Ugly Canada 2 (Only architecture, planning and design faux pas)

[Xelebes]

Time to create a new thread for Ugly Canada. Thought I would start this off with some clear direction of how this thread will proceed.

This thread is not for pointing out offensive opinions outside of architecture, planning and design. This thread is not for pointing out people in poor health or people with limited design choices.

This thread is about pointing towards things we build that are shoddy, not prepared for display, or misguided theories of form or function.

Proceed.

[O-tacular]

So was the last thread closed because of supposed ageism and so-called 'poverty shaming' then? One too many Depends jokes? It seems more likely that the whole Faith Goldy debate between me and lio was responsible for its demise. Now we have nothing to look back on for posterity. Pages and pages of Clockzilla and The Rooms and The Venetian and Chad Kroeger lost like dust in the wind. A wind that carried a faint tune of "Look at this FRODOgraph" and the stench of Depends.

No more of this guy:



Or Don Cherry. Or Dog Fart. OR Chad Kroeger.


Well here's my contribution of the ugly building variety. I drove by this on Saturday and couldn't figure out WTF that stack jutting out of the centre of the roof of this condo was. Was it originally intended as a chimney? Or was it always destined to be an anchor for ugly cellphone antennas?

https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.12637...7i13312!8i6656

[TorontoDrew]

That's and Baddington, and Beddington. What strange street names to intersect.

[MonkeyRonin]

Here's a new one for us. This building in Chinatown went from this...




...to this:


https://twitter.com/heychristofur/st...ly-makeover%2F

[Pavlov]

^ Ugh. That is truly terrible.

[TorontoDrew]

Ha, I walked past that last week and couldn't remember what was there before. I have no ill feelings for it, they replaced tacky with bland. I only hope that a decent Chinese restaurant occupies the space one the ground floor.

[O-tacular]

That’s not really ugly, just bland.

[TorontoDrew]

I Submit the Hotel Intercontinental on Front Street. Since Oxford now owns it it's living on borrowed time.


Built: 1984
Floors: 25
Use: Hotel


[IMG]Intercontinental, Toronto, Ontario by Duane Schermerhorn, on Flickr[/IMG]

[someone123]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

Ha, I walked past that last week and couldn't remember what was there before. I have no ill feelings for it, they replaced tacky with bland. I only hope that a decent Chinese restaurant occupies the space one the ground floor.

I worry that most Canadian cities are getting blander. So much new construction has a modernist suburban shopping mall aesthetic. The acceptable colours are black, white, grey, and blue. The acceptable decorations are horizontal/vertical slats or that fake "framing" (the seemingly pointless white boxes in the example above).

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

I Submit the Hotel Intercontinental on Front Street. Since Oxford now owns it it's living on borrowed time.


Built: 1984
Floors: 25
Use: Hotel


[IMG]Intercontinental, Toronto, Ontario by Duane Schermerhorn, on Flickr[/IMG]

The fact that '80s architecture is no longer in fashion does not render it "ugly".

[Echoes]

I'd say it's a welcome counterpoint to all of that glass.

[megadude]

I pass by it every day on the train. Never thought of it as ugly. Just think of it as 80s.

[O-tacular]

How many buildings are behind the hotel? At first glance it looked like one mega building forming a wall of blue glass. I agree that the hotel adds some much needed variety and texture to the area. Calgary is starting to feel the same in certain areas. I’m beginning to value some of the old brutalist boxes as they offer some contrast and depth.

[Echoes]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

How many buildings are behind the hotel? At first glance it looked like one mega building forming a wall of blue glass. I agree that the hotel adds some much needed variety and texture to the area. Calgary is starting to feel the same in certain areas. I’m beginning to value some of the old brutalist boxes as they offer some contrast and depth.

There are 3 buildings in behind: Ritz-Carlton, Simcoe Place, RBC Centre

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

The fact that '80s architecture is no longer in fashion does not render it "ugly".

I agree but even as a child I found it ugly. We have plenty of great 80's buildings like One University across the street from it. It just looks like no thought was put into it and the biege concrete has never looked flattering imo.

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by Pavlov

^ Ugh. That is truly terrible.

I'd say it's just a terrible match for that setting. Spadina is an eclectic mix of colourful, quirky, kitschy, grand, but that's just conservative contemporary.

[TorontoDrew]

Good point.

[megadude]

Not sure what to make of this. It's the new bus terminal at Steeles & Hurontario in Brampton.

It adds some creative dimension to what otherwise would be an unremarkable intersection and area around Shoppers World. But at the same time, I can see passing by 20 years from now and saying God damn, what an eyesore.



https://www.inbrampton.com/something...teway-terminal

[GeneralLeeTPHLS]

I personally love the InterContinental, albeit it's not too tall in this time compared to what it stood as in years before.


That Shoppers World bus terminal looks awful. Looks like the same, dated suburban crap that's in the Peel Region.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by megadude

Not sure what to make of this. It's the new bus terminal at Steeles & Hurontario in Brampton.

It adds some creative dimension to what otherwise would be an unremarkable intersection and area around Shoppers World. But at the same time, I can see passing by 20 years from now and saying God damn, what an eyesore.



https://www.inbrampton.com/something...teway-terminal

I get that they’re trying to be ‘funky’ and ‘different’ but that already looks dated. It’s just trying sooooo hard to be noticed. Reminds me of some stuff from the 90’s.