[Burnaby] The Amazing Brentwood | 15 Towers | 186m | 56 flrs | U/C & Proposed

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by osirisboy

Windows on tower three are unattractive to say the least. Why can't we just have a clean seamless window wall?!

As Tangeray posited above, it comes down to cost.

Seamless or frameless glazing systems are typically more expensive (both for installation and maintenance- thermal bridging and acoustic insulation, double or triple glazing, etc..) than the regular mullion/transom systems we're accustomed to.

That's why you tend to mostly see them only used in Office and commercial buildings where the cost scale is different and rarely in residential (other than really high-end residential).

I like to see them going the route of using dark mullions and transoms that blend in with the glass - if they're going to use regular systems - which seems to be the choice they went with in this project.

[officedweller]

The lack is vision glass is ridiculous:

[jamieson]

Originally Posted by officedweller

The lack is vision glass is ridiculous:

Any idea why this is? I was hoping they might be temps or something..

[officedweller]

LEED - for energy efficiency.
Presumably to reduce solar gain, even though this is on the north side!

[jamieson]

Windows on the north side first floor almost complete as of Saturday. Just missing some glass doors.

Really dislike the way this looks as someone who purchased a unit in Tower 3... wishing I bought in the first two.

[officedweller]

The first towers also have spandrel panels - but they aren't as noticeable.
Hopefully they have fritted balcony glass to hide these ones.

[jamieson]

Originally Posted by officedweller

The first towers also have spandrel panels - but they aren't as noticeable.
Hopefully they have fritted balcony glass to hide these ones.

Is it going to be frosted from the inside looking out? thoughts?

[Tangeray]

its too bad that there won't be uniformity between T1, T2 and this one, but I've been hearing so much insider info about how immensely over-budget Shape is on this project. Couple that with the delay in getting their construction permit for Lougheed, their lawsuit with Rennie, and I can understand why they want to cut some costs.

I believe they definitely have issues but that their issues have absolutely zero to do with Gilmore Station's ridiculous notion that Payless Shoes closing is their biggest nightmare.

Shape has a great track record of building beautiful malls, but this being their first foray into home construction, I feel as though their lack of experience has led to them somewhat over-extending themselves.

Their vision is great, but execution will remain to be seen.

My honest opinion? If you're thinking of purchasing a unit from Shape, wait for us guinea pigs to close on our condos first and see how good the quality is.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by jamieson

Is it going to be frosted from the inside looking out? thoughts?

Fritt are little dots which appear white from a distance, but you can see through from the inside (with a bit of a haze). It's common in Toronto, but not seen much in Vancouver.

[jamieson]

I photoshopped the first floor of glass onto the rest. I didn't even want to finish the right side because it is so uninspiring and dull.

Curious to see how the real life version will compare to my photoshop lol

[GilmoreStation]

I've heard that SHAPE has been behind in paying their subcontractors by months

[osirisboy]

Originally Posted by Tangeray

Cost cutting measure?

Is it though? Other less expensive cities seem to avoid the amount of spandrel we use

[osirisboy]

Originally Posted by GilmoreStation

I've heard that SHAPE has been behind in paying their subcontractors by months

Ugh. Go to bed

I heard onni is close to bankruptcy

[officedweller]

Another alarming part of the design is that the mullions on the south half of the tower appear to be light in colour, while the mullions on the north half are dark.
- i.e. like the different balcony railings on different sides of towers 1 and 2.
It might look okay, but not sure.

Southeast corner cut from Jamieson's post above:

[jamieson]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Another alarming part of the design is that the mullions on the south half of the tower appear to be light in colour, while the mullions on the north half are dark.
- i.e. like the different balcony railings on different sides of towers 1 and 2.
It might look okay, but not sure.

Southeast corner cut from Jamieson's post above:

They finished the rest of the East side today. It is the same color as the North side except for that one South East unit.

[officedweller]

I'm thinking there would be a vertical "spine" or "gutter" down the middle of the east and west façade to separate the north and south massings.
i.e. the recessed area in the pics above. Does the recessed area have cladding?

[jamieson]

Originally Posted by officedweller

I'm thinking there would be a vertical "spine" or "gutter" down the middle of the east and west façade to separate the north and south massings.
i.e. the recessed area in the pics above. Does the recessed area have cladding?

I think it will have a spine on East and West as well!

[Galaxy]

It is such a shame that Shape didn't just build tower 3 to look like tower 1 & 2. If they had designed tower 3 to be like 1 & 2 it probably would have saved them a little money just cause the company they would buy the glazing from would just keep producing the same panels and use the same templates they had used rather then starting from scratch. They could have just maybe to make it slightly different used white mullions rather than black and maybe a fritted glass rather than the dark tint glass. There are other savings they could probably benefit from to but yeah such a shame...

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by Galaxy

It is such a shame that Shape didn't just build tower 3 to look like tower 1 & 2. If they had designed tower 3 to be like 1 & 2 it probably would have saved them a little money just cause the company they would buy the glazing from would just keep producing the same panels and use the same templates they had used rather then starting from scratch. They could have just maybe to make it slightly different used white mullions rather than black and maybe a fritted glass rather than the dark tint glass. There are other savings they could probably benefit from to but yeah such a shame...

You don't know that.
You don't know that they would have saved any money at all from having Tower 3 look like Tower 1 and 2.

For all we know Tower 3 looks like it does and different from Tower 1 and 2 (which are ostensibly the signature towers of this project), because they went with slightly lower-end materials and design specifications for precisely the reason you think they shouldn't have - i.e. to save money.
And that going the route you're suggesting - having all three towers identical with the same material and design treatments - would actually have INCREASED their cost rather than reduced it.

There are lots of decisions that go into how these multi-tower projects end up with towers that look completely different and have different materials and looks - chief among them being the overall concept design scheme and aesthetic. But the over-riding cost factor is almost always among the biggest, if not THE biggest influencing one (outside of design aesthetic) even in a $1 Billion project of this scale.

And it's more likely in this case that Tower 3 (and presumably Tower 4 when it shall go into construction) look like they do and different from 1 and 2 because this is really where Shape got their cost-cutting opportunities and saved on cost for the project.

Imagine how Station Square would look like if all 5 towers looked like Tower 5 (the signature tower designed by KPF) with similar material specifications, but at different heights (or even all identical heights).
Just think how much that would drive up the average unit cost in all the 5 towers across the entire project.

[Lexus]

My pics Feb 24, 2019

Untitled by Dmytro Zhukovets, on Flickr
Untitled by Dmytro Zhukovets, on Flickr