SOHO Italia [500 Preston St] | 96m | 30 fl | Completed

[jitterbug]

Originally Posted by skylerottawa

By Ottawa standards it is one of my favourites without a doubt.

The problem with the Icon is that, as currently Ottawa's tallest building and highly visible from all sides, it's a missed opportunity to move from mere mediocrity. The fact that the builder Claridge went cheap by largely ignoring its own renders is a slap in the face for all Ottawans (even those who are oblivious or ambivalent).

That said, with more similarly tall and taller buildings planned for the area, not to mention the Civic hospital campus nearby at Carling, both the south and north ends of Preston Street will finally get a big-city-like makeover.

[ponyboycurtis]

Originally Posted by jitterbug

The problem with the Icon is that, as currently Ottawa's tallest building and highly visible from all sides, it's a missed opportunity to move from mere mediocrity. The fact that the builder Claridge went cheap by largely ignoring its own renders is a slap in the face for all Ottawans (even those who are oblivious or ambivalent).

That said, with more similarly tall and taller buildings planned for the area, not to mention the Civic hospital campus nearby at Carling, both the south and north ends of Preston Street will finally get a big-city-like makeover.

As I've said before, I think the north and west face are quite nice being devoid of those balconies. It's not like this building is a total loss.

Small nitpick... The signage at the top of the building should say Icon and not Claridge. Saying Claridge is just some trump eske narcissism. Might as well post a full size billboard of Neil giving us the finger 🞵🞵🞵🞵.

[Harley613]

Claridge is moving their head office to the podium of the building, Icon is mixed use. Hence the sign.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by ponyboycurtis

As I've said before, I think the north and west face are quite nice being devoid of those balconies. It's not like this building is a total loss.

Small nitpick... The signage at the top of the building should say Icon and not Claridge. Saying Claridge is just some trump eske narcissism. Might as well post a full size billboard of Neil giving us the finger 🞵🞵🞵🞵.

As per Harley, it will be their HQ, so no different than banks or any other company I guess. And it's Claridge, not Malhotra. Had they named the company after themselves and placed their name on the building, it would have been more Trump-ish.

Just realized, Minto doesn't have their logo atop Minto Place, just at the entrances.

[ponyboycurtis]

Originally Posted by Harley613

Claridge is moving their head office to the podium of the building, Icon is mixed use. Hence the sign.

Ok fair enough. Glad to know they have to look at the same structure we do everyday.

I wasn't aware they were going to take hold of the podium for internal use. One can only dream that the honchos offices face northwest and look at Italia all day long

[OTSkyline]

But still, majority of the building is residential and sold as condos. I agree an ICON sign would've been more appropriate. Now it looks like some residents bought into a company's HQ more than the other way around.

[Harley613]

That cladding/glazing is movin' up!

[OTSkyline]

SOHO Italia & The MET are probably my favorite towers going up right now.

[ars]

Even in its unfinished state, you can tell how much better SOHO Italia will look compared to its neighbour across the street. Happy to have both towers though, just wish that Claridge didn’t cheap out on the Icon.

[Harley613]

[ponyboycurtis]

Look at Harley.. getting the crane for Norman and Dale II in the shot?

You know what makes this page tick. That is a great shot. Really neat left to right cascading effect as well. Even the Envie roofline is participating.

[J.OT13]

What's the Doran crane at the far right?

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

What's the Doran crane at the far right?

95-101 Norman St.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Harley613

95-101 Norman St.

Oh, ok. I guess the angle through me off.

[Harley613]

Cladding/Glazing is going up so fast now!!!

[Coho]

The dark cladding and glass looks miles better than the cheap, blue glass thing across the street

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by Coho

The dark cladding and glass looks miles better than the cheap, blue glass thing across the street

It's really ironic. Icon was designed by one of the best architectural firms in Canada, and Italia was designed by one of the laziest architectural firms in Canada. In the case of Icon, it is obvious that the developer bought the materials from the absolute lowest bidders, thereby completely spoiling the architect's vision. In the case of Italia, it's obvious that the developer asked more from the architect and spent more on quality materials. Strange situation.

[rocketphish]

Agreed, it's a nice-looking building so far. I don't think I would dare buy a unit with a west-facing balcony though. It's only a matter of time before that white stump of a building next door sprouts into something much taller.

[Kitchissippi]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Agreed, it's a nice-looking building so far. I don't think I would dare buy a unit with a west-facing balcony though. It's only a matter of time before that white stump of a building next door sprouts into something much taller.

It's a rental building, so it will just result in a less desirable apartment

[waterloowarrior]

Soho Italia is technically affordable housing and got an $86 million CMHC loan, while Claridge Icon is being developed by a billionaire