The Giordano | 17.68m | 5s | Brava Developments | Casola Koppe

For the smart folks here: what would be the cost difference between this multi-colour panelling typical approach and mostly brick building this size?

I can assume the installation and labour is cheaper with paneling, but don't know what the longevity trade-offs between panels/bricks and other cost factors. Here's a recent build in Montreal of a bit larger size to get my meaning. Equally boxy, boring and functionalist, but just cleaner with what appears to be better materials.

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For the smart folks here: what would be the cost difference between this multi-colour panelling typical approach and mostly brick building this size?

I can assume the installation and labour is cheaper with paneling, but don't know what the longevity trade-offs between panels/bricks and other cost factors. Here's a recent build in Montreal of a bit larger size to get my meaning. Equally boxy, boring and functionalist, but just cleaner with what appears to be better materials.

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As a material itself, brick is actually quite cheap but the kicker is labour cost as you guessed. In Western Canada, skilled masons are harder to come by and command premium rates. Down east, they have a stronger masonry tradition and lower labour costs, which is why you see much more brick cladding and more things like concrete block walls and foundations. Panel cladding requires much less skill and is faster to install so we see more of it out here.

It's tough to say what the premium is because there is a nonlinear increase in masonry installation cost when corners and fenestration are added to a building envelope due to the additional time required for more intricate brickwork. IE: a featureless brick wall would be comparable in cost to a featureless aluminum panel wall, but as windows are added the scale starts tilting in favour of the panel.

Longevity wise, aluminum panel and brick are in the same ballpark. Cheaper cementitious panels would not last as long. IMO this is more dependent on a proper installation than material choice.
 
Brick is generally cheaper and more accessible in the east, but not a huge difference in pricing from what I've heard. Although popular with houses/duplexes/townhomes and low rises, these days it's common to see on the front of the building done with brick with the other three sides using siding or paneling or stucco.
Cost plays some part, but TBH, I think it's a cultural thing that is tied to European backgrounds (especially Mediterranean) where masonry is the preferred choice. Everyone I know back east who has parents or grandparents of European heritage always insist on brick or some kind of masonry. Out here you don't have that heavy European/Mediterranean influence, but look at a lot of the houses in Renfrew/Bridgeland that are owned by Italians or Portuguese. Always brick.
 
"I am shocked and appalled that, after building a house that towers over my neighbours and allows me to look into their back yards, someone would dare build something even taller that lets other people look into my yard!! I'm also not crazy about all of these people "loitering" around my house, just because I happened to build it next to an LRT station!"

Well, this guy showed up with 14 of his friends and they won the appeal against the development to the west of The Giordano. He did mention that his original plan was to build his weird shipping-containers-randomly-stacked house 200 sqft bigger and was miffed that the City made him shrink it.
 
I wonder what the cost difference would be between this material, and the material used on Annex? https://calgary.skyrisecities.com/f...yhoff-architecture.26144/page-13#post-1598764
Good question. I'm guessing the corrugated aluminum is more than the composite and vinyl panels used at Giordano, but how much more? It might have been worth it to go a little higher with the materials.

I'm not a big fan of the hardy board vinyl trend that's happening with sdo many of these project these days, bit in the end if it's significantly cheaper to the point that it would allow for cheaper rents, then I'm good with it. Cheap housing stock in inner\central neighborhoods is always good..
 
The corrugated aluminum would be quite a bit more expensive. Feasible, as is the case with annex, but would be more expensive.
 

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