The Barrel Yards | 25 fl | U/C

[westwardloo]

The student buildings and the condos throughout Waterloo Region aren't exactly a good example of - well, anything. Fast food development, maybe? It's cheap, vaugely resembles something "real" but ultimately it's just a cheap knockoff.

I think at this point in the redevelopment of this city, we'll just have to accept a lot of mediocrity until we get to a point where we can look for an overall higher standard of development. Waterloo Region has basically one good architecture firm (Martin Simmons) and two good developers (Perimeter and Momentum Developments) who consistently develop projects here to a good standard, but because of that prestige, such companies are only going to do so much at once. Groups like Auburn, IN8 or SRM Architects run on a model of "let's do as much as we can at once and make money" meaning it kinda all looks like shit.

I really wish we had some sort of advisory committee that could critique things in regards to the urban experience, architecture, phenomenology, the design of neighbourhoods/spaces, the longevity (these buildings and neighbourhoods are going to be standing for 40-50+ years). If the heritage committee can totally alter/stall a development by saying "too tall, too much glass, there are shadows in my backyard" then there should be a committee of professionals who can decide things like "how about we don't build 20 floors of EIFS that will be discolouring and crumbling apart within 2 years and looks like everything else".

Could not agree more with all of these statements, especially the last point. I know it has been discussed multiply time on this site, but if other cities can create advisory committee to help critique what is being proposed I see no reason why our cities can't. I think a major hurdle is the fact that we basically need buy in from all three cities to create a special committee. I could see Waterloo creating one and developers just bypass it and developing in Kitchener and Cambridge and vis versa. Just another reason I would prefer a form of amalgamation. 

I thought someone mentioned that waterloo tried to ban EIFS at one point, but it got challenged in court.