Some very cool stuff, can't wait to ride this thing. I'm really liking those light cannons, that should create some great lightning situations in the stations.
The one thing I'm disappointed about is how the side of Sunalta Station that most people see (ie, the one that faces Bow Trail) feels like such an afterthought. It looks like the side of a building that would face an alley.
Agreed. The Bow Trail side of Sunalta should have just as detailed a facade as the south-facing side. It literally looks like brutalist architecture driving past it. And WTF is up with that pedestrian bridge? It's looking like a hastily-designed mangled wreck.
Yeah, it's kind of funny how the one station we all thought was going to be the crown jewel of the entire line is the one that looks haphazard and clunky.
Yeah, it's kind of funny how the one station we all thought was going to be the crown jewel of the entire line is the one that looks haphazard and clunky.
I'd always thought that the Westbrook Station would be the "crown jewel" as it were. Agreed that Sunalta Station could have been more though.
I'd always thought that the Westbrook Station would be the "crown jewel" as it were. Agreed that Sunalta Station could have been more though.
Westbrook is looking pretty good with the old EM site gone and cleaned up. I think the whole development of this area rests on the land sale for those parcels so it will be interesting to see what kind of announcement comes in the next few months.
Westbrook is looking pretty good with the old EM site gone and cleaned up. I think the whole development of this area rests on the land sale for those parcels so it will be interesting to see what kind of announcement comes in the next few months.
There's already a development design out there... a team has been selected, and that entire area around the Westbrook Station is getting a complete overhaul. The RFP was released last year, and the preferred proponent has already been selected.
I anticipate you'll see renderings very soon of a design concept for that area. I think people will be pleasantly surprised as to what the city has in store there.
I remember seeing the early concept renderings of the area....they looked wildly ambitious in scale, but hey, it's good to dream big.
I've driven by the Westbrook Station building a few times, and that one looks rather boring. I was hoping it would set the tone of the revitalization of the area a bit better.
The Westgate Park condos do look really solid however....they look better than a lot of the new condos built downtown.
I remember seeing the early concept renderings of the area....they looked wildly ambitious in scale, but hey, it's good to dream big.
I've driven by the Westbrook Station building a few times, and that one looks rather boring. I was hoping it would set the tone of the revitalization of the area a bit better.
The Westgate Park condos do look really solid however....they look better than a lot of the new condos built downtown.
Table, I think I remember that early concept too. Now there's newer ones. There's even a plan for a high-end hotel to go in there...
The Westbrook Station building... I agree. It's not that attractive; looks very commercially industrial. It is a City building, however - it's housing the C-Train headquarters I believe so I'm not surprised it's very 'plain jane' in its aesthetics. The City probably wants it to look very neutral, unfortunately.
As for the Westgate Park condos, they are solid... they were designed by a Vancouver architect. The developer opted for quality as opposed to a cheapness like you see on many condos downtown. Those three towers are something you'd see in Yaletown or something. The construction on them is extremely solid, too.
^^^ Unfortunately if you put racing stripes and speed holes on the Westbrook Transit building, people would be crying foul on the unnecessary spending and extra $1 million it would take to spruce it up. After the bridge fiasco (not by my books, but others), it appears the City is loving the idea of boring, borderline brutalist architecture once more.
You don't honestly think the designers and city approved every West station being copper clad without knowing full well what copper looks like in Calgary? I believe you can chemically treat copper to speed up the oxidization, but without any moist air, its likely going to be deep brown for a while. Enjoy the shiny while it lasts.
Could we do this?
Quote:
The copper roofs on Parliament are green. Everyone can see that. But Nixon says the green did not come naturally. In his book, he quotes Doug Pickard, the foreman of a roofing contractor: “Roofers used to mop horse urine on the new copper to make it go green faster.”
As for the Westgate Park condos, they are solid... they were designed by a Vancouver architect. The developer opted for quality as opposed to a cheapness like you see on many condos downtown. Those three towers are something you'd see in Yaletown or something. The construction on them is extremely solid, too.
I think the reason I like them so much is because they do remind me of Vancouver level architecture. They definitely look a lot more solid in terms of construction than a lot of the crap going on downtown too.
Quote:
The copper roofs on Parliament are green. Everyone can see that. But Nixon says the green did not come naturally. In his book, he quotes Doug Pickard, the foreman of a roofing contractor: “Roofers used to mop horse urine on the new copper to make it go green faster.”
Shouldn't be a problem replicating this in Calgary.
A couple of points on the Westgate Park development - the first tower almost borrowed too much from the Vancouver-style architecture and structure. There was no dust suppression system designed with it because the developer didn't realize Calgary is a far dustier town. Additionally, the building was not optimally designed for patio-dwellers unless you're in a southeast unit. I don't think they realized that, especially 5 floors up and beyond, it gets incredibly windy on that side of town, what with all the headwinds coming in from the mountains unrestricted. The deck glass and fixings also rattle considerably and patio furniture and BBQ's can get damaged rather quickly up there.
Style-wise it is definitely a Vancouver building; however I think design trumped practicality in some respects.
I would pay good money to be allowed to travel along the track in an old timey handcar.
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We may curse our bad luck that it's sounds like its; who's sounds like whose; they're sounds like their (and there); and you're sounds like your. But if we are grown-ups who have been through full-time education, we have no excuse for muddling them up.
That was awesome.
