Winnipeg Construction X - Page 238

GreyGarden · #**4741** Posted **Apr 13, 2021, 7:48 PM**

That Hamilton project would be good. I'd be totally happy with a really generic southern Ontario style development - two towers (one 20 floors one 15 floors) on top of a 5 floor podium, good window coverage but no real design flairs.

What was the result of the Glasshouse project? Was it just really expensive for our market and not really financially viable? It strikes me that its about as generic as it gets - but aesthetically, I'd totally take a 40 floor Glasshouse design (I'd also happily take an exact copy of Glasshouse).

pegcityfan · #**4742** Posted **Apr 13, 2021, 7:58 PM**

My god that building is um....

The roof thing could be cool but only if they actually light it up at night like this one below (Winnipeg is so adverse to lighting buildings).

Credits: Toronto Drew on Great Canadian Skyline Forum II (Feb 22, 2021, 7:34 PM)

esquire · #**4743** Posted **Apr 13, 2021, 8:44 PM**

^ With lighting like that the hat would actually be OK

BAKGUY · #**4744** Posted **Apr 13, 2021, 9:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Malcsta

Forgive me for my rudimentary photoshop skills, but even something like this would be much better in my eyes. Split the two tower sections down the middle, make one a bit taller and the other a bit shorter. And last but not least get rid of that god awful white fedora at the very top.

https://imgur.com/a/HIttnvY

Just the few tweaks you made, it is already a bit better
I also realize this is not likely anywhere near final design, but also hoping the tower would have been close to the 50 floors idea. What you did brought it up higher and more palatable in 2 narrower towers.
It really needs to look modestly attractive if it dominates our skyline.

1ajs · #**4745** Posted **Apr 14, 2021, 12:28 AM**

does the energy codes play a factor in design now?

OTA in Winnipeg · #**4746** Posted **Apr 14, 2021, 1:07 AM**

Imagine. 120 stories built in 467 days.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_State_Building

Only The Lonely.. · #**4747** Posted **Apr 14, 2021, 3:37 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by drew

It's kinda like a next generation Fort Garry Place.

Imagine Fort Garry Place being twice as tall and our city's tallest.

Now there's a thought.

biguc · #**4748** Posted **Apr 14, 2021, 10:38 AM**

I always liked that tower pictured above. Casa 1, I think, in Toronto. It was one of the first of the last decade's condo boom, and still one of the best looking. It would look good in Winnipeg too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by trueviking

totally agree....add a canopy along the ground floor and its fine.

No way. That parking garage has to go. Get rid of that and it brings the rest of the tower down to a stature as humble as its looks.

I do have half a mind to at least put this in the Ugly Canada thread. Some bad publicity will do a world of good in stopping the madness.

GreyGarden · #**4749** Posted **Apr 14, 2021, 1:26 PM**

Looks like the bottom segment of the tower crane is installed at the Misericordia Assisted Living Centre site.

bomberjet · #**4750** Posted **Apr 14, 2021, 1:29 PM**

Problem with having a 40 storey tower is the parking.. for 360 Main, are the just using the existing parkade as dedicated spaces for the new tower? Or what's the storey.

For the St. Regis, they can only provide an entrance off the front street. The City will not permit entrances from the lane. Best case scenario is it comes in at the end of the building maybe on the north end next to the lane. But then there's proximity issues. o maybe the south end..

Regarding setbacks. The St Reigis would need 20' sideyards over 50' in height for residential uses. I'm not sure if that still applies next to the back lane.

esquire · #**4751** Posted **Apr 14, 2021, 1:56 PM**

The ramps leading to and from Smith are the least of that tower's problems. The podium is just a mess generally...fixing just that part would be a huge improvement in its overall design.

Better yet would be to split it into a twin tower like Malcsta suggested, but even that I could live without. The hat is fine and could even be nice if it's lit as shown in that Toronto picture pegcityfan posted.

I have to give the developer credit for putting the tower on top of the parkade. Probably would have been much easier to have the tower next to the parkade, but then you end up with less height and a rather large parcel would be devoted to nothing other than car storage for the next 100 years. So it's not all bad news here.

wags_in_the_peg · #**4752** Posted **Apr 14, 2021, 1:59 PM**

I'll go on record (again) and say tall buildings in Winnipeg downtown are a huge investment risk. "Near" downtown is much more preferred like OV, St.B, Stradbrook, etc. WFH is hugely affecting this and majority of people I know, which are low to middle class working professionals who have late teen kids have no interest in moving downtown. their kids which are either late high school or early university says the same thing. sorry to burst many of your "live downtown" bubbles, but demand is not there.

esquire · #**4753** Posted **Apr 14, 2021, 2:17 PM**

^ There must be some kind of demand given the sheer number of new builds/major renovations that have happened downtown (including the Exchange)

bomberjet · #**4754** Posted **Apr 14, 2021, 2:18 PM**

Go one step beyond that age group. Recent University and College grads, from my experience, have a desire to live either downtown or near downtown when leaving the nest. I worked downtown for the past ~6 years and saw it first hand across many sectors, mostly professional types. Can't generalize across the board based on personal experience. But that's what I saw. Young single people and couples moving into the exchange and other places downtown. Similarly yes people also like to live in OV, etc because it is close to downtown.

Change takes place over the course of generations across numerous decades. Just like the decline of downtown right into the 90's and 00's, the rebound will take a similar amount of time and effort.

Recent trends from covid will eventually die out and people will be back in the offices a lot more.

drew · #**4755** Posted **Apr 14, 2021, 2:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

^ There must be some kind of demand given the sheer number of new builds/major renovations that have happened downtown (including the Exchange)

I am personally working on projects under construction or in design that will add about 500 units to the Exchange over the next 3 years or so.

dmacc · #**4756** Posted **Apr 14, 2021, 2:33 PM**

My anecdotal experience was to move downtown once I was a young professional. It was great to be close to so many things. Now that I'm building a family and WFH will be permanent, back out to the suburbs I go.

I think there is and will continue to be demand downtown. It is very attractive for young professionals, immigrants etc.

esquire · #**4757** Posted **Apr 14, 2021, 2:53 PM**

I finished university in 2005 and the downtown housing stock in that era was not great... there were a few condo projects in the Exchange but they were priced on the high side for a fresh graduate. Most of the rental stock was tired 60s/70s/80s construction. I ended up buying an 80s built condo in the Riverwalk. It was OK but it was so far from the heart of downtown that I felt I was halfway to the suburbs.

The selection is much more enticing today. Although I am concerned about the long term impact of covid on downtown. It is a very different place today compared to 18 months ago, and my fear is that it will take a long time to regain all of that lost ground.

GreyGarden · #**4758** Posted **Apr 14, 2021, 3:12 PM**

Anecdotally, a lot of my friends who are beginning their professional lives want to be closer to downtown. A good number are in the Exchange and some are in the core neighbourhoods (OV and West Broadway - currently where I am). I'm confident many will eventually make the transition to the suburbs as they have children. But my hope is that the high value suburbs and singe detached houses become the ones closer to downtown rather than the sage creek style suburbs that don't really support the core of the city. Hopefully, the trend reverses and the most expensive single detached houses are those closet to the downtown and the farther away you get, the cheaper it gets. There should be status and desire to get closer and closer to the downtown. In other cities there seems to be real status in living in an old house close to the city. Further anecdotally, when I walk through West Broadway there are a lot of people doing work and renovations on the old houses in that area. The beater cars on the streets are slowly being replaced with new Subarus.

Furthermore, my parents are getting to a point where they're considering downsizing in the next decade and they like the idea of Osborne Village.

T'Cona · #**4759** Posted **Apr 14, 2021, 3:36 PM**

I wish Higgins from the Louise Bridge to Waterfront could be razed for the most part, and redeveloped. This is such prime land that it is perfect for residential.

I would also like to see more infills built in the Spence neighborhood.

trueviking · #**4760** Posted **Apr 14, 2021, 3:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by biguc

I always liked that tower pictured above. Casa 1, I think, in Toronto. It was one of the first of the last decade's condo boom, and still one of the best looking. It would look good in Winnipeg too.

No way. That parking garage has to go. Get rid of that and it brings the rest of the tower down to a stature as humble as its looks.

I do have half a mind to at least put this in the Ugly Canada thread. Some bad publicity will do a world of good in stopping the madness.

yeah I agree....i was trying to learn from Esquire and be nice.