Ottawa from above

[Harley613]

At least we are getting close to matching Calgary in 1975, maybe another 5-7 years...

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by McKellarDweller

I'm kicking a dead horse here, but: How can any landowner/developer/architect/etc. spend even a very short visit in Ottawa, or even spend a few minutes looking at any photo of Ottawa and think "Yeah...Ottawa needs another grey or greige building." ???

'Ottawa buildings look that way because of the climate' or some such bullshit always rears it's ugly head in this forum.

Meanwhile, literally four Ottawa-widths down the highway:


Ottawa buildings look the way they do because people/politicians don't give a shit about design in this city, and cheapo developers roll with it...right to the bank.

[Uhuniau]

What am I missing?

What's so good about the Montreal buildings?

What's so bad about the Ottawa ones?

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

What am I missing?

What's so good about the Montreal buildings?

What's so bad about the Ottawa ones?

Really?????????!!!!!!?????????!!!!

Like I could spend a few hours compiling hundreds of examples of how Montreal's varied and diverse architecture over the decades and it's skyline form is infinitely superior, but let's just start here:

[Uhuniau]

OK, but adjusted for city size and the fact that Montreal has a few 18th-century buildings in its oldest core... what's different? Montreal has a lot of 19th, pre-war 20th, post-war 20th century styles of buildings... so does Ottawa and every other city that's been around that long and not had a war.

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

OK, but adjusted for city size and the fact that Montreal has a few 18th-century buildings in its oldest core... what's different? Montreal has a lot of 19th, pre-war 20th, post-war 20th century styles of buildings... so does Ottawa and every other city that's been around that long and not had a war.

What's different is that Ottawa has had the least aspirational high rise architecture of any major Canadian city over the last 50 years, and if anything continues to devolve further in the 21st century as other Canadian major Canadian cities continue to raise the bar. We are locked in a race to the bottom and hardly anyone but us nerds on the forum seem to care.

[905er]

^^ there's not comparison.. Montreal v Ottawa. Ottawa continues to build uninspiring bland buildings all in the same shape and height even colour.. there is very little 'design' in the buildings being built in the nation's capital save for maybe the zibi project. really wish we'd see positive change there when it comes to design.

[Harley613]

Meanwhile in Vancouver....

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

OK, but adjusted for city size and the fact that Montreal has a few 18th-century buildings in its oldest core... what's different? Montreal has a lot of 19th, pre-war 20th, post-war 20th century styles of buildings... so does Ottawa and every other city that's been around that long and not had a war.

Don't even look at the pre-2000s buildings. Just look a the tightly packed 27 storey blocks on Rideau compared to the slick glass towers of Montreal (or Vancouver, or nearly anywhere) that offer space between towers.

For me, design is one thing that we lack, but the bigger issue is built form.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by Harley613

Meanwhile in Vancouver....

I'm guessing that those aren't rental buildings.

[Marshsparrow]

Ottawa is just ugly... our new high rises, mid rises, houses, government buildings... nothing stands out... not that everything has to stand out but our bar is so so so so so low...

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

I'm guessing that those aren't rental buildings.

Both condos. I remember when Ottawa built condos until Doug Ford handed his developer buddies the infinite money printing machines with the cancellation of rent control.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Harley613

Both condos. I remember when Ottawa built condos until Doug Ford handed his developer buddies the infinite money printing machines with the cancellation of rent control.

I remember when Ottawa didn't build condos. Ottawa was slow to the game.

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

I remember when Ottawa didn't build condos. Ottawa was slow to the game.

Ottawa really just built more tract housing in the 80's and 90's, hardly any towers of any kind during that era.

Edit: The only residential highrise tower I recall being constructed in the 90's (I moved to the area in 1991) is Commodore's Quay

[McKellarDweller]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

I remember when Ottawa didn't build condos. Ottawa was slow to the game.

Absolutely true. I moved to Ottawa in 2002. Could not believe how few options there were for a "modern" highrise in or walking distance to the Byward Market at that time. 160 George and 40 Boteler were long dated by then, yet in a class of their own and not upstaged during the 80s or 90s, and possibly until 2004ish.

[harls]

I moved here in 2006, with a brief stint in 1994-95 at Carleton. Things have definitely changed in the past few years.

I went to the eco-centre in Hull last weekend and was stopped on the St. Raymond overpass over the 5. The amount of cranes visible were amazing.. especially in the market.

[Harley613]

It's a smoggy one!

[skyscraperaccount]

Originally Posted by Harley613

Ottawa really just built more tract housing in the 80's and 90's, hardly any towers of any kind during that era.

Edit: The only residential highrise tower I recall being constructed in the 90's (I moved to the area in 1991) is Commodore's Quay

Took them what...10 years to build it? Sat as an empty shell for years.

[zzptichka]

[originalmuffins]

That Zibi tower actually adds great height to the skyline. I love how Zibi is making our metro much more better with utilizing the waterfront. We can only hope the NCC remembers that when finalizing Lebreton.