Recent content by junctionist

It's not something that helps a big bank, Rogers, or a well-organized BIA make money, so it's done slowly and reluctantly.

This area needs a change in cladding materials for future projects to something that compliments but stands out from the sea of grey glass.

The LRT saga in Hamilton is the most bizarre sh*tshow since Rob Ford's handling of Transit City. Just build it. It'll improve your city.

The park actually looks really inviting with all the sunlight.

For sure. I always wished they had saved the twin smokestacks at the Art Deco Symes Road Destructor in the Junction. But alas, they were demolished at some point after the incinerator was decommissioned and repurposed as a waste transfer station.

I know people in Burlington who essentially use the GO train as a subway equivalent at rush hour already. The Lakeshore line trains run approximately every 15 minutes. They take a Burlington city bus to the GO station at one end of the city, hop on a GO train and travel across the city in a few...

What makes it even worse is that one person was offered $10,000 to allow his front yard to be used by construction crews to speed the project up, and he still refused. I’m not saying you can’t negotiate, but come on.

Lamb seems like he doesn't care about end users. He was fine with letting people live above a mechanic's garage at this location in illegal apartments with carbon monoxide issues until the city stepped in. If there's a profit to be made, he'll make it and move on to the next project. At the end...

A hotel here will basically print money if well managed. Here's to hoping they can budget properly and build something great, even if the scope has to be reduced.

It would good if they could finesse the design to preserve sight lines to the church. It's a picturesque heritage building and a local landmark.

It's a small site, but we should get at least 4 above-grade storeys on a main street in a major metropolitan city. Also, I'm generally not a fan of neutral-coloured facades for "background buildings" like this one. Beige and grey can be depressing in the winter when there are no colourful green...

Is there a rule against masonry for these projects? The cladding is almost always some cheap substitute like corrugated metal, EIFS, siding, etc.

I've always been a fan of Montreal's iconic greystones and New York's brownstones. Many of New York's luxury prewar apartment buildings have stone-clad facades. Stone facades convey permanence and luxury and tend to be found in the most exclusive locales. That's not to say that colourful brick...

On the one hand, taking brick over stone seems like choosing a burger over steak. On the other hand, light-coloured stone and precast don't tend to weather well in our climate. Either will get stained and will likely need to be restored in 30-50 years' time.

We're living in a city (and a country) where seemingly every last loonie is going towards paying rent, saving for a home downpayment, or investing in a rental property. That doesn't leave much for spending on culture or even on consumer goods.