Miscellaneous Recent Projects

[GeneralLeeTPHLS]

Agreed ^
I haven't stepped foot in the complex yet, but it has its own gravity to it, it doesn't loom over the neighbourhood at all but it's a well composed collection of buildings, other than being a bit compact and generic.

[biguc]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

I did turn out very well even if it should have been 50m taller.

I wish the Well and the CIBC twins were all 50 m taller. Those are some of the best looking towers I've seen go up anywhere recently, but they're all kind of lost in the skyline.

How is the off-street space in the Well?

[niwell]

Wellington st frontage of the Well is very well done. Wide brick sidewalks, properly done street trees, seating and lots of space for patios. There’s still a lot of work going on but should look good once retail is occupied.

[Maldive]

Originally Posted by biguc

How is the off-street space in the Well?

1. On Wellington Street… a few weeks ago getting ready for patio season:


rdaner

rdaner

rdaner

2. Open for business:


CanadianDriver

3. The enemy of the state (the city’s public realm) TORONTO HYDRO waits until the last paver is laid… and then attacks. These folks should be locked up (until that asphalt is replaced with the pavers... so likely a 2 year sentence).


EBITDaddy


TEAM MENACE


Source

[Nouvellecosse]

I'm still a bit worried how the open air mall will fair given that half the year it won't exactly be that inviting. But then again I suppose the Distillery district seems to do ok despite being open air.

[MonkeyRonin]

Whistling Wind Island cottages in Georgian Bay, ON by Akb Architects: https://www.dezeen.com/2024/07/27/wh...age-ontario/#/

[TownGuy]

^ Unbelievable although a little lacking in privacy. IMO Georgian Bay is an underrated piece of Canada. Heck even in Ontario the Muskokas seem to get all the attention. In Georgian Bay we're literally talking the world's largest freshwater archipelago with 10s of thousands of islands.

[J.OT13]

Beauty. How much is it to rent one of those?

[J.OT13]

New eating establishment on Ottawa's Bate Island. The NCC has been opening Bistros and have a partner that opens "Taverns" at a few different locations in the City to activate the shoreline and parks. Here's the latest one, Tavern on the Island.

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

Went by the Tavern on the Island on the day they opened just to look and came back the next day for a beer and burger. The burger was very good and the view of the city skyline is worth it.

Website: https://www.google.com/maps?sca_esv=...00715&ictx=111
Location: https://www.thetavern.ca/

There's also Tavern on the Hill (Major's Hill Park, the original), Tavern by the Falls (Rideau Falls), Tavern at the Gallery (National Art Gallery courtyard) and Tavern on the Lake (Leamy's Lake in Gatineau).

The Bistros are at Confederation Park, Patterson Creek, Remits Rapids, Wellington Street across from Parliament. The NCC also has a new Café on the Ottawa River at the River House (opened last year) and Hog's Back Park (Rideau River, had been closed for many years until this summer). https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/bistro

[cranes]

26 King St E Kitchener | 3 fl | U/C

https://www.waterlooregionconnected....6010#pid116010
@tomh009 08-12-2024

26 King St has its cladding--and a mural! It doesn't match the rest of the building, but it's a very nice book-end for it.

[MonkeyRonin]

Neville Park House, Toronto by Reigo & Bauer:






https://www.instagram.com/designboom/?hl=en

[J.OT13]

Overview of Wateridge Village from Harley613. This is a former military base turned dense suburban neighbourhood 5 km east of Downtown Ottawa.


https://ottawa.skyrisecities.com/for.../#post-2145228

[hipster duck]

^What is that neighbourhood like on the ground? It looks like it probably can't support much walkable retail, but it is built for people to walk to schools and parks - which is a good start. It also has a good mix of housing types.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

^What is that neighbourhood like on the ground? It looks like it probably can't support much walkable retail, but it is built for people to walk to schools and parks - which is a good start. It also has a good mix of housing types.

It hasn't quite reached the point where the retail elements are in place yet. It is well planned for walker/bikers, but is fundamentally car-oriented suburbs. The aesthetics are not to everyone's taste as most Canadian neighbourhoods would have more design variations.

[J.OT13]

There is still retail spaces, just not occupied yet. Decent sidewalks, some MUPs, minimal surface parking. It's car oriented in the sense that it doesn't have good transit, schools or employment yet (other than the National Research Council campus next door), but it has good bones for a walkable community as it progresses. You won't see a big box retail parking here.

A bit sterile, but overall pretty decent. Once trees grow and we get more of those community amenities and retail, it will be pretty nice.

[niwell]

Interesting to see that former CFB lands development turned out very similar to a 4th year urban planning project I did (along with a former forumer) for the site. Less retail to date though. That being said if I were to redo it again today I'm not sure it would be exactly the same!

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

It hasn't quite reached the point where the retail elements are in place yet. It is well planned for walker/bikers, but is fundamentally car-oriented suburbs.

Does anyone know if the retail is planned to be integrated with the buildings that have gone up, or consist of "big box"-style clusters on the edges of the site?

Based on the glass and awnings on the first floors of the 6-7 storey multi-residential buildings, they seem to have planned for the former, though I imagine larger retailers would be on the outskirts along arterials if they're going to locate nearby at all.

I don't know much about the suburban parts of Ottawa.

[Innsertnamehere]

retail always comes later as the residential density needs to be there first.

It looks similar to North Oakville in that most residents probably still drive to work but would likely use their cars a lot less for other activities.

Smaller format retailers, the kinds that typically take small retail units in plazas, will likely be in multi-storey apartment buildings in an urban format with the larger format retails in a semi-urban format with some amount of direct customer parking still as they need to draw from a wider range of customers.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

retail always comes later as the residential density needs to be there first.

It looks similar to North Oakville in that most residents probably still drive to work but would likely use their cars a lot less for other activities.

Smaller format retailers, the kinds that typically take small retail units in plazas, will likely be in multi-storey apartment buildings in an urban format with the larger format retails in a semi-urban format with some amount of direct customer parking still as they need to draw from a wider range of customers.

For sure. Zibi as well, none of the retail has been occupied yet.

Unfortunately, this area likely won't get customers from outside the community since it's isolated, accessible via car centric mid-century stroad with strip malls that already offer anythigng you would need.

[hipster duck]

^Diverse retail is always the last to come to a masterplanned community, so I wouldn't take a lack of independent stores as a sign of failure. We just have to wait a bit.

The most interesting, street-animating form of retail are usually independent restaurants and cafes or niche retail, and they generally look for cheap rents, and a space that's previously been fitted out for their exact kind of business before. There's an episode of The Bear where the team are anxious about passing a fire suppression test on their gas stove/ventilation system, which will make or break the opening of their new restaurant. I'm not familiar with the details of the low margin restaurant business, but I can see things like that really making people timid about starting up in a new retail space.

Generally, a high margin, safe business like a bank branch will open and urbanists will inevitably moan and groan about gentrification or the sterility of new developments, but it makes sense when you think about it. And something is always better than nothing.