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We all know that buildings don't always turn out like the renderings. Last-minute changes and real-life materials can all cause discrepancies between the vision and reality of a project. In our Flash Forward Friday feature, we take a look at how different projects stack up.
As more and more highrise condominiums implement floor-to-ceiling glass and expansive balconies as part of their designs, it can sometimes be a little difficult to tell individual buildings apart, at least when looking at the skyline as a whole. But with height on its side, there's really no mistaking Hon Developments' The Guardian for anything else. The twin-tower development on 3rd Street between 11th and 12th Avenues SE boasts the usual hallmarks of modern condominium architecture, but as the tallest residential towers in the city, they make a profound impact on the neighbourhood's image.
When the project was being marketed, renderings portrayed the slim point towers partnered atop a shared podium housing retail, live/work units, resident parking, and shared amenities. Rising to a height of 44 storeys, the IBI Group-designed, 620-unit development would employ a surfeit of balconies and extended floor plates, helping provide solar shading while adding a uniform rhythm to the exterior. The base would employ brown brick, recalling the warehouse architecture of the neighbourhood, with a massing reminiscent of contemporary townhouses.
Construction was finishing up in 2016, with crews mostly focused on the upper levels and the interiors. The multi-storey penthouses, featuring all-glass walls offering some of the best views in the city, bring the buildings to their vertical conclusion. The only immediate superficial departure from the renderings concerned the podium, which implemented a more diverse grayscale gradient than the white and grey combination that was artistically suggested. The massing and balcony allocation remained consistent with the renderings, while the height unsurprisingly dominates the project's surroundings.
We will return next Friday with another comparison!
| Related Companies: | Arcadis |
