[Hali87]

One thing that I think weakens the heritage elements in the proposal is way the spaces between the facades are filled in with generic, uniform glass boxes. It might work a lot better if instead each gap was filled in with something different and a bit bolder - basically tell the architects to aim for a similar level of detail/design quality as the buildings that are already there, but with a more contemporary style.

The street level on Hollis looks pretty dull, and it would be nice if they broke it up a bit somehow or had entrances along Hollis. One thing that I hadn't noticed until today though is what looks like a large cantilevered canopy at the bottom of the accordion section, it looks like it would stretch completely across the George St. sidewalk. Having something like that along the other sides of the building would improve the pedestrian experience in poor weather.

Finally I think replacing the accordion section with something a bit less wacky looking could be a good move. Right now it relates (IMO) really poorly with the existing bank, whereas if designed differently could make the existing building feel like a "part" of the overall 22CS block. Something with art deco design cues would bridge the gap (chronologically and stylistically) between the Bank of Commerce's style and the modernist panel above the accordion. Something sort of like the narrow ~10-12 storey bank buildings in downtown Winnipeg for example.

If this goes through (or even if it doesn't), it'll be interesting in a few years once a few more of these facade-incorporating projects have been built. With Founder's Square, Waterside, Espace, Discorvery Centre, Roy, TD, Sackville/Market, and potentially Commerce Court, a pretty substantial share of heritage properties downtown will have conspicuously modern additions on top, and conversely a large share of downtown's towers will have heritage facades at the base. This will (possibly moreso than in any other Canadian city) become a major defining feature in terms of Downtown Halifax's urban form and overall identity.