Winnipeg Construction

[chrisallard5454]

Any feedback on my design?

[dpenner]

my design had 4 residential buildings, each with main floor retail and 2 other commericial buildings, the greenspace in the middle is more of a courtyard, just something for the patios on the back of the buildings on the perimeter of the land to back onto. The 3 largest residential buildings (10+stories) filled the back of the parcel and are parallel to the railway but set about 20 feet away to give some space and allow a 2 lane street to give access to the parking spaces located behind the buildings and out of sight. I really need to do a finished one as i put quite a bit of thought into my design.

[armorand93]

Originally Posted by h0twired

PLEASE.

No more parks.

Parcel 4 needs REAL development that will bring people to the core on a full time basis. There is already more than enough green space around the Forks.

High-rise residential?

[roccerfeller]

Originally Posted by JamieDavid Exchange

Now..... THAT'S SOME UGLY ARCHTETURE!!!!!!!

Care to add your thoughts on this one too "bryanscott"?

come on man ... did he pee on your cat or something?

you're better than that man, don't be immature

Originally Posted by chrisallard5454

Why are you harassing him? That is really unnecessary.

Anyways....

Over the last couple of days I decided to rid myself of boredom and try to come up with an idea for Parcel four. So what I have come up with so far, is a plot and part of a design for one of the many buildings.

The plot represents three segments divided by pedestrian roads all meeting at a square, which could have a pond, field or leisure rink. Hot Dog venders would be free to set up shop where ever. Store fronts would line the streets. Buskers would come and go as they please. I have always felt Winnipeg needs a pedestrian strip, so why not create one on Parcel Four? I am not an urban designer nor an architect, so please only constructive criticism rather than straight out insults. So far I only have half the facade of the South East corner finished on one set. Here it is.

The white is unfinished area, and the building is no where near completion, but I thought I might ask for some feedback before going any further. The main floor closest to you is a restaurant with the cantilever overtop an outdoor patio area. There will be multiple storefronts along all sides of all of the buildings. With the second and third floors (closest to you) being condo's. To the south (left) of the Condo's is a second story rooftop patio for another restaurant. I still have a ways to go, but I am trying to include the multipurpose aspect as much as I can. This is only 1 of 3-6 buildings on the plot. I was thinking of putting a tower on top of this as well, however I am not sure. If so I don't know how big or tall it should be.

Also the red is way brighter than I had intended it to be. Maxwell took the materials and really brightened them up, so some editing may be needed there as well.

If the Cantilever is too big (which I am assuming it is) I was thinking of veiling multiple random clone formation posts as a modern piece of artwork for support somewhere in the middle.

Something like this, but round, metal clad, and on a much smaller scale.

Very interesting...I like the idea of a pedestrian zone, and it really lends itself well to the area by and large, seems to have some nice synergy with the area though I am not a fan of the specific designs (too lego-like for me), something more simple & glassy would be awesome and fit with both the forks and the human rights museum...that design is not bad though, just doesn't fit the forks-human rights museum area in my opinion; that design is something that goes more with a University campus type of vibe or some edgy condos

the idea of it though, is leagues better (perhaps to an infinite extent better) than what that water park could have turned out to be. this is, ultimately, what makes sense for that location, in my opinion

Originally Posted by dpenner

I sketched this one out for parcel 4 on the bus the other day, ignore the fact it was on a bumpy bus, i had no straight edges, and am a terrible drawer to begin with.........

http://yfrog.com/odzpzavj


Its tough to see the lettering and numbering but they correspond with what type of building and its height.

Edit sorry im a dummy and cant get the stupid image to post....

I really like that layout...sort of a pedestrian focal point to the entrance of the forks on that side...what exactly are the buildings?

[roccerfeller]

Originally Posted by h0twired

PLEASE.

No more parks.

Parcel 4 needs REAL development that will bring people to the core on a full time basis. There is already more than enough green space around the Forks.

More might not necessarily be bad, and more so than the park itself, it depends what else he mixes with it and how he does it

besides...its a drawing he did for fun, while on a bus...

[dpenner]

the three at the back are high rise residential, all hopefully 10+ stories, of those three the one of the left is 4 stories parkade then 6+ stories residential. each of these three residential buildings has main level retail, with the middle one containing a patio looking onto the courtyard (other two could have one as well). The building on the left side that contours is a 2-3 story mixed use, with ground level retail and 1-2 stories of residential. The building at that contours to the front (the tip) is 1 story commercial building that would be chopped into multiple units, (hopefully mix of restaraunt and retail, with both patios facing the CMHR and the courtyard. The space on the right side is open for the meantime, maybe put up some nice signage or something for my little village.

The whole point was to create a mixed neighborhood with residential that would either be facing the CMHR or downtown. I made the buildings closets to the CMHR only 1-2 stories so they would not detract from the view of the CMHR. In a perfect world i would of used less space for parking and put more residential units but this city is far from that stage.

Edit:
forgot to mention, i pushed the three big units at the back about 20-30 feet from the railway because i didnt want any residential units to sit directly on a busy railway, and also allowed me to put in a small two way street that would allow access to parking that i hid on purpose behind the buildings.

[roccerfeller]

Originally Posted by dpenner

my design had 4 residential buildings, each with main floor retail and 2 other commericial buildings, the greenspace in the middle is more of a courtyard, just something for the patios on the back of the buildings on the perimeter of the land to back onto. The 3 largest residential buildings (10+stories) filled the back of the parcel and are parallel to the railway but set about 20 feet away to give some space and allow a 2 lane street to give access to the parking spaces located behind the buildings and out of sight. I really need to do a finished one as i put quite a bit of thought into my design.

I saw this once I finished my other post, so you can ignore that since you answered it here;

what kind of commercial? I would be a fan of some more dedicated grocery store than what is in the forks, that would really be a place for people in St Boniface, the other side of Main (potential residences could be there in the future too) and up to the Exchange & waterfront to shop. One thing I hear consistently from my friends who have moved downtown is the lack of some type of store like that near them. Other options are just too far especially in the winter, and most of these guys don't have cars...ultimately they have a point: there could be more of these types of services

I dig the residential stuff, would be neat if there were coffee shops or patios or something, perhaps a pub in that area? sort of add some options of what already exists deeper in the forks.

just an idea, and reflects my personal preferences, but you have some great stuff there.

Originally Posted by armorand93

High-rise residential?

Its something everytime I'm driving down that road, I always go back and forth on "hmm would high rise residential look nice there? No...shorter would"

then other times I'm like "man high rises could work there!"

perhaps more midrise or low high rise...you don't want too large buildings, or it sort of kills what the tower of hope is supposed to do (or the feeling I think it is striving for, once people walk to the top and are standing ~100m high)

[roccerfeller]

Originally Posted by dpenner

the three at the back are high rise residential, all hopefully 10+ stories, of those three the one of the left is 4 stories parkade then 6+ stories residential. each of these three residential buildings has main level retail, with the middle one containing a patio looking onto the courtyard (other two could have one as well). The building on the left side that contours is a 2-3 story mixed use, with ground level retail and 1-2 stories of residential. The building at that contours to the front (the tip) is 1 story commercial building that would be chopped into multiple units, (hopefully mix of restaraunt and retail, with both patios facing the CMHR and the courtyard. The space on the right side is open for the meantime, maybe put up some nice signage or something for my little village.

The whole point was to create a mixed neighborhood with residential that would either be facing the CMHR or downtown. I made the buildings closets to the CMHR only 1-2 stories so they would not detract from the view of the CMHR. In a perfect world i would of used less space for parking and put more residential units but this city is far from that stage.

yeah this is a pretty slick idea, i especially like how you're using space well yet making it feel "large" with the parkades and all being throwin into the midrise structures...really well thought out use of space, for something so scratchpad and done during a bus ride

I wonder how a boutique hotel would work there? perhaps the new one on waterfront is a better location for that, plus there are some hotels nearby in that area I suppose

i'm sure this is something like what most of us would love to see, and it is akin to what chrisallard was seemingly going for too, and just like his ideas, this is leagues better than what could potentially have become an underwhelming Canalta development

great ideas all around today, real nice to see on here

[dpenner]

Originally Posted by roccerfeller

I saw this once I finished my other post, so you can ignore that since you answered it here;

what kind of commercial? I would be a fan of some more dedicated grocery store than what is in the forks, that would really be a place for people in St Boniface, the other side of Main (potential residences could be there in the future too) and up to the Exchange & waterfront to shop. One thing I hear consistently from my friends who have moved downtown is the lack of some type of store like that near them. Other options are just too far especially in the winter, and most of these guys don't have cars...ultimately they have a point: there could be more of these types of services

I dig the residential stuff, would be neat if there were coffee shops or patios or something, perhaps a pub in that area? sort of add some options of what already exists deeper in the forks.

just an idea, and reflects my personal preferences, but you have some great stuff there.



Its something everything I'm driving down that road, I always go back and forth on "hmm would high rise residential look nice there? No...shorter would"

then other times I'm like "man high rises could work there!"

perhaps more midrise or low high rise...you don't want too large buildings, or it sort of kills what the tower of hope is supposed to do (or the feeling I think it is striving for, once people walk to the top and are standing ~100m high)

Absolutely thought about putting in a grocery store, like Boushey's grocery in my neighborhood in ottawa
http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2009/03/22/greater-ottawa-photopost-no-32/
it looks small but is actually quite a large independent little grocery that has everything you need

There were 5 patio spaces in the commercial units that I would hope to have some kind of restaurant or pub, preferably nice irish/english pubs and a nice independent coffee house and eatery or something. While im not to big on retail because they only function during daytime hours thus negating the whole point of creating foot traffic, i think some of those units would have to contain some type of touristy shops for spillover from the CMHR.

Also chance of some office space for maybe a tec or media firm or something.

[dpenner]

Originally Posted by roccerfeller

yeah this is a pretty slick idea, i especially like how you're using space well yet making it feel "large" with the parkades and all being throwin into the midrise structures...really well thought out use of space, for something so scratchpad and done during a bus ride

I wonder how a boutique hotel would work there? perhaps the new one on waterfront is a better location for that, plus there are some hotels nearby in that area I suppose

i'm sure this is something like what most of us would love to see, and it is akin to what chrisallard was seemingly going for too, and just like his ideas, this is leagues better than what could potentially have become an underwhelming Canalta development

great ideas all around today, real nice to see on here

I think another hotel would be welcome especially if CMHR attracts as much as i think it will. I have been thinking a lot about the parcel of waterfront land directly across from shaw park. The stadium, CMHR, my development proposition and that other parcel make a little square that have huge potential. Although it is "public space" i am thinking of a development that would see infill of residential with the best views in the city (think corner units that see the bridge/CMHR/and downtown from one patio chair on the 12th floor. All this while maintain public access to the waterfront via an extended Stephen Juba park.

[roccerfeller]

Originally Posted by dpenner

Absolutely thought about putting in a grocery store, like Boushey's grocery in my neighborhood in ottawa
http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2009/03/22/greater-ottawa-photopost-no-32/
it looks small but is actually quite a large independent little grocery that has everything you need

There were 5 patio spaces in the commercial units that I would hope to have some kind of restaurant or pub, preferably nice irish/english pubs and a nice independent coffee house and eatery or something. While im not to big on retail because they only function during daytime hours thus negating the whole point of creating foot traffic, i think some of those units would have to contain some type of touristy shops for spillover from the CMHR.

Also chance of some office space for maybe a tec or media firm or something.

Yeah, well thought out in that regard. Definitely need some more later hours type of stuff for after the general forks area closes to bring in some pedestrian traffic in general, outside of who potentially would solely be living there

that said i do wonder if there would have to be some sort of limit? as in, if residential units are next to patios or what-have-you, could there be noise regulations that might prevent some of the more popular brands such as moxies from taking prime retail space?

I am personally much more a fan of independent joints, but sometimes with more ambitious developments there needs to be some guaranteed tenant in the commercial aspect with regards to the nightlife aspect of this location

I like the idea of something like boushey's, there are tons of similar things downtown here in Calgary, and Calgary's downtown isn't as spread out as Winnipeg's is, which is why to me a few of these smaller groceries (even if it has to be a smaller safeway or something like the IGA near Broadway) would do well in an area like Parcel 4

A lot of people underserved in that respect.

Ultimately, you're right to think about how best to make use of space and what will be best for pedestrian traffic, and some more evening catered places like a pub restaurant hybrid or a few of those, with more adjacent residential growth is a stellar plan. Well thought out for a bus ride's worth of time imo!


I could imagine the more touristy stuff need not have to be a part of your design, for instance if the forks wanted to keep the tourist traffic through there, they could maintain the tourist shops they already have and this could be more of a "residential" aspect to the whole thing, and the flip side could even occur where it might even get some other places in the forks to stay open longer too (it supplies the forks rather than becomes an extension of the forks)

[roccerfeller]

Originally Posted by dpenner

I think another hotel would be welcome especially if CMHR attracts as much as i think it will. I have been thinking a lot about the parcel of waterfront land directly across from shaw park. The stadium, CMHR, my development proposition and that other parcel make a little square that have huge potential. Although it is "public space" i am thinking of a development that would see infill of residential with the best views in the city (think corner units that see the bridge/CMHR/and downtown from one patio chair on the 12th floor. All this while maintain public access to the waterfront via an extended Stephen Juba park.

Certainly, that's also a great idea... and now that you mention that, come to think of it there is a lot of potential developmental space in that area in general and an additional hotel might work outside specifically parcel 4

It would need to really be something that ambitious, where multiple developers would have to work to create a synergy between the whole area and not just isolated developments with the hopes that the synergy will come anyways, sort of like how the forks functions as a whole unit very nicely

That is, of course, if the museum ends up becoming what we all hope it becomes in that respect, then there will be ample developments and hopefully more ambitious designs popping up all over the place

[dpenner]

Originally Posted by roccerfeller

Yeah, well thought out in that regard. Definitely need some more later hours type of stuff for after the general forks area closes to bring in some pedestrian traffic in general, outside of who potentially would solely be living there

that said i do wonder if there would have to be some sort of limit? as in, if residential units are next to patios or what-have-you, could there be noise regulations that might prevent some of the more popular brands such as moxies from taking prime retail space?

I am personally much more a fan of independent joints, but sometimes with more ambitious developments there needs to be some guaranteed tenant in the commercial aspect with regards to the nightlife aspect of this location

I like the idea of something like boushey's, there are tons of similar things downtown here in Calgary, and Calgary's downtown isn't as spread out as Winnipeg's is, which is why to me a few of these smaller groceries (even if it has to be a smaller safeway or something like the IGA near Broadway) would do well in an area like Parcel 4

A lot of people underserved in that respect.

Ultimately, you're right to think about how best to make use of space and what will be best for pedestrian traffic, and some more evening catered places like a pub restaurant hybrid or a few of those, with more adjacent residential growth is a stellar plan. Well thought out for a bus ride's worth of time imo!


I could imagine the more touristy stuff need not have to be a part of your design, for instance if the forks wanted to keep the tourist traffic through there, they could maintain the tourist shops they already have and this could be more of a "residential" aspect to the whole thing, and the flip side could even occur where it might even get some other places in the forks to stay open longer too (it supplies the forks rather than becomes an extension of the forks)

Thanks for the input, my last point before i clog up the thread to much, you made a great point about corporate restaraunts/pubs/shops becoming tenants. Im not an anti-corporate guy but find independent dining options add more character and community to a neighborhood, as you do to probably. Your right though a development that large would most likely be done by one developer who would probably seek more stable tenants such as a moxies or something. Thats one of the imperfections i find with designing huge neighbourhood developments and an imperfection of mine. I am one of those guys who doesnt like big developments and believes proper neighborhoods evolve organically over time. Although this wont happen with that parcel of land. I just pray that if it falls into the hands of shindico or something that they consult Ken Greenberg or something.

Edit: re read that post and felt i sounded condescending, just personal preference over how cities should grow.

[chrisallard5454]

I just picked up a copy of Downtown Winnipeg magazine by Biz, while walking down Portage, and it had an article with Mr. Viking. It was an interesting read that provided great insight into the mindset of our city's architects. I would definitely suggest picking one up.

[flatlander]

Originally Posted by bryanscott

Love it! Stunning.

You tell 'em!

[flatlander]

Originally Posted by trueviking

i don't understand why that building has to look like a stucco version of an exchange district building when it is on osborne.

fake historic 'architecture' is bad.....out of context fake historic 'architecture' is worse.

love the white ridge style artificial stone at the bottom of the tower element.

the LCD screens are so completely out of place....is it a modern hi-tech building or is it a turn of the century warehouse made of styrofoam and acrylic stucco....pick one and go with it.

embarrassing.

The developer was a regular contributor here at one time. Not lately. Can't recall his name...

[JamieDavid Exchange]

Originally Posted by chrisallard5454

Why are you harassing him? That is really unnecessary.

Originally Posted by chrisallard5454

Hey now, let's not start calling each other out with personal attacks. Bryan Scott is a well informed individual with an avid eye for beauty, being a great photographer and all...

I was just curious why there wasn't a huge hype about that hotel rendering when its clearly worse than the confusion corner one.

Everyone is allowed their opinions. Don't just complain about something without offering an opinion on how how to improve it. Just makes sense to me. And that is my opinion.

As for harassing and attacking, NO ONE on here knows me personally and I believe that is defamation of character. I was just simply asking what his opinions were on that proposed hotel.

If anyone else has issues and wants to continue this, then private message me. Otherwise, let the open public forum serve its purpose; Winnipeg Construction Discussions.

[Svenn]

Originally Posted by JamieDavid Exchange

I was just curious why there wasn't a huge hype about that hotel rendering when its clearly worse than the confusion corner one.

Everyone is allowed their opinions. Don't just complain about something without offering an opinion on how how to improve it. Just makes sense to me. And that is my opinion.

As for harassing and attacking, NO ONE on here knows me personally and I believe that is defamation of character. I was just simply asking what his opinions were on that proposed hotel.

If anyone else has issues and wants to continue this, then private message me. Otherwise, let the open public forum serve its purpose; Winnipeg Construction Discussions.

You did come off pretty condescending when you addressed bryanscott so you shouldn't really be surprised by all the backlash.

And I think people care more about the design of the confusion corner building because it's in an urban area and the site is very high profile.

[bryanscott]

Originally Posted by Svenn

And I think people care more about the design of the confusion corner building because it's in an urban area and the site is very high profile.

Bingo. Some locations are worth being passionate about. Others...not so much.

[armorand93]

...so nobody wants to design a better tower with me?