Toronto CAMH Discovery Centre | 41.6m | 7s | CAMH | KPMB

[bilked]

 

[daniel_kryz]

Uh oh...

I just discovered this rendering from Norm Li's website. Some pretty significant changes in the façade, the roof, and landscaping. I hope I'm wrong.
https://www.normli.ca/projects/camh/

 

[ushahid]

its very similar to the previous one except the mechanical.

 

[DavidCapizzano]

hard to tell but it looks like they've just changed the style of the operable windows. Maybe they're going double skin here?

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

its very similar to the previous one except the mechanical.

Even then this rendering suggest it was more fleshed-out with a cladding that has more texture (instead of some unknown amphorous material).

AoD

 

[UtakataNoAnnex]

...nor does it appear they took a nerf bat to the previous design.

 

[daniel_kryz]

It just doesn't look as "utopian" and clean as the older design.
Didn't this project go to the DRP?

 

[interchange42]

It just doesn't look as "utopian" and clean as the older design.
Didn't this project go to the DRP?

The DRP does not finalize cladding materials, they have no final say on anything in fact, and are basically design consultants that consider how the developments are designed mostly from a user POV and integration with its context… not so much on the specifics of how it will be clad.

42

 

[UtakataNoAnnex]

The DRP does not finalize cladding materials, they have no final say on anything in fact, and are basically design consultants that consider how the developments are designed mostly from a user POV and integration with its context… not so much on the specifics of how it will be clad.

42

So is that how they can sneak in those soulless back-painted spandrel window walls when they want to?

 

[daniel_kryz]

The DRP does not finalize cladding materials, they have no final say on anything in fact, and are basically design consultants that consider how the developments are designed mostly from a user POV and integration with its context… not so much on the specifics of how it will be clad.

42

Of course they don't have a final say. I'm just wondering if this project was at the DRP and if their comments influenced this new rendering.

 

[interchange42]

Of course they don't have a final say. I'm just wondering if this project was at the DRP and if their comments influenced this new rendering.

…and I'm saying that the DRP doesn't make such quixotic comments so that windows would be re-specced nor that a new louvre pattern would be employed on the roof. Those would come from the project's design evolution, deciding on which windows best fit the budget/achieve their design objectives, which cooling equipment to install in the mechanical penthouse and how best to ventilate it… Such things are not typically worked out at the beginning of design process, but at the end.

42

 

[daniel_kryz]

…and I'm saying that the DRP doesn't make such quixotic comments so that windows would be re-specced nor that a new louvre pattern would be employed on the roof. Those would come from the project's design evolution, deciding on which windows best fit the budget/achieve their design objectives, which cooling equipment to install in the mechanical penthouse and how best to ventilate it… Such things are not typically worked out at the beginning of design process, but at the end.

42

Makes sense. I don't expect you to answer this (how would you know the answer), but I just don't understand why the changes were made. The materials are still of a high quality so it clearly wasn't value-engineered, but it just looks less sleek. I would love to hear a rationale. On the other hand, this might be an older rendering! Who knows!

 

[ProjectEnd]

I mean, you could contact KPMB or CAMH...

 

[smably]

TBH these feel like a pretty typical refinements as an early design approaches a buildable state. I don't have any insight into the rationale, but it would be surprising if we didn't see any changes like this as KPMB iterates on the design. (For what it's worth, I think the changes are fine and the new iteration looks very nice.)

 

[ADRM]

TBH these feel like a pretty typical refinements as an early design approaches a buildable state. I don't have any insight into the rationale, but it would be surprising if we didn't see any changes like this as KPMB iterates on the design. (For what it's worth, I think the changes are fine and the new iteration looks very nice.)

Exactly. When most initial renderings are produced, the projects aren't at the stage where specific materials -- as in, the actual product number from an actual extant supplier -- have been selected, so there's always going to be something of a delta between render and reality that has little to do with value engineering.

Typically, a renderer will get from the architect/developer some photographs of the site, and a preliminary set of drawings/plans that somewhat resembles those that you'd find in a typical rezoning package (site plan, elevations, context plan, maybe a SketchUp model, and possibly some low-fi renderings from the architect itself) and then the renderer interprets that set into a series of drafts that they then iterate through discussions with the client(s). You can of course render literally anything, without consideration of elements like structural engineering, utilities and servicing, cladding product availability, etc., but the general idea is to put the best foot forward in terms of the overall intent of the design.

That's why you never really want to read too much into renderings.