Winnipeg | CentrePoint | Alt/Glasshouse | 20F | 21F | 72.5M | 70M | Completed

[rkspec]

[bomberjet]

To clarify, the hotel and podium are separate. Both ownership wise and design wise. The original tower design had the same cladding as the podium. The tower was then changed to the cheap looking precast stucco panels. Windows are also different. the podium stuck with the original cladding and it look much better.

I don't have the original renders on hand, but they're available somewhere in this thread I would presume. The OP photos are not showing anymore.

[cheswick]

[Cyro]

^ thanks for the pic, from this angle is Glasshouse actually the same height as the Alt or is it the angle the picture was taken from...

[drew]

Originally Posted by Cyro

^ thanks for the pic, from this angle is Glasshouse actually the same height as the Alt or is it the angle the picture was taken from...

When viewed from the Arlington Street Bridge, Glasshouse appears slightly shorter than Alt.

[Cyro]

^ What you figure, it comes in at about 70M compared to the Alt.?

[Jeff]

interesting seeing the roof structure over the old imax!

[bomberjet]

I'm really liking Glasshouse with the balconies added, especially at night (even though it's still dark inside). Gives it that certain modernist style. I like it.

[roccerfeller]

very neat shot. i always thought glasshouse was going to be the taller of the two, but I suppose the office space at the bottom of alt is partly why its slightly taller

[Urban recluse]

From that view, they look like one structure.

[BuildUpWpg]

Is it just me or does anyone else think that Glasshouse looks like a shortened version of a Vancouver condo tower? Too bad they didn't design a nice cap for it as from street level across the street it looks like they didn't put a roof on it.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by BuildUpWpg

Is it just me or does anyone else think that Glasshouse looks like a shortened version of a Vancouver condo tower? Too bad they didn't design a nice cap for it as from street level across the street it looks like they didn't put a roof on it.

I'm pretty sure there's supposed to be a rooftop terrace, so it'll be interesting to see if any of those features affect the way it looks at the top.

Side note, looking south on King you get a great (big city) view now with Alt, Hydro, and Glasshouse all in a row. Only thing is right in front of them is the Smith parkade, and it's brutal... That triangle lot needs to get developed now more than ever, it'd hide that hideous thing, from the Exchange anyway. I'd take a 4-6 storey half-decent looking building right now.

[bomberjet]

I.noticed the balcony railings are two thirds installed with the rest waiting to go in on the south side. Looks like black metal with glass inserts. Can hardly notice them.

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by rkspec

I'm sorry but that photo really shows that design was not executed well at all!

[Urban recluse]

Agreed.

[Andy6]

Seems fine to me. It ties together the old and new streetscapes while admitting the truth that old and new aren't completely reconcilable. It's the only interesting aspect of the whole exterior.

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by Andy6

Seems fine to me. It ties together the old and new streetscapes while admitting the truth that old and new aren't completely reconcilable. It's the only interesting aspect of the whole exterior.

It's a cringe-worthy candidate for James Howard Kunstler's Eyesore of the Month.

http://kunstler.com/featured-eyesore-of-the-month/

[esquire]

^ It's hard to argue with rrskylar. Between the cheap to a fault looking hotel tower and the absolutely forced heritage facade appendage, there isn't much to like about that building beyond the modest height that it brings to the north side of Portage and Donald. It looks OK at a glance, an out of the corner of your eye-type thing, but once you really take a close look at it, you can clearly see its shortcomings.

I don't want to come across as hating the entire building because I don't, I like the very modern-style direction they were obviously headed with it. The massing is excellent and it's very well suited to its urban location in that regard. I just think it fell apart somewhere in the execution... the details are somehow lacking a bit.

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ It's hard to argue with rrskylar. Between the cheap to a fault looking hotel tower and the absolutely forced heritage facade appendage, there isn't much to like about that building beyond the modest height that it brings to the north side of Portage and Donald. It looks OK at a glance, an out of the corner of your eye-type thing, but once you really take a close look at it, you can clearly see its shortcomings.

I don't want to come across as hating the entire building because I don't, I like the very modern-style direction they were obviously headed with it. The massing is excellent and it's very well suited to its urban location in that regard. I just think it fell apart somewhere in the execution... the details are somehow lacking a bit.

It's not like old and new don't work, the two Red River College buildings in the exchange were both executed well.

[Brizzy82]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ It's hard to argue with rrskylar. Between the cheap to a fault looking hotel tower and the absolutely forced heritage facade appendage, there isn't much to like about that building beyond the modest height that it brings to the north side of Portage and Donald. It looks OK at a glance, an out of the corner of your eye-type thing, but once you really take a close look at it, you can clearly see its shortcomings.

I don't want to come across as hating the entire building because I don't, I like the very modern-style direction they were obviously headed with it. The massing is excellent and it's very well suited to its urban location in that regard. I just think it fell apart somewhere in the execution... the details are somehow lacking a bit.

I agree.
I'm just a guy who enjoys skylines and I admit I know nothing about architecture and design, but Alt is just fugly to me.