The Great Canadian Skyline Thread! II

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by isaidso

I don't equate brick/stone with the east,...

I do. But my western experience is limited mostly to Winnipeg, where even the ritzy mansions along Wellington Crescent are mostly stucco.

[yaletown_fella]

Originally Posted by dleung

The majority of brick manfacturers are in the East, so brick is more expensive out West.

But aside from that, the tree-less built form is consistent with and likely less dense than the vast suburban hellscape housing 60% of the GTA, known as the 905.

C'mon, it's not as bad as Phoenix. Unfortunately, you now need over a million dollars to live in a nice treed suburban area like Stouffville.

If we're talking averages, I'd say Waterloo has a "greener" built form with more desirable properties.

Mississauga is on average "greener" than Toronto but even a modest upgraded bungalow on 3/4 an acre in Mineola is easily over $700,000

[thegx]

You just need to know where to look

http://goo.gl/maps/MF86Y

[yaletown_fella]

^^ Looks like quite decent quality construction.

St Alberts, Alberta looks more desirable than 80% of the 905 (population wise, not land area)

[Doug]

Western suburbia, especially that in BC and AB is very western US inspired, where brick is also uncommon. In theory brick should be inexpensive to produce in AB as clay and natural gas are abundant. Laying it would be expensive due to high labor costs.

[Darkoshvilli]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27655859@N06/4939502887/in/faves-40826747@N02/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/sweetone/8240706580/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/bob_august/8140104489/in/photostream/

[kw5150]

What a useless comment. All new suburbs are like that in any city in Canada.

Originally Posted by isaidso

Is it normal for new Alberta suburbs to be devoid of trees and the lot sizes so meager? And what's with the love of vinyl siding; surely people prefer stone/brick to all that plastic? If the plastic is made in some Alberta petro-chemical plant fine, but its still ugly.

[feepa]

All new suburbs are not the same. There's a lot more brick used in Ontario new suburbs than out west (Prairies). Part of that is because there is not a major brick maker out here...

[suburbanite]

I think his comment pertained more to the lack of trees and small lot sizes. Lot sizes are definitely getting smaller in Ontario. Some of the new subdivisions in Markham have houses that are barely 6 ft apart. As for trees, it usually takes a good 6-10 years for a subdivision to really mature in terms of foliage.

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by kw5150

What a useless comment. All new suburbs are like that in any city in Canada.

Nonsense. 2nd and 3rd generation monied people tend to move to established neighbourhoods. If they do buy in new subdivisions, they don't go for cookie cutter boxes with vinyl siding and no vegetation. Lots of middle class people opt for more expensive materials as well. There are tons of new suburbs where the material of choice is stone or brick. It's the lower end ones that build with vinyl. New money builds with vinyl too.

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by rousseau

I do. But my western experience is limited mostly to Winnipeg, where even the ritzy mansions along Wellington Crescent are mostly stucco.

Perhaps in Canada its more true, but that has a lot to do with our history. Vancouver is the only city in our west with a significant amount of old money and their design aesthetics mirror that of the east.

Established old money in the US west build like they do in the US east as well. The architecture is slightly different, but they certainly go for more expensive materials than vinyl siding.

[dleung]

Originally Posted by isaidso

...Vancouver is the only city in our west with a significant amount of old money and their design aesthetics mirror that of the east.

Established old money in the US west build like they do in the US east as well. The architecture is slightly different, but they certainly go for more expensive materials than vinyl siding.

Uh not really, the aesthetic cannot be more different. Prettty much anywhere from California to BC, the rich tend to go for contemporary. The predominant traditional styles are craftsman or stucco. It's well known that the custom home market is centred on the west. In fact, there it's the nouveau riche - not the old money - who are most likely to prefer ornate and traditional over wood and glass.

[giallo]

Originally Posted by Darkoshvilli

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27655859@N06/4939502887/in/faves-40826747@N02/

My favourite angle of Montreal. The skyline looks fantastic.

[someone123]

Yeah, it has a great mix of heights, materials, and building styles from different eras. I like that style of skyline more than one that consists of a bunch of blue glass towers.

[Nouvellecosse]

I definitely agree, although a little bit more glass wouldn't hurt it.

[Rico Rommheim]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

I definitely agree, although a little bit more glass wouldn't hurt it.

Presently on its way

[kw5150]

Via Sony Ericsson Phone.

[Ramako]

L Tower is fitting in nicely:



By: Razz at Urban Toronto

[Coldrsx]

^^EAP, why you so sexy there.

[kw5150]

But you are generalizing because you said "In Alberta".

Im just being sensitive.

Originally Posted by isaidso

Nonsense. 2nd and 3rd generation monied people tend to move to established neighbourhoods. If they do buy in new subdivisions, they don't go for cookie cutter boxes with vinyl siding and no vegetation. Lots of middle class people opt for more expensive materials as well. There are tons of new suburbs where the material of choice is stone or brick. It's the lower end ones that build with vinyl. New money builds with vinyl too.