CBBarnett
Senior Member
I like it. I think it's the right balance of being big, but not overpowering. Something about the tapered look with round edges, but still simple shapes, seems appealing. It's trying to go for something "timeless" and leans into wood and glass which are safe, competent bets. That high, glass main floor is a big upgrade and will blend the lower floor of the building into the plaza space more visually.
Depending on how Olympic Plaza's design comes together, it could be a really cool space with good framing, something the current design totally sucks at by relying on concrete structures, slopes and steps instead of buildings to frame a major public square. I hope it comes together in the final design - do we know when Olympic Plaza designs are likely to be finalized and released?
My main concern is this seemingly back-of-house area at MacLeod and 7th Ave. It's concerning that they didn't show a rendering from that angle, makes me thing there will be no entrances and yet another truck access point, particularly concerning if they maintain the tiny parks depot.
I get it - trucks need to get places too, MacLeod already "sucks" so why bother - but it's across the street from the LRT station at that corner and in the pedestrian core of the city centre. Buildings need all 4 sides to be considered in this context, not 3. This is hardly an unsolvable problem - museums, cultural facilities and venues across the planet have figured out back-of-house issues like this before, if there's ever a place to figure it out in our context it's here.
I am sure they will do a good job with screens or visual blending to make the back-of-house less trashy, but it really should be the 2nd main entrance (with Olympic Plaza being the main) not a forgotten corner. When someone goes by on the train it should be super obvious this is a major public facility and be really welcomed from that direction to come in.
That said, my concern is just speculation - I won't know if this is a real issue until we get more details. Overall it's a great looking project in many ways.
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