Canadian City Proposals

[Martin Mtl]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

What makes it more of a Montreal style? Is it the dark cladding?

If you just posted the picture without any reference to where it is, I would not be able to pinpoint that it was a Montreal proposal. I could probably safely rule out Vancouver, since Vancouver doesn't do slabs, but it could plausibly be built anywhere from Toronto to Edmonton to Halifax.

As soon as I saw the renders, without knowing, I knew it was Montreal.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

Of course you don’t Whipper because it was an observation made be me and you are being your predictable self as always. Lager podiums, mediocre designs and scales all match Cityplace. Montreal has been building much better then this lately. This is just a boring lack lustre design much and could fit right in with between Spadina and Bathurst. WS at what age do I need to worry about waking and have morphed over night into a bitter old man? LOL

The scale of these towers, the materials, etc. have nothing in common with Cityplace. You gotta stop using Cityplace as your way of expressing not liking a proposal.

[hipster duck]

PS: I might also rule out Toronto. It's been a while since developers have proposed a building with a podium that's primarily common space/activity area that's just 3 floors tall.

Anyway, I'm going to have to agree with Drew. This proposal isn't a total dog, but there are certain elements that throw it off, like the abrupt change in balcony placement and window size from the 14th floor onwards, or the wide openings on the top 3 floors. The podium is also, as I mentioned, quite short and sort of low slung for a downtown project in a city like Montreal.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

What makes it more of a Montreal style? Is it the dark cladding?

If you just posted the picture without any reference to where it is, I would not be able to pinpoint that it was a Montreal proposal. I could probably safely rule out Vancouver, since Vancouver doesn't do slabs, but it could plausibly be built anywhere from Toronto to Edmonton to Halifax.

I knew it was Montreal without even reading where it was from. It looks just like the rest of Griffintown.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

This is a style that has been played out over and over again across Toronto and it's burbs. To me "Montreal Style" has a much more refined look then this cookie cutter proposal.

This isn't cookie cutter. Likewise, you'd actually be hard pressed to find something similar in Toronto and it's burbs. There's more to a design than it's massing. (which I can only conclude is all you see here ... commieblocks!!!!!!!)

[Martin Mtl]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

I knew it was Montreal without even reading where it was from. It look just like the rest of Griffintown.

Devimco is building a lot in Griffintown, but this project is on another scale and they hired a much better architects firm to design it.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by Martin Mtl

Devimco is building a lot in Griffintown, but this project is on another scale and they hired a much better architects firm to design it.

It still has the same feel as Griffintown to me though. I find it disappointing looking. Especially if it's replacing that Art Deco hospital.

[Martin Mtl]

It's not a revolutionary design, that's for sure.

[WhipperSnapper]

It's a style that can be found all around Montreal and its suburbs. Edmonton has complex building forms with strong Pomo motives to put it kindly. It's more Vancouver than Vancouver. Toronto design are much heavier on themes. They extend from cartoonish neodeco to whimsical 1950s futurism (think Prii). This Montreal style is more an evolution of the the Miesian builds in that city. There's no in your face theme. Any architectural flourish is there to simply break up the massing.

[wg_flamip]

Originally Posted by Martin Mtl

As soon as I saw the renders, without knowing, I knew it was Montreal.

The context presented in the renders says Montreal more than the design of the building itself, IMO: The streetscaping in the first image has a Montreal vibe, and isn't that Mount Royal in the second image?

[someone123]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

It's a style that can be found all around Montreal and its suburbs. Edmonton has complex building forms with strong Pomo motives to put it kindly. It's more Vancouver than Vancouver. Toronto design are much heavier on themes. They extend from cartoonish neodeco to whimsical 1950s futurism (think Prii). This Montreal style is more an evolution of the the Miesian builds in that city. There's no in your face theme. Any architectural flourish is there to simply break up the massing.

This reminds me of a brilliant speech about known knowns, or unknown knowns, or was is known unknowns? If you are more familiar with architecture you will have a stronger sense of the differences and trends. If you're more familiar with a given city you might definitely know if a proposal fits in or doesn't. You might otherwise feel like a building is generic, or that it could go anywhere; but this feeling doesn't necessarily mean that there aren't ways of narrowing it down that you are unaware of.

There are zero proposals in Halifax that look like this. The biggest reason why it's not a plausible proposal for that city is the massing; nobody does low podiums there because the rules allow taller podiums while the height limit encourages developers to fill in the lower parts of the envelope as much as possible (giving most buildings a chunky, squat appearance...). Aesthetically it's also a big departure from the much busier and more colourful designs that are common there. It reminds me of twin towers that were proposed by an Ottawa developer a while ago that people immediately freaked out about and that were never even remotely approved or built. I'm pretty sure I would have guessed Montreal from that rendering based on the setting, dark masonry/concrete exterior, size, minimalism, and how angular it is. A number of recent Montreal projects look kind of like that.

[Martin Mtl]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

It's a style that can be found all around Montreal and its suburbs. Edmonton has complex building forms with strong Pomo motives to put it kindly. It's more Vancouver than Vancouver. Toronto design are much heavier on themes. They extend from cartoonish neodeco to whimsical 1950s futurism (think Prii). This Montreal style is more an evolution of the the Miesian builds in that city. There's no in your face theme. Any architectural flourish is there to simply break up the massing.

Yeah, that pretty much sums it for me. Of course, we do long sometimes for something more whimsical, but it's doesn't seem to be in the DNA of the city right now.

[Urbmtl]

The east facade is intriguing.

[christmas]

I for one, can definitely tell apart Montreal high-rise proposals from the rest.
A lot of them tend to have that New Jersey vibe.

Toronto, Mtl, and Van City all have their own style of high-rise architecture.

[Urban recluse]

Vancouver needs that black.

[Metro-One]

So it looks like this gem was just approved, 7 to 1.

Originally Posted by officedweller

From Michael Geller's twitter, July 25th:


https://twitter.com/michaelgeller

[christmas]

Vancouver's new future skyline:

[SkahHigh]

New project just south of Victoria Square - across from Tour de la Bourse by Broccolini. Looks about 120m tall, very Atlanta-esque...

Good chance this gets built since Broccolini gets shit done.

628 rue Saint-Jacques

[WhipperSnapper]

very generic. find clones of it everywhere (not just Atlanta)

[begratto]

Originally Posted by christmas

I for one, can definitely tell apart Montreal high-rise proposals from the rest.
A lot of them tend to have that New Jersey vibe.

Toronto, Mtl, and Van City all have their own style of high-rise architecture.

Just by curiosity, do you have an example of that "New Jersey vibe" you mention? This project doesn't exactly screem New Jersey to me. I am familiar with the Jersey City / Newport area (map), but none of the buildings there seem to have much in common with the Mtl proposal. Maybe you have something else in mind?