Oxford Tower

[H.E.Pennypacker]

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

Yeah, the plaza/podium and just overall street interaction is abysmal. I mean, I know we all love The Bow and Wonderland, but do we really want another windswept fuckhole with a couple of benches and a statue? No. A publicly engaging plaza is needed for this location in the centre of the CBD, end of story.


Great news about the proposal though, we seem to have gotten confirmation from both the render (being 2.66x taller than 520 5th) and from both CorporateWhore and Silent Bob's sources saying that it is indeed taller then BP and The Bow. Hopefully what we've seen is preliminary, that said I actually like the tower design now, just not the podium.

In fairness Courthouse Park is right across the street from the site, which is a damn good public amenity space ... I agree there should be some improved street interaction with better aesthetics but a huge interactive plaza isn't a must IMO - Brookfield is a good example of a site that requires this since there is a lack of large public amenity space in the near vicinity .. Same can be said with The Bow (bearing in mind they initially have plans for that second phase across the street)

[Boris2k7]

My mockup on a few tweaks I think would make the building better (and all I have to work with on my office PC is MS Paint...).



Main changes:

1. Segment the west-facing facades each into two vertical "faces," which are at different angles (they can be innies our outies, just not flat). You can offset the roof of the next section to accommodate this.
2. Slope the roofs (another nod to Penny Lane). Changes the profile and makes the lighting more dynamic.
3. Simplify the first few storeys and "raise" the tower off the ground. Makes the ground level feel more open and airy and gives the tower 3 distinct sections (base, body, crown).
4. Increase the height.

I think these are all things which can be achieved without making any changes to the floor layouts, and would significantly elevate the stature of this tower.

Originally Posted by Deepstar

[Surrealplaces]

I wish I had my 3D Studio Max up and running, I'd love to do some tweaking

[nick.flood]

My guide to make it better:

[Bokimon]

Do it!!

Bear in mind those sketchup modelling renders of the tower are not 100% in scale as the designers only guessed the scale of the neighboring buildings so stuff like the Bow and EAP may look a little inaccurate. Although I think the heights are accurate though.
This looks like some context diagram or a shadowing exercise which by the way Oxford, There are none!! (Unless the city bylaws added some narrow strip of land within a few hundred meters of the north flank which would give me a real reason to forgive this attempt)
I would still go with the 61 story/262m as stated unofficially by consensus.

^That manipulation is a bit too much. It looks really out of place, do one at a 275m/900' benchmark and another at 305m/1000' benchmark.
If a subtle spire or architectural roof element is added which isn't a monstrosity, this could redeem it. (Bankers Hall/TCPL/Canterra)
My favorite conservative type office tower is the 2 Union Square in Seattle. It looks elegant, handsome and well dressed. It would fit perfectly in our city if going the 95% efficiency route. If the Oxford tower adds some design accents to further break the plain-ness of its flanks ontop of the glacial slab, I would definitely give it a high score.

[Design-mind]

I agree it does not look 262M. It also shows a number 55, is that 55 floors? These renderings and diagrams seem to be incomplete.

The podium is Very corporate Calgary

[VIce]

Thought I could contribute to the speculation.

[Calgarian]

One good thing about this building is that it offers some simple lighting opportunities. Run a couple coloured LED strips up and over all 3 of the fins and I think it would look quite striking at night.

[H.E.Pennypacker]

Originally Posted by nick.flood

My guide to make it better:

I like these improvements, nick

[s211]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

One good thing about this building is that it offers some simple lighting opportunities. Run a couple coloured LED strips up and over all 3 of the fins and I think it would look quite striking at night.

Tron!

[Design-mind]

Originally Posted by VIce

Thought I could contribute to the speculation.

Is that TallBob on the right wetting his pants!

[1ajs]

it must be for i see a cocanut

[RyLucky]

Now that I've had a couple days to reflect, I'll tell you why I was part of the 5% who voted "love it" (though I could have voted "like it" just as easily). I don't think it needs to be changed, but it certainly will look best at >260 m as opposed to shorter speculations and estimates.

1) The proportions. A building this narrow (at least when viewed from north or south) is going to have a gorgeous effect on the skyline. The most important angle will be how it looks from the park across the street, and it is going to look slick from there! The terraced trisection at the top makes it look even thinner, as do the vertical elements that run from top to bottom.

2) The simplicity. Personally, I'm not a fan of ornaments, curves, and angles for the sake of ornaments, curves, and angles. Authenticity is beauty, and needless cosmetics can often feel fake. Would I want every building to be this simple? Absolutely not, but in that class of the Bow, Telus Sky, Banker's, EAP, Suncor, and Devon, this tower will be uniquely simple. The only adornments are the three subtle ridges at the top. They help to accentuate the vertical features without looking too flashy. Uninterrupted westward vistas are going to be amazing, and natural light will permeate most of the interior. I'd love to see the view from the boardroom!

3) Standard of practice. Assuming that office is the only feasible usage for this lot, this is about as good as we can expect in terms of public benefit. In my opinion, the most important thing about any building in my city is that it contribute positively to the atmosphere of the city. This office will do little to liven up Downtown at night (by nature of the building's use), but will bring 55 floors of employees into the core during the day, many of whom will populate nearby parks, restaurants, and sidewalks. I do not believe that a huge plaza would do as much to liven this corner as nearby office floorspace will. Hopefully at least 10-20% of the employees decide to buy condos or rent in the area.

Is it avante garde? No. Is the design practical, agreeable, and sophisticated? I think so.
Will it raise the bar for design in Calgary? Only by pulling up the average.

We're not getting a Lamborghini Sesto Elemento; we're getting a Maybach... or maybe just a nice BMW or Mercedes. Here's to a new tallest!

[Surrealplaces]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

One good thing about this building is that it offers some simple lighting opportunities. Run a couple coloured LED strips up and over all 3 of the fins and I think it would look quite striking at night.

I'd like to see some warmish white type like they have on EAP. Especially if they had a strip on the inside of those fins that went all the way up to the top. and gave off a nice glow.

[TallBob]

Design-mind: Thankfully I'm not at that point in my life!! LOL!

[Calalb]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

One good thing about this building is that it offers some simple lighting opportunities. Run a couple coloured LED strips up and over all 3 of the fins and I think it would look quite striking at night.

Something similar to the BofA Tower in Dallas would look good imo.

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/assets_c/2013/05/BankofAmericaTower-thumb-400x536.jpg

[suburbia]

Originally Posted by RyLucky

we're getting a Maybach...

Uhmmmm ... NO.

• Video Link

[holhm22]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

One good thing about this building is that it offers some simple lighting opportunities. Run a couple coloured LED strips up and over all 3 of the fins and I think it would look quite striking at night.

Yes please! HK style!

[RyLucky]

Originally Posted by suburbia

Uhmmmm ... NO.

• Video Link

This tower is sleek, has high-quality finishes, but is ultimately functional. Perhaps a nice BMW or Mercedes is a better metaphor.

We certainly did NOT get the sportscar-of-your-dreams:

[VIce]

Originally Posted by suburbia

Uhmmmm ... NO.

• Video Link

Scientists are still unsure if it's possible to watch this whole video without making a wanking motion with one's hands.