Skyline Pics of Halifax

[OldDartmouthMark]

Thanks for the explanation, Ian. It makes much more sense to me now.

And yes, Plalanx, I would not be surprised if its effect on the Public Gardens is a factor - and it probably should be as it is one of Halifax's jewels.

Probably what rings strongest to me is that, (at least in my opinion) those buildings wouldn't be improved by increased height. They are quite nice as is.

[Nouvellecosse]

The centre plan and the general zoning guidelines have very strict restrictions on building heights for every area. Many cities have height guidelines in all or some of their districts for a variety of reasons sometimes citing concerns with shadowing, wind, and excessive density. But the most common motives seem to be aesthetic. Unlike most highrise/skyscraper enthusiasts, many people don't consider tall buildings to be attractive. I don't know if the average person writ-large feels that way, but certainly the average person who gets involved with and offers feedback on planning decisions seems to feel that way. The aesthetics can be complicated but the stance tends to be that having buildings that are much larger than the existing built form overshadows other buildings figuratively even if not literally, and that these larger buildings come to dominate the architectural language of an area. This isn't desirable for people who find the existing smaller buildings - often in older styles - to generally be more charming than the newer, modern styles prevalent in contemporary.

Also, the character of a neighbourhood is related not only to the styles of architecture it contains but also things like the size/dimensions of buildings and the street interface. For instance, people don't seem to like an extreme contrast in sizes since they view it as being jarring (the thought being that buildings within close proximity to one another should be in basic agreement to prevent things from seeming unplanned and messy). In fact, in some neighbourhoods in HRM there are also bylaws that prevent buildings from being built closer than a minimum specified distance to the street. Having properties fronted by lawns or other open space gives a totally different character than buildings whose door opens right to the sidewalk. I personally despise such setback requirements both because I hate the aesthetic (which I view as being more suburban and therefore less charming) but also because I believe there to be a negative psychological effect associated with this withdrawal or retreat of buildings from the public realm in the sense that people simply feel less connected with the city and less part of a larger whole, less interested in walking to places, less disposed to wider social integration/ interaction, etc.

When speaking strictly in terms of aesthetics (greater height variation looks better) there isn't much potential for argument since one aesthetic taste vs another is mostly just a numbers game (which preference is more popular). Unless there are more utilitarian arguments to be made, we probably just have to accept that with the centre plan, the people have spoken. And the only utilitarian arguments I can think of for greater heights at this point is in terms of greater density. But the planning department doesn't actually want individual projects to be too large since this presents the risk that growth in housing can be controlled by too few companies. Also, having a larger number of smaller projects helps to spread out the density load on infrastructure and spread the benefits of increased street activity and business patronage across wider areas. So we're stuck with strict height limits for the foreseeable future.

[Keith P.]

Back in 2011/12 when this came before them, the Design Review Committee turned their nose up at it because the requested height was almost double that which was carved in stone by HRM by Design, which, as we have come to learn, is a document that panders excessively to the heritage activists. Their rationale, such as it is, can be seen here:

http://legacycontent.halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/120228ca1014ii.pdf

Fortunately when it came to Council, the YMCA had marshaled the troops and had a long and impressive list of speakers supporting it. The only ones opposing were the usual suspects: the Paceys, Peter Delefes, Alan Parish, Bev Miller, and Alan Ruffman. Unusually, it passed Council with a unanimous vote in favor.

http://legacycontent.halifax.ca/council/documents/c120320.pdf

To show how convoluted the rules can be, a setback requirement that applied to the site was only discovered after design and approvals were already well along.

[K-Man]

Interesting posts guys, there's a lot more groups and 'red tape' involved than I had thought. IanWatson that view plane map you posted was pretty cool...

[Jonovision]

The main factor for the height restrictions in the downtown area are the pointless Rampart Bylaws. A second level of preserved views which are meant to preserve the bluesky aspects of being inside the citadel. You are not meant to see any new buildings intruding into your view when you stand inside the parade grounds of citadel hill at designated points.
The affect is an essentially an upside down cone of view restrictions that come out of the citadel ramparts that cannot be easily mapped in 2D. It's also why a lot of new buildings have the now characteristic Halifax "Swoosh" roof line. 19Twenty on Brunswick and the two towers of the YMCA redevelopment show this off as they are built right up to this line to maximise their rentable space. It's also why we rarely see any sort of true architectural crown on any of our modern buildings.

My biggest gripe with them though is that this is not advertised at all within the citadel. There is nothing to say "stand here and its like you are in 19th century Halifax with no modern buildings visible".

[q12]

Edited:
Phone Pics NE / Canada Cruise by Dennis Sylvester Hurd, on Flickr

[mleblanc]

What a beautiful city. Very proud to call it home. I would love to see even a 30 story "landmark" downtown to show some height variation.

[q12]

Halifax skyline at sunset by Denise Kitagawa, on Flickr

[q12]

https://twitter.com/Timinator/status/1208761999104073728

I like the added touch of the downed crane from Hurricane Dorian.

[RoshanMcG]

Source: Skyline Studio


Source

[q12]

https://flic.kr/p/2hn6nus

_DSC0094a by alfplant2009, on Flickr

[RoshanMcG]

Source


Source

[someone123]

Recent drone video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap4o2CaXB4U

Some captures:

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by someone123

I've always hated that stretch of road. I'm not sure how one can fix it other than to tear down every single building and to completely re-do the public realm. In other words, a complete demo. YUCK!

[someone123]

Originally Posted by isaidso

I've always hated that stretch of road. I'm not sure how one can fix it other than to tear down every single building and to completely re-do the public realm. In other words, a complete demo. YUCK!

The small building on the left in the foreground is going to be redeveloped and another tower is under construction on the left across Cogswell. Then there's a plan to develop that parking deck next to the Trade Mart. That site is pretty interesting since it'll terminate the view running down Brunswick Street.

[q12]

sunset by Gordon Gillespie, on Flickr

[Keith P.]

It's interesting to look at the drone pics and realize that even into the early '90s, most new buildings on the peninsula were just 4 to 6 floors high, with only a handful venturing towards 10 floors or more. I wonder if the Canada Trust Building on Argyle was built today, for example, how tall it would be.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

It's interesting to look at the drone pics and realize that even into the early '90s, most new buildings on the peninsula were just 4 to 6 floors high, with only a handful venturing towards 10 floors or more. I wonder if the Canada Trust Building on Argyle was built today, for example, how tall it would be.

The 90's look like an architectural dark age now. In the 80's buildings like Purdy's Wharf were built, and now there are again lots of nice highrises being built. In the 90's the city got those ugly pseudo Clayton Park specials.

The big thing that stands out to me in these aerials is how consistent the density around downtown Halifax is getting. It has really filled in, not just with highrises but with a lot of medium sized buildings.

It's too bad he didn't make it over to the Cogswell area a bit more because it would have been interesting to get a shot of the construction there. Interchange aside the dead zone between downtown and the North End is shrinking.

The Cunard block also sticks out like a sore thumb now in waterfront shots. And the Dennis block is the one big flaw in shot #2.

[pblaauw]

What a horrible tabletop skyline!

[q12]

Halifax_Harbour_in_March by alan_8, on Flickr
3 Seconds of stillness by paul.wesson, on Flickr