The Ugly Canada Thread - Page 74

Echoes · #**1461** Posted **Mar 27, 2015, 3:44 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brizzy82

I know this isn't technically what the thread is about, but I had to go do some work at the Yale Hotel the other day and let me tell you, that whole strip of Main St is ugly

North Winnipeg Main Steet by JakeBlackner, on Flickr

I don't see ugly, I see character, history, and potential. It's often the visible social problems and general rundown condition that paint these streets as "ugly" in the eyes of many.

esquire · #**1462** Posted **Mar 27, 2015, 3:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Echoes

I don't see ugly, I see character, history, and potential. It's often the visible social problems and general rundown condition that paint these streets as "ugly" in the eyes of many.

Agree 100%. That is solid urban form right there. Blast some of the ugly paint off of those and you've got a row of handsome, historic buildings.

O-tacular · #**1463** Posted **Mar 27, 2015, 4:13 PM**

Yeah I'd take that 'ugly' any day of the week.

MolsonExport · #**1464** Posted **Mar 27, 2015, 4:18 PM**

Reposted from the highways thread

Quote:

asphaltplanet.ca

O-tacular · #**1465** Posted **Mar 27, 2015, 4:21 PM**

Dear God! Where is that and why is the median so massive and all ripped up? Please tell me they are constructing something on it.

niwell · #**1466** Posted **Mar 27, 2015, 4:28 PM**

401 in Durham Region. The median used to be the westbound lanes of the 401 but they reconstructed the highway to accommodate the interchange with the future connector between the 401 and 407, which I believe will be numbered highway 412. The entirety of the 401 is being shifted north.

Here's a map of the area:

http://www.407eastphase1.ca/wp-content/gallery/segment-b-1/pic3-structure_b1_corrected.jpg

O-tacular · #**1467** Posted **Mar 27, 2015, 6:24 PM**

This piece of crap will be replacing a nice heritage building. Their homage to it and the protected structure next door is a 13 story blank brick wall on the backside. It's an Edmonton developer. Go figure.

http://calgaryherald.com/business/real-estate/parker-office-tower-planned-for-former-sally-ann-site

Chadillaccc · #**1468** Posted **Mar 27, 2015, 6:27 PM**

Definitely a new candidate for this thread...

esquire · #**1469** Posted **Mar 27, 2015, 6:30 PM**

Now you Calgarians are just flaunting your good fortune... I'd give my eyeteeth to have that as a nice parking lot filler in Winnipeg.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

Definitely a new candidate for this thread...

O-tacular · #**1470** Posted **Mar 27, 2015, 6:33 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

Now you Calgarians are just flaunting your good fortune... I'd give my eyeteeth to have that as a nice parking lot filler in Winnipeg.

If it was parking lot filler I wouldn't care as much. This is replacing a historical building though.

SignalHillHiker · #**1471** Posted **Mar 27, 2015, 6:35 PM**

I like it. Reminds me of Fortis here.

O-tacular · #**1472** Posted **Mar 27, 2015, 6:37 PM**

It looks like pure 80's filler! The brick is awful! And that blank wall!

Chadillaccc · #**1473** Posted **Mar 27, 2015, 6:44 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by O-tacular

If it was parking lot filler I wouldn't care as much. This is replacing a historical building though.

The historic building its replacing is a postwar 1950s bunker that has no street interaction whatsoever. I won't be sad to see it go, I just wish what was replacing it was better than this.

esquire · #**1474** Posted **Mar 27, 2015, 6:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by O-tacular

It looks like pure 80's filler! The brick is awful! And that blank wall!

The blank wall is money... nothing says urban awesome like a row of highrises smooshed together. This building will set the stage for something like that.

For instance, see below. If all of the buildings were 100 feet apart with windows on all sides, it would mercilessly kill the awesome in this block:

Source: wikipedia

With this sort of arrangement, the buildings become far more than the sum of their parts.

Chadillaccc · #**1475** Posted **Mar 27, 2015, 6:47 PM**

That won't ever be possible with this building, which is where the problem with the brick wall lies. The Northwest Travellers Building is a 4 storey, 110 year old structure that is protected. There's no chance they'll ever be building a high rise there (hopefully). So that brick wall would be visible to all for a very long time. Hopefully the city relaxes their code for blank walls that face directly at other buildings. Why not even have punched in windows at least?

1overcosc · #**1476** Posted **Mar 27, 2015, 7:21 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

The blank wall is money... nothing says urban awesome like a row of highrises smooshed together. This building will set the stage for something like that.

For instance, see below. If all of the buildings were 100 feet apart with windows on all sides, it would mercilessly kill the awesome in this block:

Source: wikipedia

With this sort of arrangement, the buildings become far more than the sum of their parts.

That's what I love about downtown Ottawa, all the buildings touch each other for continuous canyons on basically every street.

SkahHigh · #**1477** Posted **Mar 27, 2015, 7:36 PM**

Hotel Des Seigneurs in Saint-Hyacinthe is the tallest building in the city and probably one of the ugliest. It's right alongside the A20 between Montreal and Quebec City.

http://storage.journaldemontreal.com/v1/...GINAL.jpg?quality=80&version=2&size=968x

niwell · #**1478** Posted **Mar 27, 2015, 7:50 PM**

In the rendering the Calgary one doesn't even look like it goes all the way to the lot line - may be an optical illusion though. I don't mind the rendering, but I doubt it would look like that in reality. I'm imagining reflective glass and ugly red brick. Also too close to the Bow - which works in part because it's such a standalone structure.

Laceoflight · #**1479** Posted **Mar 27, 2015, 8:15 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkahHigh

Hotel Des Seigneurs in Saint-Hyacinthe is the tallest building in the city and probably one of the ugliest. It's right alongside the A20 between Montreal and Quebec City.

http://storage.journaldemontreal.com/v1/...GINAL.jpg?quality=80&version=2&size=968x

Don't worry, it's soon going to be demolished. The works have already started.
New owners...

Source : Journal Le Courrier

11a2b3 · #**1480** Posted **Mar 27, 2015, 8:26 PM**

Bay Laurier Place, Ottawa. Looks like a vertical prison.

http://www.ottawacondoguide.com/building-details.cfm?id=30