Originally Posted by counterfactual (Post 7309750)

Obviously that's the result of the many wind tunnels created by all the new developments downtown that are over 3 stories. :D

Originally Posted by IanWatson (Post 7435526)

Website with renderings is up: www.queensmarque.com

Originally Posted by eastcoastal (Post 7435587)

Yes - gallery of renderings: http://queensmarque.com/form-and-place/orientation/

Interesting... I like how they're taking the "local" angle on the architecture/design of the thing. I'm not sure how much I like the "sandstone bar" along Lower Water St - it feels a little like a wall and not so much like what might be traditional form of waterfront development with fingers projecting out into the water. Maybe it would be more porous between the street and the boardwalk in real life... maybe it just needs a couple bigger openings in it: I remember seeing historic photos of waterfront halifax that had big arches between Lower Water St. on the city side, and what would have been industrial/working port space on the water side.

Originally Posted by IanWatson (Post 7435526)

Website with renderings is up: www.queensmarque.com

Originally Posted by portapetey (Post 7435805)

I think it's a very cool design. But not sure it fits the waterfront well.

...

Again, I kinda love the building. Imagine it on a university campus, surrounded by grass and trees. Just not sure how well it integrates with the waterfront.

Originally Posted by Drybrain (Post 7435816)

The shacks that are there now are nothing special, but they also contribute to a lot of activity and make it the liveliest part of the boardwalk, with all the small uses and the public congregating areas, and the vistas you can get of city and ocean.

Here you're just gonna be surrounded by what looks like an interior plaza in a slightly dated office complex. (Love the stairs though.)

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark (Post 7435889)

I was hoping for something better, to be honest, but realize that overall it could be worse. It could have looked like Doyle Block...

Originally Posted by Keith P. (Post 7435964)

It could well be that Armour just hired better artists to do the renderings. They certainly made the narrow canyon of Water St this will create look like anything but that.

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark (Post 7435667)

Arches would add visual interest along with a vestige to its history as a working waterfront. Might be tricky to incorporate into the design as is, but would be worth a look IMHO....

Originally Posted by Keith P. (Post 7435732)

I really do not like the structure facing Water St. The building appears bulky and massive there, and with the Dominion building across a very narrow street it will make that stretch very enclosed-feeling, dark, and canyon-ish. The design of that building looks almost institutional in nature, almost like a 1950s federal govt building....

Originally Posted by Keith P. (Post 7435732)

...
Did they state whether these will be rentals or condos? I assume it is all residential and not commercial space?...

Originally Posted by Drybrain (Post 7435816)

...
Here you're just gonna be surrounded by what looks like an interior plaza in a slightly dated office complex. (Love the stairs though.)

Originally Posted by eastcoastal (Post 7436121)

Living space is pressed up against the ocean in the centre of the Queen and Cable district. The location and appointments will be unrivaled within the City and of the utmost luxury.

Originally Posted by Drybrain (Post 7436132)

Queen and Cable district? What the hell is that?

Originally Posted by eastcoastal (Post 7436121)

I totally agree. It's an odd fit where I expect to have finger-type developments reaching into the harbour with openings between that provide much less of a wall.



They don't state apartments vs. condos - at least not in what I read, but they do list office space in their grandiose description of the "district."

From the website: "WORK: The commercial space is designed to be one of the most progressive office buildings in the country and will have a distinct Atlantic Canadian character. Queen’s Marque is a place to work and think that is different from other spaces in the City. With the sea almost touching the expansive windows, it facilitates a balance between productivity and creativity. Much like the culture of Nova Scotia."

But wait, there's more: "LIVE: Halifax Harbour is your living room within the residences at Queen’s Marque. Living space is pressed up against the ocean in the centre of the Queen and Cable district. The location and appointments will be unrivaled within the City and of the utmost luxury. The interiors will speak to traditional Nova Scotian craft, materials and design in a modern and contemporary application."

And a hotel... "STAY: Queen’s Marque will feature Atlantic Canada’s first ultra-luxury class boutique hotel. Guest suites will be finely appointed with Nova Scotian design and décor. Visitors will experience the finest regional hospitality amongst comfortable and beautiful, distinctly Atlantic Canadian, ocean side rooms."

What about everything artisinal you ask? "EAT: njoy a locally brewed craft beer while sitting in the warm Nova Scotian sun, surrounded by the dark blue ocean, in the centre of our City. Queen’s Marque will feature several local restaurants and cafes that strive to prepare dishes inspired by our region using fresh ingredients grown in Nova Scotia."

Let's not forget boutiques... they're being "curated" for your pleasure... "EXPLORE: Boutique style shopping and services with a distinct focus on locally made and sourced products. Retail and cultural space at Queen’s Marque is being curated with the intent to support local businesses and showcase artisan wares and high-end fashions that are unique to Atlantic Canada. Cultural feature provides Nova Scotia historical and artistic experiences within the district."

Originally Posted by Drybrain (Post 7436132)

Queen and Cable district? What the hell is that?

Originally Posted by someone123 (Post 7436440)

Overall it looks pretty interesting to me. I like that it's not another blue or green glass building. It has a big footprint but there are openings for pedestrians on the ground level and the enclosed design is intended to cut down on wind to make the plaza area more hospitable for a larger part of the year. I could see it being a more useful space than the open lot that's there now, even if it is smaller.

Good or bad this also strikes me like a development more characteristic of a large and modern city. I like this a lot more than the small town Maritime kitsch stuff that exists along parts of the waterfront. Halifax seems to be entering a new "grown-up" phase. Then again, is that glass tower thing an imitation lighthouse? :)

Originally Posted by beyeas (Post 7436526)

PS: I am not 100%, but after reading more I think that glass "tower" is a placeholder for a public art installation (which admittedly could still end up being an unfortunate lighthouse). Regardless I found that tower distracting in some of the renderings, especially the one where people appear to be floating in it!

Originally Posted by Keith P. (Post 7436545)

Perhaps it is a zero-gravity obelisk.

Originally Posted by Keith P. (Post 7436545)

Perhaps it is a zero-gravity obelisk.

I'm sure skateboarders will love the ramp downhill from it.

Originally Posted by someone123 (Post 7436440)

Overall it looks pretty interesting to me. I like that it's not another blue or green glass building. It has a big footprint but there are openings for pedestrians on the ground level and the enclosed design is intended to cut down on wind to make the plaza area more hospitable for a larger part of the year. I could see it being a more useful space than the open lot that's there now, even if it is smaller.

Originally Posted by Drybrain (Post 7436568)

T
My other big concern is the interruption of the visual flow up and down the boardwalk, which could discourage pedestrian movement through the space and and interrupt the movement north and south along the boardwalk. Maybe separating the "wharf" buildings from the centre block and creating a continuous open-air passage (rather than just the "porous" building frontage) would help with that. The wharves could then connect with the main building via sky-bridges or something.

Originally Posted by Keith P. (Post 7436583)

Everyone's favorite journo Tim Bousquet craps all over this today:

https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/featu...y-may-10-2016/

A sampler:

"Regular readers will know to read such pronouncements with a grain of salt — besides short-term construction jobs, even the biggest developments “create” exactly zilch in terms of new employment, but rather simply reshuffle existing employment opportunities. Maybe Queen’s Landing will need a bunch of building managers and janitors, and maybe some retail shops and offices in the new development will hire some people, but only because the Maritime Centre (or whatever) finally gives up the ghost and people working there lose their jobs."


So I guess when Tim started the Halifax Examiner, another rag must have shut down?


"Remember when you were a kid and went to the fair and ate three giant cotton candies and two chocolate-covered bananas with nuts and then went with your sister on the Tilt-a-Whirl? Yes, reading that press release is exactly like that. The website is a lot of sickening fun, too, as we learn about “Honest. Authentic” condos, and that, somehow, the developers are promising to dictate what kind of food and drink are served in the new restaurants in the complex"


I find it remarkable that his readers actually pay for this stuff. And more scarily, that many of them seem to believe that what he produces is true.

Originally Posted by beyeas (Post 7436595)

Yeah that I was what I was trying to get across in my post above as well. Massing on Water Street aside, the other big issue is how people access and flow through to the plaza space. Right now it really doesn't feel like this would have any continuity with the boardwalk space, and instead is its own separated area. I respect Mackay-Lyons comment about have a sheltered space, but if it is so sheltered that it becomes uninviting to flow through it, then we have effectively a barrier separating a non-contiguous North and South boardwalk area.

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark (Post 7436672)

I think that's a valid concern, actually. I've often wondered if the Marriott Hotel is the reason that waterfront pedestrian traffic pretty much stops at the north end of the boardwalk, even though it continues around the perimeter of the building. The hotel feels like a barrier to the pedestrian rather than a continuation of the boardwalk.

That said, there's not much to do beyond there, except to go to the casino (which is more easily accessed through the pedways IMHO). So it may not be blamed entirely on the hotel's layout.

Originally Posted by beyeas (Post 7436595)

Yeah that I was what I was trying to get across in my post above as well. Massing on Water Street aside, the other big issue is how people access and flow through to the plaza space. Right now it really doesn't feel like this would have any continuity with the boardwalk space, and instead is its own separated area. I respect Mackay-Lyons comment about have a sheltered space, but if it is so sheltered that it becomes uninviting to flow through it, then we have effectively a barrier separating a non-contiguous North and South boardwalk area.

Originally Posted by Keith P. (Post 7436705)

When the Marriott was built in the early '80s, was there even a boardwalk?

Originally Posted by eastcoastal (Post 7436671)

To be fair, I think some of what he points out is pretty funny: a pre-occupation with being local (I DO really appreciate that the architects are local, something that's missing from the Convention Centre, and sorta missing from the library where the headliners were fancy come-from-aways who were supported by local joes) contrasted with illustrative photos that are the antithesis of local.

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark (Post 7436777)

The dock with the criss cross pattern behind the hotel is a nice space, and I've never understood why they haven't done something more with it, like having food vendors or something (awesome spot for a Stillwell-type beer garden, except for the possibility of drunks falling off the pier). Building the boardwalk out in the old Bluenose docking area would alleviate that bottleneck and perhaps allow the Lower Deck to extend its patio somewhat as well - then carry the walkway straight through to link up with the one behind the hotel better. :hmmm:

Originally Posted by someone123 (Post 7437445)

The Historic Properties wharves have a similar configuration as far as the circulation of pedestrian traffic is concerned. I don't think they are much of a barrier, and the courtyard space is arguably the most architecturally interesting spot along the waterfront. It also functions pretty well as an event space; a larger courtyard would be better and that's what the new development has.

Originally Posted by someone123 (Post 7437445)

The Historic Properties wharves have a similar configuration as far as the circulation of pedestrian traffic is concerned. I don't think they are much of a barrier, and the courtyard space is arguably the most architecturally interesting spot along the waterfront. It also functions pretty well as an event space; a larger courtyard would be better and that's what the new development has.

I agree somewhat with the massing complaints but then again variety is important too. Most of the waterfront, Bishop's Landing included, feels too low slung and open if anything (the Salter block is a huge open space). Windswept park-like waterfronts are a dime a dozen whereas this development is somewhat unusual for North America.