[Halifax] Queen's Marque | 30 m | 10 fl | Completed

[mleblanc]

Wow, huge progress on this one. Massive building, definitely makes Murphy's and the Nova Scotia Crystal building look out of place. That roundabout ferry terminal dropoff needs some desperate work done to it.

[someone123]

The apparent scale and relationship to the neighbouring buildings might change a bit as the cladding goes on. The bare grey concrete and shadows add to the effect.

I agree completely about the cul-de-sac thing. I also think the clock is sad. The clock mechanism is actually over 250 years old and is the oldest working clock in Canada. It looks like some kind of playground decoration.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by someone123

The apparent scale and relationship to the neighbouring buildings might change a bit as the cladding goes on. The bare grey concrete and shadows add to the effect.

I agree completely about the cul-de-sac thing. I also think the clock is sad. The clock mechanism is actually over 250 years old and is the oldest working clock in Canada. It looks like some kind of playground decoration.

Agree.

[RoshanMcG]

Originally Posted by Jonovision

20190116_155323 by Jonovision23, on Flickr

So correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like the material on the second floor facing the water is different than in the rendering... was this section not supposed to be copper?:

[midasmull]

Originally Posted by RoshanMcG

So correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like the material on the second floor facing the water is different than in the rendering... was this section not supposed to be copper?:

Certainly looks like it from the rendering. That being said, if they were to do it in copper, they'd be losing the ability to rent valuable water-facing space - maybe they intended to use a copper-colored glass covering similar to the orange one they used at the Central Library?

[OldDartmouthMark]

Their plan is to use a copper alloy called Muntz metal for cladding, which has the appearance of copper but doesn't turn green with corrosion, as bare copper would. The section nearest Lower Water will be clad with Wallace sandstone.

http://armourgroup.com/the-armour-gr...of-this-place/

Contextual and solid materials honour the district’s surroundings and are grounded within the downtown. The use of Sandstone references the iconic buildings in the city core and the workmanship ingrained in our past; the granite apron evokes the rocky coast and a familiar rugged character without flash; while copper, reimagines the oil-can hull of marine vessels and speaks to the copper cables used historically at cable wharf.

https://canada.constructconnect.com/...-queens-marque

The materials are important elements of creating the place, he said. Every attempt should be made to use local resources. Steel was originally considered for cladding but finally an alloy of copper called Muntz metal, from Ontario, was used. Wallace sandstone from local quarries has been used on numerous public buildings and was a good fit for the Queen’s Marque.

“Muntz metal has a lot of the characteristics of copper but doesn’t turn green,” he explained. “It has the waterfront shipyard grit of weathering steel but with the sophistication of Muntz.

“That brassy element is carried over right into the doorknobs. There is a continuation of that kind of jewellery.”

Info on the sandstone:
http://armourgroup.com/queens-marque...levant-facade/

https://www.trurodaily.com/business/...a-time-160767/

I'm guessing from the photos that the cladding just hasn't been added yet, as it looks unfinished.

[bluenoser]

The design has changed a bit (and imo, slightly downgraded) since those renderings.

Perhaps the rendering software was not as nice, and obviously the design requires practical changes as it develops, but the newer version looks less elegant to me, and less cohesive overall.

Having said that (and as has been mentioned), much will come down to the actual materials. I remain optimistic and excited about this development.

Originally Posted by Jonovision

These new renderings were put up on the fencing.

20180806_071206 by Jonovision23, on Flickr

20180806_071158 by Jonovision23, on Flickr

[teddifax]

I know the renderings aren't "exactly" like the real thing.... look at the wharf adjacent to the Cable Wharf... in the renderings, it looks like enough room to berth bigger boats, but it looks like a dory couldn't find a berth in that small space how it is being built...

[someone123]

To me the copper in the original rendering looks a bit like some kind of screen, not cladding. The more recent rendering looks simpler. I wouldn't draw conclusions from minor details in it.

I'd say go look at the plans approved by the city but those often don't match the final product either, or they are so vague that they permit a wide range of outcomes.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by someone123

To me the copper in the original rendering looks a bit like some kind of screen, not cladding. The more recent rendering looks simpler. I wouldn't draw conclusions from minor details in it.

I'd say go look at the plans approved by the city but those often don't match the final product either, or they are so vague that they permit a wide range of outcomes.

I remember that their website used to show numerous renderings including some close-ups that showed their concept for the copper cladding. I recall it having more of a textured/distressed finish, but it looks like that material has been removed from their website, which has now become more of a generic advertisement-type of page.

If the design has been changed, that would explain the website changes.

Has anybody seen the design changes? Is it possible to post them?

[Jonovision]

20190123_132007 by Jonovision23, on Flickr

[Keith P.]

Seeing how this now looms over that part of the street it is hard to understand why HRM did not require more of a setback.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Seeing how this now looms over that part of the street it is hard to understand why HRM did not require more of a setback.

Isn't it interesting to have the contrast, with some buildings looming over some streets? 99% of the city is not like that, and you can walk a block or two away if you want more space.

There are some cities with overbearing planning requirements that every new building be light and airy and they usually feel kind of boring to walk around in.

[Colin May]

Will be a great wind tunnel.

[q12]

Dartmouth Morning (4 of 6) by Boxcar Bob, on Flickr

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by someone123

Isn't it interesting to have the contrast, with some buildings looming over some streets? 99% of the city is not like that, and you can walk a block or two away if you want more space.

There are some cities with overbearing planning requirements that every new building be light and airy and they usually feel kind of boring to walk around in.

I agree. I actually like that aspect of it. I wouldn't want it on every street but I like the variety.

It's also one of the only things I like about the Doyle project, the mini urban canyon it creates on Queen.

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by someone123

Isn't it interesting to have the contrast, with some buildings looming over some streets? 99% of the city is not like that, and you can walk a block or two away if you want more space...

And this is a particularly effective location for a zero-setback building. Right as Lower Water turns the corner... it's a nice compression as you're leaving the heart of the old Central Business District... helps mark the end of the old downtown block pattern and the start of the city's northern expansion.

[Jonovision]

I don't find it to loom nearly as much as I thought it would. Given there is still no cladding so its not quite a perception of a solid wall but I think the gradual slant and breaking up of the massing is a successful way to integrate this without it feeling too overbearing from Lower Water St.

[Jonovision]

They've set up a leasing office for the residential units in the market area on the waterfront.

20190129_154508 by Jonovision23, on Flickr

20190129_154541 by Jonovision23, on Flickr

20190129_154146_HDR by Jonovision23, on Flickr

20190129_153432 by Jonovision23, on Flickr

[Jonovision]

20190206_163732_HDR by Jonovision23, on Flickr