Claridge Icon [505 Preston St] | 143m | 45 fl | Completed - Page 50

Beedok · #**981** Posted **Aug 20, 2017, 12:19 AM**

The balconies look fine to me, but the cladding... not so much.

Harley613 · #**982** Posted **Aug 20, 2017, 6:35 AM**

Crapridge strikes again with the Bait & Switch!

rocketphish · #**983** Posted **Aug 20, 2017, 1:53 PM**

And just to compete the set, these are the other current renderings from the Icon website:

http://www.claridgeicon.com

UrbOttawa · #**984** Posted **Aug 20, 2017, 4:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by rocketphish

And just to compete the set, these are the other current renderings from the Icon website:

http://www.claridgeicon.com

pretty unfortunate (but somewhat expected) that they ditched the curved glass balconies for flat sheets. The curved glass on one Bloor in Toronto, for example, really makes it shine.

photo by caltrane74

Fritz Gudenteicht · #**985** Posted **Aug 20, 2017, 6:35 PM**

Breaking News: Claridge just updated their company logo:

http://crystalwashington.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/bait-and-switch.png

Arcologist · #**986** Posted **Aug 21, 2017, 1:04 PM**

My enthusiasm for this project has just fizzled out......... sigh.....

cr872190 · #**987** Posted **Aug 21, 2017, 3:11 PM**

I may be wrong but weren't the curved balconies only ever on the sides facing Preston and Dow's lake on the south/west facade? The rendering below is looking at the north/east facade which always looked like that.

J.OT13 · #**988** Posted **Aug 21, 2017, 3:47 PM**

The curved balconies were on the Dow's Lake façade while the north façade was supposed to be a curved glass wall with a few columns of balconies. The new rendering looks more Claridge Plaza than any of the first few versions of Icon.

EdFromOttawa · #**989** Posted **Aug 21, 2017, 6:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcologist

My enthusiasm for this project has just fizzled out......... sigh.....

At this point all that matters is getting the height. Once the perceived barrier to building that tall is gone, then we can focus on getting nice looking buildings.

acottawa · #**990** Posted **Aug 21, 2017, 6:55 PM**

It's unfortunate there are no consequences for rendering fraud.

Uhuniau · #**991** Posted **Aug 21, 2017, 7:29 PM**

What am I missing?

What's wrong with the cladding or balconies or anything?

jitterbug · #**992** Posted **Aug 21, 2017, 8:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

What am I missing?

What's wrong with the cladding or balconies or anything?

The issue, as far as I can see, is that the new renderings show the balcony glass and building cladding as flat panels rather than smooth curves (which is what the original images showed). Obviously, the new design is cheaper as the same parts can be used many times over rather than custom fitted for each installation.

Time will tell what impact this will have on the overall look. I suspect it will be unnoticeable from a distance. Going closer might be another story. In any case, it's disappointing that Claridge would do this for its supposedly "signature" condo tower.

Davis137 · #**993** Posted **Aug 22, 2017, 1:26 PM**

Well, I am sure almost anything is an improvement over the CP buildings, and hopefully they won't just make it another beige and grey structure that will disappear into the horizon in the future. It's at least not a beige box...so far...that's a tiny victory isn't it?

jitterbug · #**994** Posted **Aug 22, 2017, 3:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davis137

Well, I am sure almost anything is an improvement over the CP buildings, and hopefully they won't just make it another beige and grey structure that will disappear into the horizon in the future. It's at least not a beige box...so far...that's a tiny victory isn't it?

And that's the beef for some people here. Icon is starting to look more like Claridge Plaza, or Tribeca, or Tiffany, or Andaz, or any of its other bland, cheap looking buildings now dotting the city. Sadly, Claridge doesn't give a damn about how their buildings actually look on the exterior. They use and reuse virtually the same materials across projects, with little to no attention to detail.

In architecture, like any other creative endeavor, it shouldn't be about just getting it done on the cheap. We all have to live with this junk for years, and honestly it's rather embarrassing for Ottawa.

lrt's friend · #**995** Posted **Aug 22, 2017, 4:02 PM**

Notwithstanding proposals (which may take years to come to fruition), this project will be the tallest building in the city for the foreseeable future. With this comes some responsibility that the building be attractive, if not very attractive. This is the cost of wanting to build the tallest building in the city by far. Cheaping out on the design is not acceptable.

waterloowarrior · #**996** Posted **Aug 22, 2017, 4:29 PM**

It looks like there is a lot more white spandrel in this version than previous renders which showed darker and narrower spandrel. There are also panels (aluminium?) in the middle which I think was shown as window wall before. It appears that the north side doesn't have the tempered fritted glass featured on the other balconies.

kevinbottawa · #**997** Posted **Aug 22, 2017, 5:30 PM**

It's a mix of Claridge Plaza and Tribeca. The curved, corner windows to the left of the north side are the same as the turquoise corner windows on the Claridge Plaza.

Uhuniau · #**998** Posted **Aug 23, 2017, 6:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jitterbug

The issue, as far as I can see, is that the new renderings show the balcony glass and building cladding as flat panels rather than smooth curves (which is what the original images showed). Obviously, the new design is cheaper as the same parts can be used many times over rather than custom fitted for each installation.

Time will tell what impact this will have on the overall look. I suspect it will be unnoticeable from a distance. Going closer might be another story. In any case, it's disappointing that Claridge would do this for its supposedly "signature" condo tower.

Nothing outlined here constitutes a problem for me.

Uhuniau · #**999** Posted **Aug 23, 2017, 6:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jitterbug

In architecture, like any other creative endeavor, it shouldn't be about just getting it done on the cheap. We all have to live with this junk for years, and honestly it's rather embarrassing for Ottawa.

I am desperately trying to figure out why this building would embarrass Ottawa.

OK, maybe not that desperately.

jitterbug · #**1000** Posted **Aug 23, 2017, 7:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

I am desperately trying to figure out why this building would embarrass Ottawa.

OK, maybe not that desperately.

If the majority of Ottawans are either ok with mediocrity, or are simply indifferent, then mediocrity (or worse) is what we're gonna get.

Icon will have at least one redeeming quality, and that is it will help Ottawa get over its long-held fear of height. When other similarly tall or taller buildings get built in the future we won't even notice Icon anymore.