Quote:
Originally Posted by Bunk
It's also more expensive to build here. They're willing to have slave like wages for construction, whereas we are not.
That said, creative design doesn't always mean more expensive.
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Most of the time it does though and this is the only correct answer to silly rhetorical questions about "why does Calgary suck architecturally?". It doesn't suck, it is simply reflective of the conditions we are in.
Calgary climate is not friendly to elaborate architectural design due to frequent freeze-thaw cycles. Any kind of protrusive architectural elements (build-outs, niches, cornices etc.) necessitate very expensive building envelope protection measures to defend against moisture penetration with all of its unpleasant consequences (cracking, mold etc.). Driving rains, high winds and freezing make this task very challenging.
Add to that; Calgary labour and materials costs are among the highest in North America. Commercial buildings (office, retail, hotel etc.) are built to make returns on investment from the rents they generate. Even with office rents going through the roof in Calgary nowadays (north of $40/sq/ft/yr+operating costs), these returns are very low; in the 4% to 7% for new construction. Speculator developers don't even start these projects in Calgary. Only the investment behemoths, like REITs and pension funds have the firepower and patience to initiate these projects, as they are more suited to long-term returns. Making the architectural design even more expensive would eliminate the returns unless the rents are raised even higher than they are now, which is not an option that can be controlled by anything but the real estate market.
P.S. I notice that often those same people complaining about temporary foreign workers employed at minimum wage in Canada are complaining about lack of good architecture. The fact that those elaborate modern buildings in China, Dubai and Malaysia are built by workers earning cents/hr is conveniently ignored.