When you check in on a project on a monthly basis, you learn that progress during some stages is more subtle than others. Now that the Westwood Condominiums by the Alterra Group is topped off and most of the glazing is on, work has mostly shifted inside. Everything component piece of the puzzle has its own time to be applied though, and this month we have a couple more exterior details to consider.

Step by step, the Alterra Group's Westwood Condominiums comes together, image by Craig White

Close up and personal with the passerby, Westwood is clad in clay brick, a traditional material that we seem to get less and less of in our new buildings. Brick is not the cheapest nor the quickest material to install, but it's one that can imbue a wall with character and warmth, even when the colour is slate gray. 

Bricklaying underway at Westwood Condominiums, image by Craig White

The colour has been a favourite of local architects ever since the Four Seasons Centre of the Performing Arts showed in 2006 that a 'Manganese Ironspot' brick can have a range of tones, that may be gray but isn't simply gray, and with its light-reflecting sheen will reward the viewer with a subtle sparkle as they walk past.

Bricks go up at the Alterra Group's Westwood Condominiums, image by Craig White

Below, the bricks turn the corner from the side of the building to the front, while insulation rises behind, nestled between the clips which tie it into the main structural component here, the cinder block wall.

Bricks turn the corner at Westwood Condominiums, image by Craig White

When we back out, we get a look at Westwood's main façade, the one which faces onto Fieldway Road. Here, Richmond Architects has provided a feature wall that will eventually be the building's signature, and it's going to be another warm stoke. 

Westwood Condos from Fieldway Road: grand gesture still to come, image by Craig White

Extending out past the building's long balconies and their glass walls will be a stone rampart, clad with pieces of irregular length and width, to be floodlit by night, a textural piece to contrast with the machined quality of the building's bulk. It should look quite nice! For the time being though, we have to wait: the feature is only concrete and insulation so far. Will our November return give us our first look at the stone? We will know in a few weeks!

Westwood Condos from Fieldway Road: grand gesture in preparation, image by Craig White

Want to know more about Westwood Condominiums? Renderings of how it will look when completed can be found in out dataBase file, linked below. Want to talk about the building? Choose one of the associated Forum thread links, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.

Related Companies:  Alterra Group of Companies, Milborne Group