Canadian Skyline Thread III

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

Things look great in the Calgary shots above. I wish that Hyatt building had a real copper roof so it could patina and contrast all the modern towers.

We were just discussing this on SRC. I always feel embarrassed when the Hyatt appears in the same shot as the Bow or Telus Sky. It's so hokey and horrible. That blue roof is atrocious. Looks like a suburban hotel with a waterslide.

Sadly copper doesn't patina here because the climate is so dry. I recall a development when I was a kid that painted the copper roof teal to imitate it.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

So I'm not the only one who sees it?

[Calgarian]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Does Edmonton still have a taller tower than Calgary?

Stantec is still 4m taller than Brookfield, so yes. The Stampede Station mixed use is proposed at about 275m though, so we may take that back. Vancouver is looking to go over 300m with the first supertall in Western Canada, so hopefully a height war is in the books!

[worldlyhaligonian]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

We were just discussing this on SRC. I always feel embarrassed when the Hyatt appears in the same shot as the Bow or Telus Sky. It's so hokey and horrible. That blue roof is atrocious. Looks like a suburban hotel with a waterslide.

Sadly copper doesn't patina here because the climate is so dry. I recall a development when I was a kid that painted the copper roof teal to imitate it.

That's done quite a bit when they don't want to spend money on real copper out here... just green-painted metal.

I wonder if an agent could put applied to make it patina upon installation. Would look cool in the skyline. Not quite the Royal York, but better than blue!

[GeneralLea]

Ottawa, from my trip last month. Taken in the western end of downtown
68e92e6f-80ef-46f6-b9e6-0f3811d4d196.jpeg by Josh Kennington Photographics, on Flickr

And a more odd angle:
d2fc41de-4f10-4cae-926e-f60c541de10e.jpeg by Josh Kennington Photographics, on Flickr

[hipster duck]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

This picture clearly demonstrates that Toronto is a Great Lakes city with a lot of similarities to places like Rochester or Toledo, from which Ontario cities derive nearly all of their influence.

There are size differences, of course. For example, Toronto has over 6 million people, and the Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland CSA has 1.2 million, but downtown Grand Rapids looks kind of like downtown Toronto, but 1/5 the size.

[Docere]

It's getting competitive with Jacksonville even.

[MolsonExport]

Nothing competes with Jacksonville. Not Hong Kong, Not Dubai, Not Shanghai, Not New York City. Certainly not Toronto.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Nothing competes with Jacksonville. Not Hong Kong, Not Dubai, Not Shanghai, Not New York City. Certainly not Toronto.

But what about…

Okotoks!?!

[MolsonExport]

Okotoks may be sinking fast beneath the waves, but at least there are a number of things to do.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

That's done quite a bit when they don't want to spend money on real copper out here... just green-painted metal.

I wonder if an agent could put applied to make it patina upon installation. Would look cool in the skyline. Not quite the Royal York, but better than blue!

We have a lot of green painted metal in Ottawa as well. Minto Place comes to mind, four towers towards the bottom left of the image below from around 2024. Now the new arena at Lansdowne will have a painted green roof as well, initially sold as a way to blend in with the berm the arena would be buried into (after determining the initial living green roof design would be too expensive). When they removed the berm completely, they sold the painted green roof as an homage to Parliament.


https://www.canadianarchitect.com/federa...ament-buildings-ottawa-ontario-canada-2/

[J.OT13]

From YOWflier on the Ottawa forum. In both pictures, Hull is at the bottom, Ottawa is at the top.

Originally Posted by YOWflier

From my recent travels…

[giallo]

Ottawa is developing quite the urban area.

[Docere]

I think the term "Manhattanization" entered the discourse in the 1980s, when Toronto had clearly emerged as Canada's lead city. This was around the time Toronto was deemed "New York run by the Swiss." People were unsure whether to take that as a compliment or a put-down.

In the last 20 years, "Manhattanization" really came to fruition.

The term has also been applied to Hong Kong and Frankfurt.

[someone123]

Halifax


Source

[Gresto]

Originally Posted by Docere

I think the term "Manhattanization" entered the discourse in the 1980s, when Toronto had clearly emerged as Canada's lead city. This was around the time Toronto was deemed "New York run by the Swiss." People were unsure whether to take that as a compliment or a put-down.

The locally famous Ustinov quote from way back in the '70s. I don't know how well it still applies today, if at all. Most Torontonians always regarded it as a compliment, i.e. bustling and "big city-ish" in a manner similar to N.Y., but tidy and well-run rather than filthy, decrepit, and crime-ridden (which is no longer true of NYC). I'd like to think Toronto has come into its own and no longer aspires to imitate any other city. It seems to be forever in flux; never fully settled in one identity.
Another admiring quote often bandied about 30+ years ago was from the American producer (name escapes me) of "Night Heat", who related that they were filming a scene in an alley downtown somewhere, and had strewn garbage about to make it look seedy. The filming crew and cast went to lunch, and when they returned, city garbage workers had cleaned their mess. I very much doubt that would happen today. Toronto is much larger, more chaotic, always strapped for cash, and overseen by far fewer councillors since DoFo impetuously and unilaterally decided to slash their numbers years ago.

[Docere]

Manhattan has few if any alleys but the "New York alley" is a myth in the world of the cinema. Maybe Toronto looked more liked the "Gotham" of popular imagination.

[MolsonExport]

Toronto has gotten dirtier and New York, cleaner, although the latter is still quite a bit more dirty than the former.

Manhattanization....that would have been an overly dramatic way of describing Toronto until the explosion in the number and height of condominium buildings that occurred during the past 15 years or so, but nowadays, it is very apt. Hong Kongization might be more appropriate term, as NYC is still dominated by office towers.

[Surrealplaces]

Massive looking. Toronto's definitely on a different level.

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

https://www.instagram.com/rahab_photography/


I agree. I mean, neither are amazing (BIG is a highly overrated & gimmicky firm IMO), but the massing on Telus Sky is certainly more pleasing to the senses - the step backs evoke the old art deco ziggurats of Manhattan; versus Vancouver House's overhang which feels oppressive and unnatural.

That said, its proportions are also highly dependant on angle. In some, like the shot directly above it looks great; but in others the effect gives it an overly bulky base relative to the skinny top.

[Coldrsx]

The little 'skyline' that you don't see from most angles on my favourite Downtown street.