Great Canadian Skyline Thread II

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

Ottawa is building towers 40, 50 and 60+ floors tall. They're just not downtown. I don't see a problem here. I don't see how a 50 floor condo tower will help Ottawa's downtown aesthetics.

Most of them ARE downtown, just not in the Central Business District. Bayview, Lebreton, and Little Italy are all what you would consider 'downtown'. It's not like they are building them in the equivalent of Surrey or North York.

[Rico Rommheim]

Well there you go, so 'downtown' Ottawa will get its garish out-of-scale Toronto-esque towers, just not in the CBD. I know it's tragic for some, but it's probably better this way.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by Harley613

Once again, there is no general 'height limit' and there hasn't been since Campeau built Place de Ville in the late 60's. This is a myth that has been propagated for decades. There are only protected view planes that protect the prominence of Parliament from certain angles and are administered by the National Capital Commission. These view planes only cover a small portion of the core of the city. Aside from that there are continually updated community design plans by the City of Ottawa that suggest maximum heights for each area of the city, but those are not hard height limits and have always been flexible.

https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2016/ccn-ncc/W93-23-2007-eng.pdf

Views by harley613, on Flickr

You're kidding. It's just a bunch of view planes. These efforts are what differentiate one city from another and, for me at least, a worthwhile trade off for higher private space in the clouds.

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

Ham-Bump.

looking good

[ue]

Originally Posted by Harley613

Most of them ARE downtown, just not in the Central Business District. Bayview, Lebreton, and Little Italy are all what you would consider 'downtown'. It's not like they are building them in the equivalent of Surrey or North York.

No they're not. They're central neighbourhoods but Downtown Ottawa is a distinct neighbourhood. Claiming somewhere totally disconnected from the Downtown core like Dows Lake as "still downtown" is arbitrary goal post moving. The reality is that the area the actual Downtown has height restrictions. You may want to continue being pedantic and say they're actually view planes (like Vancouver) but the effect is nevertheless the same, so my point still stands. You're doing a straw man argument to distract from my point - the limitation on heights, whether a "height limit" or "view corridors," is dumb and pointless for Ottawa's purposes. It's a half-assed DC attempt.

[ue]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

Well there you go, so 'downtown' Ottawa will get its garish out-of-scale Toronto-esque towers, just not in the CBD. I know it's tragic for some, but it's probably better this way.

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

If only downtown Ottawa could get a coupe taller buildings to punch past its tabletop skyline, it would then finally get the respect and admiration of the international community.

"Hey look Tohiro, a new 120m tower on the famous Metcalf street!! Look how it creates a sense of awe by breaking what I perceive is the monotony of the tabletop skyline! - You are correct Akira, let's hurry back to Japan and tell everyone that Ottawa, the grand capital of Canada, has now got a skyline worthy of praise!

I don't get wtf your problem is but considering I'm the one that drove this critical discussion of Ottawa's skyline, these remarks are obviously directed at me.

Nowhere did I say that Ottawa will only get "international admiration" if it builds above its table top, nor did I say its table top was tragic. If you actually spent two minutes to read what I said (I know it's way cooler for your MO to half read and make some snide remark but it actually just makes you look like you lack the ability to read), I even said that at street level, Downtown Ottawa is fine as what it is. A bit bland, but not terrible.

This is literally a thread about skylines, you'd think that this would be a safe space to, I don't fucking know, talk about skylines. Why do we need to regurgitate the same point about how skylines don't make great cities and it's much more important to have a nice city at street level? This has been such a belaboured point on SSP for years... like... yeah obviously. Anyways this is a literal skyline thread, so can we not just fucking talk about skyline aesthetics here, for which Ottawa is pretty pathetic?

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by ue

No they're not. They're central neighbourhoods but Downtown Ottawa is a distinct neighbourhood. Claiming somewhere totally disconnected from the Downtown core like Dows Lake as "still downtown" is arbitrary goal post moving. The reality is that the area the actual Downtown has height restrictions. You may want to continue being pedantic and say they're actually view planes (like Vancouver) but the effect is nevertheless the same, so my point still stands. You're doing a straw man argument to distract from my point - the limitation on heights, whether a "height limit" or "view corridors," is dumb and pointless for Ottawa's purposes. It's a half-assed DC attempt.

Except...they ARE downtown neighbourhoods by any metric. Just because they are detached from the Central Business District doesn't make them any less downtown. Furthermore the neighbourhoods I mentioned are all in the process OF attaching to the CBD with proposed and planned developments. What you are saying is like implying Bay/Bloor in Toronto and Liberty Village are not downtown because the bank towers aren't there. Speaking of 'straw man' arguments, your constant comparison to DC is a perfect example. How can you compare a nearly blanket 130 foot height limit to the view planes in Ottawa that exist solely to protect the prominence of Parliament from certain angles? Frankly ridiculous.

[Hali87]

Ottawa's skyline doesn't really have an interesting shape on its own but the Ottawa + Gatineau skyline is pretty nice from some angles.

[Harley613]

Here's a nice drone shot I got of my hometown of Calgary this Fall
DJI_0237 by harley613, on Flickr
Edit: and another!
DJI_0192 by harley613, on Flickr

[Harley613]

More Calgary Porn:
DJI_0188 by harley613, on Flickr
DJI_0178 by harley613, on Flickr

[MolsonExport]

^KFC bucket, represent!

Nice shots.

[Coldrsx]

El quinto bueno

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

Ottawa is building towers 40, 50 and 60+ floors tall. They're just not downtown. I don't see a problem here. I don't see how a 50 floor condo tower will help Ottawa's downtown aesthetics.

Exactement!

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

^KFC bucket, represent!

Nice shots.

Hey Molson, the view from the bucket is better than the taste of one

[Harley613]

When I was a kid in Calgary in the 80's KFC used to give away beach balls with every meal that had a little refillable water pocket in the side of them. When you threw them or kicked them they'd get all wonky and fly all over the place. Just a funny little memory.

[steve61]

Originally Posted by Harley613

When I was a kid in Calgary in the 80's KFC used to give away beach balls with every meal that had a little refillable water pocket in the side of them. When you threw them or kicked them they'd get all wonky and fly all over the place. Just a funny little memory.

Oopee!

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by ue

I don't get wtf your problem is but considering I'm the one that drove this critical discussion of Ottawa's skyline, these remarks are obviously directed at me.

Nowhere did I say that Ottawa will only get "international admiration" if it builds above its table top, nor did I say its table top was tragic. If you actually spent two minutes to read what I said (I know it's way cooler for your MO to half read and make some snide remark but it actually just makes you look like you lack the ability to read), I even said that at street level, Downtown Ottawa is fine as what it is. A bit bland, but not terrible.

This is literally a thread about skylines, you'd think that this would be a safe space to, I don't fucking know, talk about skylines. Why do we need to regurgitate the same point about how skylines don't make great cities and it's much more important to have a nice city at street level? This has been such a belaboured point on SSP for years... like... yeah obviously. Anyways this is a literal skyline thread, so can we not just fucking talk about skyline aesthetics here, for which Ottawa is pretty pathetic?

Everything has already been said about Ottawa's modest skyline too. Why should skylines be limited to taller and taller buildings? Table top discussions are really not about introducing variation. No one ever mentions buildings shorter to create variation. People have different opinions. Some will find the density of Ottawa impressive than taller towers interspersed with parking lots. Which is more common? Towers on podium vs towers that meet the street on their own add or subtract from the overall look of a skyline.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by Harley613

When I was a kid in Calgary in the 80's KFC used to give away beach balls with every meal that had a little refillable water pocket in the side of them. When you threw them or kicked them they'd get all wonky and fly all over the place. Just a funny little memory.

Honestly, I don't see much of a resemblance.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by Harley613

More Calgary Porn:
DJI_0188 by harley613, on Flickr
DJI_0178 by harley613, on Flickr

Whoa! Wicked shots. How were you able to fly your drone so close to the core?

I had no idea you were from Calgary. I can't remember, were you part of the local forum here before it was destroyed by trolls?

[Rico Rommheim]

Originally Posted by ue

I don't get wtf your problem is but considering I'm the one that drove this critical discussion of Ottawa's skyline, these remarks are obviously directed at me.

Nowhere did I say that Ottawa will only get "international admiration" if it builds above its table top, nor did I say its table top was tragic. If you actually spent two minutes to read what I said (I know it's way cooler for your MO to half read and make some snide remark but it actually just makes you look like you lack the ability to read), I even said that at street level, Downtown Ottawa is fine as what it is. A bit bland, but not terrible.

This is literally a thread about skylines, you'd think that this would be a safe space to, I don't fucking know, talk about skylines. Why do we need to regurgitate the same point about how skylines don't make great cities and it's much more important to have a nice city at street level? This has been such a belaboured point on SSP for years... like... yeah obviously. Anyways this is a literal skyline thread, so can we not just fucking talk about skyline aesthetics here, for which Ottawa is pretty pathetic?

Wow you really take these things personally. Are you okay?