The World Ending in a Monochromatic RLApocalypse

[Harley613]

I'll add more later when I have more time.

















1009 Tweddle

Stillwater Station

[Harley613]

RLalternatives:
1971 & 1975 St. Laurent (Petroff Partnership Architects)

Claridge Royale (NEUF)

Claridge Moon (NEUF)

1200 Maritime Way (NEUF)

[Dzingle Bells]

YES! this is great haha.

one more to add to the pile. 2200 bank aka south keys

[originalmuffins]

This thread has me laughing my ass off and also a bit sad with what the hell is going on with these "developments".

[DarthVader_1961]

Originally Posted by originalmuffins

This thread has me laughing my ass off and also a bit sad with what the hell is going on with these "developments".

Maybe they do not realize that most humans can see more colors that grey/black and white

[J.OT13]

Although they all have a similar language, and in a few cases, nearly identical, there's quite a huge difference in quality. I think the SoHo series tops in quality, followed by Westgate and Azure. Re's not bad. Q West is not bad design wise, but very monolithic from street level (don't get me started on the condition of the convent though, but that's an Ashcroft thing, not RLA). Rideau-Chapel is the worse. The Scott tower is very similar, yet not quite as offensive (the crosses for sure, nut I think the reasonably sized podium as well).

[kwoldtimer]

When the colour of the moment coincides with a building boom, you get a lot of it. BTW, Azure is brown brick, not grey, at least to my eye.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

When the colour of the moment coincides with a building boom, you get a lot of it. BTW, Azure is brown brick, not grey, at least to my eye.

I don't see it. I see grey. Maybe a slight undertone of brown... maybe...

[Harley613]

Added some more to the original posts

[Harley613]

I was driving down Carling today and dreaming of all the new CharcWarts we'll have along the strip in a few years. Carling should be renamed Charcling.

[Uhuniau]

I really don't understand the issue with the colour of the bricks.

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

I really don't understand the issue with the colour of the bricks.

I don't mind a charcoal brick building here and there, but the material is so ubiquitous in Ottawa these days, that it's becoming a stain on the city in my opinion. I directly compare it to the overuse of concrete during the brutalist apartment building era in this city. Everything is starting to look the same again. I don't see this lack of variety in modern highrise construction any other Canadian city. It's just so representative of the developer culture in this city. Lowest bidder everything, from the architect to the final fixtures, slap a 'Luxury' tag on it, then charge/sell for as much or more than vastly superior buildings in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, or Calgary charge/sell for.

[Admiral Nelson]

Originally Posted by Harley613

I don't mind a charcoal brick building here and there, but the material is so ubiquitous in Ottawa these days, that it's becoming a stain on the city in my opinion. I directly compare it to the overuse of concrete during the brutalist apartment building era in this city. Everything is starting to look the same again. I don't see this lack of variety in modern highrise construction any other Canadian city. It's just so representative of the developer culture in this city. Lowest bidder everything, from the architect to the final fixtures, slap a 'Luxury' tag on it, then charge/sell for as much or more than vastly superior buildings in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, or Calgary charge/sell for.

Playing devil's advocate, charcoal bricks =/= bad design. Ottawans of the 1920s probably weren't up in arms about the poor aesthetics of the ubiquitous red brick midrises springing up downtown that we cherish now today.

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by Admiral Nelson

Playing devil's advocate, charcoal bricks =/= bad design. Ottawans of the 1920s probably weren't up in arms about the poor aesthetics of the ubiquitous red brick midrises springing up downtown that we cherish now today.

Is there a more cherished material in the history of the American Northeast/Canadian East construction than red brick? It's classic. I would never compare Ottawa's current day charcoal brick addiction to red brick, which has never actually gone out of style. The charcoal brick is surely a fad like so many others that have come and gone over the years.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Harley613

Is there a more cherished material in the history of the American Northeast/Canadian East construction than red brick? It's classic. I would never compare Ottawa's current day charcoal brick addiction to red brick, which has never actually gone out of style. The charcoal brick is surely a fad like so many others that have come and gone over the years.

Well, yes, like the yellow brick period of the mid-century, too.

[OTownandDown]

One of the major conversations that we don't have is that brick is not really the best material to clad a tower. Bricks have a tendency to weather and spall over time. It is difficult and expensive to access and repair. The lower quality inventory in our City ends up with a toque (sheet metal anchored to underlying structure, containing the sh*tty brick on the higher elevations and a nasty surprise for a contractor in 40 more years). Slightly higher quality inventory ends up with a mish-mash of patch repairs, delaying the inevitable kicking and screaming towards a full re-clad (see Le Terrasses).

[Harley613]

Our CharcWhite Overlords have been busy lately!

[OTownandDown]

"Just gonna give this place a little REfresh." *reaches for the grey paint*

[Harley613]

I totally get some of these, when they are changing out old precast panels and taking the opportunity to upgrade insulation and/or fireproofing. It makes sense they would go for a more modern colour scheme. It's the ones where they are just painting over that kill me. Let's see how those look in five years.

[Harley613]

19 Centrepointe in it's final glorious form