I prefer the original. I don't see a reason to change it.

It is dying. Not bad from a distance but up close this building, and its materials, are crumbling/cracking/leaking. The trees really make the fist picture and they are not going anywhere as far as I know.

officedweller · #**744** Posted **Apr 29, 2020, 1:52 AM**

For Place du Portage, the horizontal banding on the original design created by the solid spandrel strips is not recreated boldly enough in the reclad - that's why I don't think it looks as good as the original.

That banding is required to play off the stepped massing of the complex - how each section is steps down.
The banding accentuates those steps and could be recreated in the reclad by adding non-reflective spandrel bands to the curtain wall along each floor slab. It may even cost less to have less glass.

With the reclad as proposed, all you get is 4 side-by-side shiny boxes with walls between them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Place du Portage III, Hull, Quebec.

The Place du Portage III office complex in Gatineau. (Photo by Óðinn / Wikimedia)

The proposed building envelope design of Place du Portage III.

https://obj.ca/article/feds-present-...xpand-capacity

GeneralLeeTPHLS · #**745** Posted **Apr 29, 2020, 2:39 AM**

That's the ugliest rendering I've seen in a long time.....that absolutely desecrates the intent of the original architect's work. I suppose repairing the cladding would be costly...but come on, this is just laziness.

ericmacm · #**746** Posted **Jul 20, 2020, 8:10 PM**

Found a couple of Halifax reclad projects that haven't been mentioned here yet:

5151 George - Bank of Montreal Building

1505 Barrington - Maritime Centre

someone123 · #**747** Posted **Jul 20, 2020, 10:45 PM**

That BMO building rendering for Halifax is quite old now, but it is going through some sort of reclad.

Maritime Centre is getting a new podium, under construction now, that isn't shown in that rendering. Not sure if an upper floor reclad is in the works.

Here's another one, Atlantica Hotel getting a reclad. It's a 70's-era concrete building.

Quote:

Originally Posted by someone123

Buildings in Halifax tend to get renovated and modified a lot over time.

Architype · #**748** Posted **Jul 20, 2020, 11:02 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by someone123

T...

Here's another one, Atlantica Hotel getting a reclad. It's a 70's-era concrete building.

Buildings in Halifax tend to get renovated and modified a lot over time.

So, it's replacing blandness and ugliness with randomness, busyness and fussiness?

MonctonRad · #**749** Posted **Jul 22, 2020, 2:43 AM**

Not so much a reclad as a complete restoration:

The Higgins Block in Moncton is located at the corner of Main & Botsford, directly across the street from Moncton city hall.

It was built in 1901, first serving as a boot and shoe factory, subsequently undergoing several new iterations, before ending up as a nightclub in the 1980s called Spanky's. Fun fact, the Barenaked Ladies were served here once by a waitress named Enid, and the rest is history.

The ground floor of the building has remained occupied since the early 1990s, occupied by a variety of restaurants, most importantly Mexicali Rosa's which has been a long term fixture. The upper floors however were essentially abandoned, and the windows boarded up, which was a severe embarrassment to the city given the buildings prominent location near the heart of downtown.

Last year, Adelin Properties, a local Moncton based development company finally bought the Higgins Block from the previous carpetbagging absentee landlord based in Halifax (who didn't give a fuck), and the buildings transformation has begun.

New windows have been installed on the second and third floors.

The upper floors have been gutted to the rafters and original flooring, and have been completely cleaned, ready for transformation to office space.

View of Moncton city hall from the roof of the Higgins Block.

The loft type office space that will soon be available in the Higgins Block (COVID aside) should be extremely attractive to any type of high tech company out there that would like to make the heart of Moncton it's home.

SpongeG · #**750** Posted **Aug 6, 2020, 4:02 AM**

this goes beyond a reclad but its an interesting read

Future proofing: Upgrade fading offices or convert them to residential?

WALLACE IMMEN
SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL
PUBLISHED 2 DAYS AGO

Strategic Group's e11even office conversion in Edmonton.

STRATEGIC GROUP

Quote:

An aging 12-storey office building in Edmonton sat vacant after its tenants moved to a more modern building. The initial choices for landlord Strategic Group in a market with a glut of office space were to renovate in hopes of attracting enough office tenants to cover the operating costs or tear the building down and start fresh. But there was a third option: convert the building in a desirable location to a fully rented residential building.

It’s a reuse many owners of smaller, older buildings are contemplating across Canada in an office market destined to change in a post-COVID-19 economy, says Steven Paynter, principal at architecture and design firm Gensler.

The Cube apartment building on 11th Avenue SW in Calgary is one of four office-building conversions by Strategic Group.

STRATEGIC GROUP

...

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/busi...o-residential/

ssiguy · #**751** Posted **Aug 6, 2020, 7:35 PM**

That reclad of Place du Portage is an abomination! It looks like a suburban office park that only Laval could be proud of. This really is a case of leaving well enough alone.

J.OT13 · #**752** Posted **Aug 6, 2020, 8:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssiguy

That reclad of Place du Portage is an abomination! It looks like a suburban office park that only Laval could be proud of. This really is a case of leaving well enough alone.

I did not think people would hate it that much.

GeneralLeeTPHLS · #**753** Posted **Aug 6, 2020, 9:48 PM**

It is an abomination.

Here's a reclad of the podium level of a building at Yonge n St. Clair...fugly, but the reclads on the other corner buildings havent been much better at all. I took this two days ago:

Wednesday Construction and other things. by Draulerin Photographics, on Flickr

GeneralLeeTPHLS · #**754** Posted **Aug 26, 2020, 2:43 AM**

So this is an update on 401 Bay (grey and white building on the centre left), or the Simpson's Tower as it's better known. A prominent office tower across from Old City Hall, the recladding is taking it's time....but getting there. The crow looks done....just as they intended.
It's a real hackjob on a fine structure from the 60's...but it is what it is.

Monday Construction by Draulerin Photographics, on Flickr

someone123 · #**755** Posted **Dec 7, 2020, 6:45 PM**

This picture from the Quinpool Road area of Halifax captures 2 reclads. The highrise on the left is new but the two on the right are from the 1970's. There's a "greyscale" trend these days; not sure I am a fan.

Source

davidivivid · #**756** Posted **Dec 19, 2020, 6:01 PM**

Not so much a reclad as a declad in this case: Verdun's auditorium was built in 1939 and subsequently covered in metal facing in the 70's. It was recently renovated to its formal glory.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.p...89514968148402

Drybrain · #**757** Posted **Dec 19, 2020, 6:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by someone123

This picture from the Quinpool Road area of Halifax captures 2 reclads. The highrise on the left is new but the two on the right are from the 1970's. There's a "greyscale" trend these days; not sure I am a fan.

Source

This seems to be part of a trend towards unnecessary and not very attractive re-clads of concrete buildings. The hotel on the right her had a sort of '70s modernist flair, which has now been ruined with this strange racing-stripe look.

someone123 · #**758** Posted **Dec 19, 2020, 7:26 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drybrain

This seems to be part of a trend towards unnecessary and not very attractive re-clads of concrete buildings. The hotel on the right her had a sort of '70s modernist flair, which has now been ruined with this strange racing-stripe look.

I find that in Halifax old buildings get messed with more than in some other Canadian cities. Not just prewar heritage buildings but postwar concrete too. I think it is basically cultural; that developers do whatever they feel like and people think of it as normal, whereas there is more resistance in some other places. One prime example of this is in North End Halifax where a lot of the old wooden houses get remade into all sorts of new modern-style commercial buildings. It's not a universally bad practice but it's hit or miss and the city doesn't seem to have figured out a sensible strategy for scarce heritage areas. The prime example of this is the old South End around south Barrington which could have been a landmark district but is currently a dog's breakfast of architectural mishaps mixed in with some gems.

It used to be common for people to explain that the unique Maritime climate inflicts more wear and tear on buildings so they have to be replaced frequently but (1) Halifax has wooden buildings from 1750 that have survived and (2) I don't know why Montreal or Quebec City or Saint John or St. John's or Portland ME would have less wear and tear of this variety.