[Halifax] Parkland at the Common (6009 Quinpool) | 78 m | 25 fl | U/C

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

I sort of liked that old concrete building although i didn't care for the big parking garage attached to it. It fit the era though I suppose.

Me too. I think Halifax is basically today doing to its 60's and 70's era buildings what it did to its older buildings in the 60's and 70's. They are not as old or historic-seeming now but people in the future will wonder why we didn't do a better job of preserving some of them (not the parking garages though ).

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by someone123

Me too. I think Halifax is basically today doing to its 60's and 70's era buildings what it did to its older buildings in the 60's and 70's. They are not as old or historic-seeming now but people in the future will wonder why we didn't do a better job of preserving some of them (not the parking garages though ).

Intriguing thought to ponder, but about the parking garages: I have to wonder if we wouldn't have been better off to have saved Tex-Park rather than allowing United Gulf to have its way with the site.

Okay, not totally serious, but you get my point.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

I sort of liked that old concrete building although i didn't care for the big parking garage attached to it. It fit the era though I suppose.

From page 15 of this thread:

[mleblanc]

Originally Posted by Saul Goode

I imagine we can expect the “Friends of” gang to be very shrill when the community council gets the case.

I believe it's already approved for 25 storeys, so not much they will be able to do. That doesn't mean we won't see another lazy news article featuring Peggy within the next few weeks.

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by mleblanc

I believe it's already approved for 25 storeys, so not much they will be able to do.

Community councils have shown quite recently what havoc they can wreak...

We'll see.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Saul Goode

Intriguing thought to ponder, but about the parking garages: I have to wonder if we wouldn't have been better off to have saved Tex-Park rather than allowing United Gulf to have its way with the site.

I seem to recall United Gulf saying they would begin construction on Skye in 2021 and the real estate market seems strong. I wonder if this is the year.

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by someone123

I seem to recall United Gulf saying they would begin construction on Skye in 2021 and the real estate market seems strong. I wonder if this is the year.

Yeah, they've said a lot of things a lot of times. Seeing would be believing.

Everyone watch for flying pigs, now...

[someone123]

The United Gulf development is interesting. I have read some theories about how they wanted to flip the land and the proposals were fake but those don't make a lot of sense to me given how long they've had this site. The old Skye might have seemed a bit fake, and the original "twisted sisters" iteration was much more ambitious for its day. The new one is within the normal range of developments for downtown, and they have managed to build Boss Plaza.

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by someone123

The United Gulf development is interesting. I have read some theories about how they wanted to flip the land and the proposals were fake but those don't make a lot of sense to me given how long they've had this site. The old Skye might have seemed a bit fake, and the original "twisted sisters" iteration was much more ambitious for its day. The new one is within the normal range of developments for downtown, and they have managed to build Boss Plaza.

I agree, the current version of Skye feels pretty par-for-the-course considering its surroundings (Maple, Roy, Jade, etc) and feels neither very unrealistic or particularly ambitious. Skye-1 seemed less realistic or maybe they just really missed the mark with that one. They were looking for way too many variances from the then-new Centre Plan and while tall, the towers seemed kind of bland for something that would have dominated the skyline that much. I remember the original "Twisted Sisters" being a pet project of Hariri Pontarini, which is a reputable architectural firm. It might have ended up being a nicer project than this one but it was much more controversial at the time, and rendering technology was much weaker back then, which likely made it a tougher sell to the public. I remember most of the "renderings" were photos of models made of what looked like clear plastic and bits of string, and it was hard to get a clear sense of what the buildings would look like within their surroundings. I remember the defunct Centennial-Salter Block and early proposals for King's Wharf being like that as well.

This Willow Tree tower looks nice but has a sort of "Generic 2021 upmarket Canadian mixed-use highrise" feel to it; it's not hard to imagine the exact same building going up in Ottawa or Calgary or Hamilton (or maybe even Kelowna these days). I guess this kind of happens with all architectural movements but it would be nice to see us maintain a bit more regional variation (although I guess just getting more units built is probably the biggest priority right now).

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Hali87

This Willow Tree tower looks nice but has a sort of "Generic 2021 upmarket Canadian mixed-use highrise" feel to it; it's not hard to imagine the exact same building going up in Ottawa or Calgary or Hamilton (or maybe even Kelowna these days). I guess this kind of happens with all architectural movements but it would be nice to see us maintain a bit more regional variation (although I guess just getting more units built is probably the biggest priority right now).

There's been the shift toward modern architecture in Halifax and away from (sometimes completely generic) neo-historic stuff, but I've wondered how or if the city would incorporate some of its classic local styles into this new construction. Often people praised the neo-historic stuff for "fitting in" when it was generic and poor quality, but there were some good ones mixed in.

The library was a big hit but it feels quite generic to me. The AGNS proposal feels a bit oversold in terms of its connection to regional architecture, but seems nice. Queen's Marque looks like it genuinely incorporates some local themes into a major building (IMO heavier masonry-oriented construction and fine-grained decorative elements often work out better than "airiness").

Many of the local architects do have a distinctly local seeming style, but I think they struggle to incorporate the ubiquitous classic woodworking themes into their building. The Hal Forbes type approach is the complete opposite of what's popular in modern architecture. Some of the new Gottingen projects do evoke the feel of older buildings around there although I wonder sometimes if they're patterned off of the stripped-down version of those old buildings instead of that architecture at its height. It would be interesting to see 1950's Gottingen come back a bit.

[mleblanc]

Originally Posted by Hali87

This Willow Tree tower looks nice but has a sort of "Generic 2021 upmarket Canadian mixed-use highrise" feel to it; it's not hard to imagine the exact same building going up in Ottawa or Calgary or Hamilton (or maybe even Kelowna these days).

Might be an unpopular opinion; but I don't really consider this a bad thing - nor do I consider the generic modern Canadian architecture overly ugly usually depending on the quality of the overall development.

I like the "Vancouverist" concept of the townhouse/retail podium with the modern glass tower above. At least with Halifax it seems like most of the significant historical destruction that people worry about has realistically already happened throughout the 60s/70s in trying to modernize the city from the wartime port that it was known as.

In the past decade the planning dogma has definitely shifted from a car-friendly approach to a human-friendly approach and Halifax as done a great job adapting to it. If anyone is looking for this random, 30 something year-old nobody's opinion/rant: the money being invested in these developments combined with the influx of new Haligonians both Canadian and international show that we are heading in a good direction.

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by Hali87

This Willow Tree tower looks nice but has a sort of "Generic 2021 upmarket Canadian mixed-use highrise" feel to it; it's not hard to imagine the exact same building going up in Ottawa or Calgary or Hamilton (or maybe even Kelowna these days).

Point taken, but it's also a hell of a lot more pleasing than what an outfit like Shannex could have given us - think new Bayers Lake hotel tower.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by someone123

There's been the shift toward modern architecture in Halifax and away from (sometimes completely generic) neo-historic stuff, but I've wondered how or if the city would incorporate some of its classic local styles into this new construction. Often people praised the neo-historic stuff for "fitting in" when it was generic and poor quality, but there were some good ones mixed in.

The library was a big hit but it feels quite generic to me. The AGNS proposal feels a bit oversold in terms of its connection to regional architecture, but seems nice. Queen's Marque looks like it genuinely incorporates some local themes into a major building (IMO heavier masonry-oriented construction and fine-grained decorative elements often work out better than "airiness").

Many of the local architects do have a distinctly local seeming style, but I think they struggle to incorporate the ubiquitous classic woodworking themes into their building. The Hal Forbes type approach is the complete opposite of what's popular in modern architecture. Some of the new Gottingen projects do evoke the feel of older buildings around there although I wonder sometimes if they're patterned off of the stripped-down version of those old buildings instead of that architecture at its height. It would be interesting to see 1950's Gottingen come back a bit.

I'm not sure what a local style would be, though. Halifax, like most other cities, has always taken its architectural leads from other places, and not any one place. Architects are influenced by styles taken from all over the world, and adapt to local conditions, materials, and technology.

Today, there really isn't any such thing as local technology as there was in the past (for example ship-building skills), and local materials might be limited to locally produced bricks or locally quarried stone. So in a modern context, I'm not sure what architectural style would be considered to be 'uniquely Halifax'.

That said, I like this new proposal, especially if it has a lighting feature (I'm a sucker for lighting features on buildings...). It exceeds my expectations for a retirement/long-term care facility and will look good across the street from the newly revamped Atlantica Hotel.

[someone123]

By classic local styles I mean the styles of the older buildings in the city that existed or still exist and new buildings could related to in some way. I don't mean styles that are unique to the city, although some of them probably are and the overall mix is.

Examples are the use of sandstone, the relatively austere sandstone and red brick commercial and institutional buildings, wood detailing and shingled facades with bright colours, those inset storefronts common along older building on Barrington, Palladianism, or Scottish dormers.

[OldDartmouthMark]

I see what you are getting at, but that would probably mean smaller scale buildings as well, with the risk of being dubbed 'faux heritage'.

It would be cool if there could be something viewed positively as 'Halifax style' architecture, though. Currently, when I think of a Halifax-style building, it would involve a generic glass and cladding box, with remnants of a historical building lying around the site or buried under it... and ground floor retail with bicycle racks, of course.

[someone123]

Queen's Marque is an example of a large scale building that has adopted some local architectural motifs. There are lots of historic buildings around there that are rich in architectural detail too.

The Alexander is another one that incorporated historic styles and materials (stone) even though it's part highrise. It could have been done in a West Coast style with a 2 storey glassy/airy podium. How successful it was is a matter of opinion I guess. Then there's TD, the Roy. There are actually quite a few major modern buildings with recently constructed heritage-inspired architecture. This doesn't seem to have happened as much outside of downtown. There are those medium sized North End buildings that have broken up podium facades with bright colours, although often the end product does not seem to match the rendering. The George looks totally generic to me. Not bad, but it would be hard to guess at the city by looking at it without knowing ahead of time.

[Good Baklava]

I was hoping for another conversation like this , let me share my thoughts:

I agree with the general consensus that the ultra-modern Shannex building is not necessarily better than the previous building when we account for the era each was constructed in.
I think now is the time to start thinking about what buildings from 50s & 60s we want to conserve. As much as this era gets portrayed as one of destruction there are certainly some gems worth keeping, and they are now old enough to be considered heritage.

Elements of "Haligonian" architecture I would like to see better conserved or masterfully recreated are: 1) Scottish dormers 2) Ironstone (probably my favorite material in the city) & 3) Storm porches.
Tastefully replicating past architectural marvels is certainly difficult, as it appears most attempts end up being over-commodified.

Here's what I would call a decent re-creation from Harlem: Former Corn Exchange Bank

Here's something OK from Halifax, the renovated house looks much nicer but isn't authentic. The stormporch was lost, and the building didn't originally have a metal roof: https://www.instagram.com/p/CN5h572rMyH/

Now for a more Disneyland-styled approach from Chongqing:

Source: Viator
Certainly very interesting, but far from authentic.

As a streetview enthusiast, I've noticed new russian apartment buildings trying to re-create the more ornate stalinist past. They look pretty cheap to me though: https://www.instagram.com/p/CN5iIcmrflp/

[atbw]

Originally Posted by someone123

Queen's Marque is an example of a large scale building that has adopted some local architectural motifs. There are lots of historic buildings around there that are rich in architectural detail too.

The Alexander is another one that incorporated historic styles and materials (stone) even though it's part highrise. It could have been done in a West Coast style with a 2 storey glassy/airy podium. How successful it was is a matter of opinion I guess. Then there's TD, the Roy. There are actually quite a few major modern buildings with recently constructed heritage-inspired architecture. This doesn't seem to have happened as much outside of downtown. There are those medium sized North End buildings that have broken up podium facades with bright colours, although often the end product does not seem to match the rendering. The George looks totally generic to me. Not bad, but it would be hard to guess at the city by looking at it without knowing ahead of time.

I would say now that it's been occupied, the Alexander has a very solid podium. From Lower Water you almost can't tell there's a tower above, and it blends in well with the existing market without coming off as cheap or trying too hard to look historic.

[someone123]

One thing I have noticed is a lot of people seem to think there is a kind of authenticity that is separate from quality of work, materials, and use. The 19th century style building can only be authentic if it's from the 19th century. But I don't really see it that way. There is value in having neighbourhoods and districts that have a theme of coherent style and if the quality is good then what's the problem. Halifax has a certain kernel of the kind of skills needed for better masonry and woodworking on buildings but it has not really exploded as the city has grown.

It would be nice to see high-quality traditional carpentry work/detailing integrated into some new development. There are a couple examples like the Glubes townhouses. There are some close-but-not-quite-right examples like the Gladstone Ridge houses.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by atbw

I would say now that it's been occupied, the Alexander has a very solid podium. From Lower Water you almost can't tell there's a tower above, and it blends in well with the existing market without coming off as cheap or trying too hard to look historic.

I have not been around there since some of the newer construction has happened like Flynn Flats and the Alexander plus the brewery integration. My impression is it is successful in that it all flows together well including into the Bishop's courtyard and it has filled up with tenants even during covid.

I suspect this area is only a fraction along where it will eventually end up vibrancy-wise since The Governor, Cunard, and the art gallery are still in the pipeline. And many of the older buildings are still in not such great shape.