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

[OTownandDown]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

The thing is that the most interesting part of this tower (other than the height by Ottawa standards) is the wavy pattern of the balconies going up the tower.

I'll wait until the tower is completed to reserve final judgement but so far the balcony pattern is basically unnoticeable unless you are at the Carling/Preston intersection looking up. From far away you can't see it and it just looks like a typical 45 story glass tower. VERY very plain.

Perhaps its the choice of glass or something but I was expecting something similar to One Bloor in Toronto where the tower has a wavy balcony pattern going up and is very sticking from close or afar.

I've said this to Councillor McKenney before in an email to her. She asked the chief building inspector to report back, but I never got a response. I've forwarded these two images to her and asked her to make sure developers aren't able to drastically change their proposed buildings during construction, especially when it comes to cost cutting on cladding elements. Also that it was embarrassing for the architect.

[jitterbug]

Originally Posted by OTownandDown

I took this photo yesterday...

I call it "Square Peg: Round Hole"

Claridge apparently thinks we won't notice how the balcony glass is not curved like the actual balconies themselves. Obviously cheaper to buy flat glass panels in bulk than have each one customized to each balcony's unique shape. From a distance this is not noticeable, but up close it's a different story. Unfortunate!

[OTownandDown]

Originally Posted by jitterbug

Claridge apparently thinks we won't notice how the balcony glass is not curved like the actual balconies themselves. Obviously cheaper to buy flat glass panels in bulk than have each one customized to each balcony's unique shape. From a distance this is not noticeable, but up close it's a different story. Unfortunate!

You are correct. These are 'out of the box' ordered from a catalogue balcony railings, whereas a custom curved glass rail would be significantly more expensive. How much more? Who knows. But it makes all the difference.

[waterloowarrior]

https://app01.ottawa.ca/postingplans/appDetails.jsf?lang=en&appId=__9PR9NV

 Minutes from the Tall Buildings Design Review Panel January 2014; 

http://webcast.ottawa.ca/plan/All_Image%...gn%20Review%20Panel%20January%202014.PDF

" The balcony features of this building are very prominent. The Panel reiterated that the
balconies are to be curved glass with a ceramic frit and that their undersides are to be clad
or treated with a coating."

[OTownandDown]

This is crazy. I'm going to send this to the Councillor.

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

https://app01.ottawa.ca/postingplans/appDetails.jsf?lang=en&appId=__9PR9NV

 Minutes from the Tall Buildings Design Review Panel January 2014; 

http://webcast.ottawa.ca/plan/All_Image%...gn%20Review%20Panel%20January%202014.PDF

" The balcony features of this building are very prominent. The Panel reiterated that the
balconies are to be curved glass with a ceramic frit and that their undersides are to be clad
or treated with a coating."

[YOWflier]

I don't necessarily have a problem with the straight glass panels per se, the problem is more that each individual panel is way too wide. If each panel were a lot narrower, it would execute the curve a lot more smoothly and look a lot nicer. An example of this is the Canada Post HQ, which I think does a decent job at curving with straight glass.

[OTownandDown]

Originally Posted by ac888yow

I don't necessarily have a problem with the straight glass panels per se, the problem is more that each individual panel is way too wide. If each panel were a lot narrower, it would execute the curve a lot more smoothly and look a lot nicer. An example of this is the Canada Post HQ, which I think does a decent job at curving with straight glass.

You're right on all fronts. Although I would say the radius of the Canada Post curve is probably about 500x larger than these balconies Canada Post used to be one of my favourite buildings. I love the execution.

My bigger issue is that the balcony slabs are ugly on their own like that. The 'curving, fritted glass' was supposed to extend to cover the slab edges (as is the style lately), and the undersides coated. I guess we can hope for the coatings still?

Just buying an aluminum Greco railing from a catalogue and slapping it on as best you can is NOT the way to build Ottawa's tallest building, especially in a neighbourhood where you sought a special allowance to build such a ridiculously tall building (not that there's anything wrong with height).

Though I understand over at the Claridge head office, someone finally found out the cost of the custom curving glass panels and reported the $2M cost to the Malhotra's and they were like !NO! "We can just do Greco rails for $500k instead."

[Davis137]

This building must be nearing top-out now...

[zzptichka]

[J.OT13]

They might have cheaped out on some aspects, but this is still very good by Ottawa standards.

[OTownandDown]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

They might have cheaped out on some aspects, but this is still very good by Ottawa standards.

I love that curved became the new square, and now flow-y has become the new curved.

Edit: And we skipped right over 'twisting'

[Harley613]

Ottawa must be the only big city in the world where the tallest building looks directly over a massive farm.
[IMG]_DSC2533 by harley613, on Flickr[/IMG]

[J.OT13]

You're quite the photographer Harley!

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by Harley613

Ottawa must be the only big city in the world where the tallest building looks directly over a massive farm.
[IMG]_DSC2533 by harley613, on Flickr[/IMG]

7683 by Timur Gabaidulin, on Flickr

[Harley613]

Toronto Drew: In Ottawa the farm is literally across the street, in Toronto the photographer used telephoto compression to make the farmland seem close to the skyline when it's really 25kms away.

J.OT13: Thanks amigo. I post a lot of Ottawa stuff on my Instagram @d.harleydavis

[zzptichka]

We are Manhattan of the 80s.

[mykl]

I dunno, this building is getting ugly. The balconies are not nice.

[McKellarDweller]

Originally Posted by mykl

I dunno, this building is getting ugly. The balconies are not nice.

I'm wondering how the people who bought into the $600k+ units are feeling these days.
Angry?
Resigned/Disappointed?
Don't know/don't care that they're getting something substantially materially different from what they were marketed - because hey: nice view and great location?

[daud]

Originally Posted by McKellarDweller

I'm wondering how the people who bought into the $600k+ units are feeling these days.
Angry?
Resigned/Disappointed?
Don't know/don't care that they're getting something substantially materially different from what they were marketed - because hey: nice view and great location?

Its not as nice as the renders, especially the inital ones, but I think value is in the eye of the beholder. That location is beyond prime. Except for the lack of groceries nearby, it has everything. A park, a lake, boating, an arboretum, little italy and its restaurants, its on the LRT. Its one stop from a major university and the tulip festival happens outside its front door every spring. The views seem spectacular.

I think the criticism on building materials is warranted but I don't think its a deal breaker for many buyers. Its 60% sold now.

Frankly, I think the problem of building materials can be seen all over the city. The suburban matchbox houses with vinyl siding, the little condo units on strandherd and everywhere else...the issue of cheap building materials is everywhere and I do agree the city should have better standards but Claridge is by no means the only one cheaping out and the burbs have some far cheaper and uglier materials being used than this building...and yes, some of those are also built by claridge

[danishh]

my parents bought a 2br facing the lake to downsize into.

i can assure you they dont give a damn about the balconies, or the cheap-looking glass.