The Barrel Yards | 25 fl | U/C

[urbd]

wow what a hideous facade, looks like a student building from King St north

Not as bad as the student housing. Now keep in mind, this project started over a decade ago, and what looked good back then, doesn't look all that great today.

I'm well aware, and actually more like 15+ years. This is the downside of the city approving a master plan that was designed at once by the same architect instead of stipulating more variety for subsequent buildings and maybe further consideration before construction.

wow what a hideous facade, looks like a student building from King St north

Admittedly it's the back of the building, not the front.

Good buildings have attractive facades on all elevations, especially when they are this tall and visible from every side. No building in this development has a back, actually.

[urbd]

wow what a hideous facade, looks like a student building from King St north

Not as bad as the student housing. Now keep in mind, this project started over a decade ago, and what looked good back then, doesn't look all that great today.

I'm well aware, and actually more like 15+ years. This is the downside of the city approving a master plan that was designed at once by the same architect instead of stipulating more variety for subsequent buildings and maybe further consideration before construction.

wow what a hideous facade, looks like a student building from King St north

Admittedly it's the back of the building, not the front.

Good buildings have attractive facades on all elevations, especially when they are this tall and visible from every side. No building in this development has a back, actually.

[tomh009]

Admittedly it's the back of the building, not the front.

Good buildings have attractive facades on all elevations, especially when they are this tall and visible from every side. No building in this development has a back, actually.

Ideally, yes. But plenty of examples in Waterloo of rear facades that look worse than the front. Barrel Yards is by no means unique in this regard. How about this beauty, for example?

   

[westwardloo]

Good buildings have attractive facades on all elevations, especially when they are this tall and visible from every side. No building in this development has a back, actually.

Ideally, yes. But plenty of examples in Waterloo of rear facades that look worse than the front. Barrel Yards is by no means unique in this regard. How about this beauty, for example?

Not sure if that is a great example of a well designed and executed building. I was optimistic when that proposal first came out, but it turned out awful. Tower 2 I like, but tower one seems cheep and old instantly. 

That being said I will reserve judgement for this tower until I see a little more façade work. Not expecting much from this tower.

[ac3r]

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".

[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.

[tomh009]

I don't think there should be a need to ban EIFS, or any other (safe) material. It's a matter of using them appropriately.

[panamaniac]

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.

Successfully challenged, I think, as a matter of Provincial, rather than municipal, jurisdiction (i.e. the Building Code).

[Bjays93]

Re good architects. I thought Walter fedy has done a good job with the mayfair hotel. They dont do a whole lot at once either though.

[mastermind]

Also Re: good architects. I think the area just needs more experience. I've met with various developers, architects, and engineers in the area and they are generally all new / often young. There's a bit of a sense of having to reinvent the wheel on each project. I think as we (the city's entire construction industry) all grow and gain experience, so will the number of quality buildings. It is kind of unfortunate that in order to learn we must build a bunch of 'garbage' for years and years until we see the lifecycles of a few of them and how badly we need to build better...

[tomh009]

Overall, I think the designs are somewhat better on the Kitchener side than in Waterloo.

The fact that there are not many big architecture firms in the region should not really be an issue; GTAA firms, for example, will surely be more than willing to design buildings in our region.

[jwilliamson]

The crane on tower 5 was coming down this morning.

[Spokes]

Any idea what's next here?

[mastermind]

Any idea what's next here?

The one beside it (closer to Erb) I think.  If you go up on the one parking area off Erb you can see construction down in that hole.

[ac3r]

What did they just finish? I haven't been near this project in months, so all I know is that the two Onyx towers, two Cooperage towers and the hotel have been completed.