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

[McKellarDweller]

Thanks for the pics! Since they chopped up the original penthouse, I haven't seen the revised top floor floor plans.
Does anyone know if that terrace in the middle on the top floor will be a common element? Doesn't look like it's from a private condo unit in that last photo -- looks more like a door off a hallway.

[Tesladom]

that balcony glass is eeewwww!

Did you get a closer pic of the glass around 40-42nd floor, doesn't look the same as other balconies

[rocketphish]

Wow! Excellent shots of this poorly executed building!

That's a lot of glass curtain wall. I wonder what the thermal properties are? Do you suppose they went with triple pane glazing?

[RogueNacho]

Great pics Harley! From a distance, the Icon isn't really all that bad, and even looks quite pretty when the sun catches the balconies in the right light. Up-close it still looks like cheap crap however. Very ironic considering this will be Claridge's new HQ and we are all aware of their track record.

I still wish we could have gotten something more resembling 1 Bloor in Toronto. At the very least, as more high-rises are built in Little Italy it's "sticking-out-like-a-sore-thumb" effect will be diminished. Also it's status as Ottawa's tallest will soon be outdone by the much nicer looking buildings by Trinity at 900 Albert.

[TransitZilla]

Hmm. How come all the balconies on the left have frosted glass, but there are a couple on the right with clear glass?

I don't think the frosted railings look too bad but obviously could have looked better if the pieces were curved (or the perforated metal railings pictured above- très sharp).

[JHikka]

This really is a dog's breakfast of a building.

[Sauvanto]

k so why does everyone hate this building lol? I just keep seeing some "gross, bad, poorly executed, etc." what are the actual things that are not liked though?

- I think the overall shape is really nice, upwards curves gives a nice flow to a quite narrow building
- Nice balconies giving multiple condos different balcony layouts
- Although the glass panes aren't curved, it would be nightmarishly expensive to have different custom panes for almost every floor because of all the curvature. Condos are already overly expensive, I'm okay with minimizing costs there
- I like the color scheme, light-blue/green-ish is always a color I liked for windows in North America as it blends well with the snow, clouds and next to the water
- I much prefer glass panes for the balconies over perforated metal, I've yet to see metal railings in Canada survive more than 5 years before showing long rust streaks dripping down the side and rust eating from the lower salt-covered edges inwards

[Proof Sheet]

There are a lot of armchair architects on this forum who have never had to design a cost effective building ??

Originally Posted by Sauvanto

k so why does everyone hate this building lol? I just keep seeing some "gross, bad, poorly executed, etc." what are the actual things that are not liked though?

- I think the overall shape is really nice, upwards curves gives a nice flow to a quite narrow building
- Nice balconies giving multiple condos different balcony layouts
- Although the glass panes aren't curved, it would be nightmarishly expensive to have different custom panes for almost every floor because of all the curvature. Condos are already overly expensive, I'm okay with minimizing costs there
- I like the color scheme, light-blue/green-ish is always a color I liked for windows in North America as it blends well with the snow, clouds and next to the water
- I much prefer glass panes for the balconies over perforated metal, I've yet to see metal railings in Canada survive more than 5 years before showing long rust streaks dripping down the side and rust eating from the lower salt-covered edges inwards

[kevinbottawa]

Originally Posted by Sauvanto

k so why does everyone hate this building lol? I just keep seeing some "gross, bad, poorly executed, etc." what are the actual things that are not liked though?

- I think the overall shape is really nice, upwards curves gives a nice flow to a quite narrow building
- Nice balconies giving multiple condos different balcony layouts
- Although the glass panes aren't curved, it would be nightmarishly expensive to have different custom panes for almost every floor because of all the curvature. Condos are already overly expensive, I'm okay with minimizing costs there
- I like the color scheme, light-blue/green-ish is always a color I liked for windows in North America as it blends well with the snow, clouds and next to the water
- I much prefer glass panes for the balconies over perforated metal, I've yet to see metal railings in Canada survive more than 5 years before showing long rust streaks dripping down the side and rust eating from the lower salt-covered edges inwards

The frustrations come when you see buildings being built in this city that wouldn't fly in other cities (or shortcuts being taken). Cities like Mississauga, Surrey, Calgary and Edmonton are building better buildings than Ottawa. It's a shame for the capital city of Canada. Even Halifax is starting to build better buildings than Ottawa. I don't see other cities being so preoccupied with cost-effectiveness. Even when you look at Ottawa, the best buildings/proposals are from out of town developers - Lamb, Main + Main, Broccolini, Mizrahi, Trinity (although they're somewhat an Ottawa company). That says something. You have to start asking if it's really cost effectiveness or a lack of vision and attention to detail on the part of Ottawa developers.

[J.OT13]

When the building was proposed it was exciting because it was so different. They ended up using cheaper materials which ruins the design of the N. E. and W. elevations while the S. elevation from Dow's Lake looks quite good (all balconies better have frosted glass by the end of it) if you don't stop to look at the details.

If Claridge had such a unique building designed and charged buyers a premium, then they should have been ready to use the best materials to ensure the end product was as good or better than renderings, as they do in every other city.

At the end of the day, I'm still glad it was built. It's a great addition to the skyline and, as others have pointed out, it won't stick out as much when a few more buildings are built around it. At the end of the day, the Dow's Lake elevation will be the one that's the most prominent, which is a relief.

I think M+M's 400 Albert will be the next test to execute a fantastic, one of a kind design here in Ottawa. And 900 Albert, even if the design is a little more basic, due to its prominence as the skyline's dominating development for decades to come, possibly forever.

[ServiceGuy]

Originally Posted by McKellarDweller

Since they chopped up the original penthouse, I haven't seen the revised top floor floor plans.
Does anyone know if that terrace in the middle on the top floor will be a common element? Doesn't look like it's from a private condo unit in that last photo -- looks more like a door off a hallway.

If I remember correctly that top center terrace is off the mechanical penthouse and just for service access and to keep the balcony lines. Terrace on the right is the upstairs of a two story condo.

Lots of references to "frosted glass" balconies but it's actually clear glass with thin white horizontal lines in it. Some elevations have it while others do not. No idea why other than perhaps being an "architectural feature". I've seen lots of buildings with different balcony rails but it's usually to match up with different cladding used. The nice part about these white line glass balconies is it looks like frosted but up close you can still see through it. You can get a good look at it from street level on the lower balconies.

[Marshsparrow]

Originally Posted by Proof Sheet

There are a lot of armchair architects on this forum who have never had to design a cost effective building ??

This is another fine example of Ottawa architecture which equates to almost garbage - don't need a fancy degree to tell me that!

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by Marshsparrow

This is another fine example of Ottawa architecture which equates to almost garbage - don't need a fancy degree to tell me that!

It's actually a fine example of Toronto architecture that has been built as cheaply as possible by an Ottawa developer. This building should have been a mini One Bloor, not a bizzaro mish-mash of cheap panels and glazing.

[Urbanarchit]

I didn't realize before but those balconies don't look functional. They're the main design element for the building's exterior, but they're awkwardly shaped and not big enough to have more than a sideways chair or for a few people to stand.

[905er]

I never realized how messy this tower is with the mismatched balconies which I find somewhat distracting. what a shame.. at least there's some height for Ottawa but she's no beauty that's for sure.

[Rob64]

Omg, it’s shocking how bad those balconies look. Wow!!! They are all over the place.

[OTownandDown]

I have no sympathy for a builder who's putting up a premium building at a premium price and decides 'nightmarishly' expensive balcony railings are too expensive, which are arguably the make-or-break material for this building. Custom cladding elements are for sale around the world. It's not that difficult.

My 2 second google search shows $738/sq.ft. average price for this building. Maybe someone else has knowledge, but I thought it would be somewhere around $350-500/sq.ft. to build. Am I right? Shouldn't balcony railings be the least of anyone's concern, cost-wise?

Originally Posted by Sauvanto

k so why does everyone hate this building lol? I just keep seeing some "gross, bad, poorly executed, etc." what are the actual things that are not liked though?

- I think the overall shape is really nice, upwards curves gives a nice flow to a quite narrow building
- Nice balconies giving multiple condos different balcony layouts
- Although the glass panes aren't curved, it would be nightmarishly expensive to have different custom panes for almost every floor because of all the curvature. Condos are already overly expensive, I'm okay with minimizing costs there
- I like the color scheme, light-blue/green-ish is always a color I liked for windows in North America as it blends well with the snow, clouds and next to the water
- I much prefer glass panes for the balconies over perforated metal, I've yet to see metal railings in Canada survive more than 5 years before showing long rust streaks dripping down the side and rust eating from the lower salt-covered edges inwards

[HighwayStar]

Originally Posted by Urbanarchit

I didn't realize before but those balconies don't look functional. They're the main design element for the building's exterior, but they're awkwardly shaped and not big enough to have more than a sideways chair or for a few people to stand.

In addition to that, don't they look real flimsy?? I'd be scared to go near one if I was living in a high unit.

[J.OT13]

https://twitter.com/BlacksWeather/st...92963273449472

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by OTownandDown

I have no sympathy for a builder who's putting up a premium building at a premium price and decides 'nightmarishly' expensive balcony railings are too expensive, which are arguably the make-or-break material for this building. Custom cladding elements are for sale around the world. It's not that difficult.

My 2 second google search shows $738/sq.ft. average price for this building. Maybe someone else has knowledge, but I thought it would be somewhere around $350-500/sq.ft. to build. Am I right? Shouldn't balcony railings be the least of anyone's concern, cost-wise?

I think Claridge generally gets too much hate on this forum. They are in business so decisions have to be made and buyers have generally done well buying their condos even compared to some competitors.

But this is just atrocious. Even that last distant photo which shows what a nice design it is gets almost ruined by the balconies. Maybe with the rebound in condo prices in Ottawa and the nice profit they can now make off the unsold units they can do the right thing and take a few bricks off their big pile of money and fix this.