I was so excited when I saw this going up (and it went up very quickly), but I’m now ambivalent – it’s a nice bit of infill, but surely the city could have required retail at grade? Pine is really not a healthy street, no street life to speak of, a few shops barely surviving, no trees, wide lanes, etc. To give it some life, the city should narrow the street and expand the sidewalks (without necessarily reducting the number of lanes), bring in some nice street furniture, trees and so forth, and get gift the zoning changes to encourage street retail. with luck and a decade or so, this ill-used arterial could become something awesome.
by the way, i think this is by the same folks who did the similar apartment building on the southeast corner of rachel and mentana. that one again should have installed retail at the street level. and incidentally, the revitalization of that part of rachel (which i think owes a lot to the banquise, oddest of all) is really neat, and demonstrates that organic, non-gentrifying renewal can have great results.
I’m not sure I’m seeing the same photo…
That awful brick cube stands out like as sore thumb.
Biked by it the other day and noticed it for the first time. It’s a confusing building: wasn’t sure at first that it was residential condos. I have fond memories of partying in the old triplex that stood there, before it burnt down. But that was a whole other world, wasn’t it.
This condo design goes completely counter to the architecture of the neighbourhood, where front gardens and staircases help create a street life that is people friendly. These new condos, and there are so many like them, are all interior-focussed. It’s all about self-referential design, display furniture, and underground parking. Part of me wonders what is drawing people with that kind of mind-set to the Plateau anyways. Wouldn’t they be happier in Brossard or Baie d’Urfe?
“Part of me wonders what is drawing people with that kind of mind-set to the Plateau anyways. Wouldn’t they be happier in Brossard or Baie d’Urfe?”
That is where they are coming from. As housing becomes unaffordable for the suburban set, they turn their beady little eyes to the urban landscape, with the plan to make it more suburban friendly.
“people friendly”…pfft that’s hippie stuff.
WIth Griffintown coming, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
It’s not a very attractive building, and I would sure hate to have to live in the lower corner units where the windows are right on the sidewalk. Noisy, and zero privacy.
As for retail, I don’t think the city should be in the business of demanding street level retail on every building that’s constructed. This is a pretty small unit already, and Pine isn’t really a pedestrian/retail street. It’s a thoroughfare. One block north and one block south are two of the most interesting pedestrian oriented streets in the city, and a couple of short blocks east is St. Denis, so it’s not like that area is crying out for retail space.
But that design is not good. Too many units for the size of the space it’s occupying.
I like it. Leila, protogenes, these (eclectic?) mixtures are what makes Montreal unique, enjoy them! Besides, making something that matches the old architecture of the area would be really expensive right now. Most new developments are that simple because that is what was found to be efficient and inexpensive.
On the other hand, I agree with david in his comment.
Ick – stacked bedrooms, right on a noisy street. Didn’t the building that used to be there face onto one of the side streets, and what was on Pine was mostly wall, with upper-story windows/balcony?
I just can’t handle much of what passes for “contemporary architecture”. I don’t see what the architects (is a license-holing architect actually responsible for this building?) are trying to get at or trying to “say”. Can anyone explain?
I know that the driving ambition seems to be to create as many separate addresses at the smallest square foot area possible to house the worker bees who don’t entertain at home. Apart from that?
I dislike the disharmony / disequilibrium of the irregular windows, as well as the windows’ dimensions. And where the heck did they get those puce-coloured bricks? There must have been a sale on those suckers – they put them all over an even uglier new building at the corner of St-Denis and Jean-Talon. They look great with the red brick and the blue sky, but they look like vomit against a cold grey November sky.
Hmmm, after reading the comments… I still like the way it looks :), I don’t think the architects are trying to “say” anything, it’s just a building, those where people live in. As for the functional design, I agree, zero privacy on bottom floor, but the only way to fix that is retail space, isn’t it?
My only complaint is that it looks exactly like every other small condo building on the island built since, I dunno, let’s say turn of the millennium. The juxtaposition of red brick + opaque glass + brushed steel + random “earthy texture” material has been done ad nauseum.
I think it looks ok. Surely this sort of eclecticism adds to the diversity of montreal. It gets points for density but I agree — it could have used retail at grade.
“Pine isn’t really a pedestrian/retail street. It’s a thoroughfare.”
Well, who says it can’t become one? Who says we can’t claim new neighborhoods for the flag of “New Urbanism-and-friends” ?
If the suburbanites really are invading, we’ve got to speak up louder for values like “not adding parking to every building” and “mixed usage”.
Je n’aurais jamais cru recevoir autant de commentaires sur cette photo. Voici un montage avant après du site :
.
Personnellement, je trouve le style de cet immeuble intéressant. Par contre, il aurait été préférable que le batiment ait été implanté avec une marge de recul latérale semblable aux autres bâtiments de la rue transversale. De cette façon, des balcons auraient pu être ajoutés et l’effet d’intégration aurait sans doute été mieux réussit.
Merci Guillaume. Quelque part, dans un boite perdu, j’ai un photo du triplex qui était la avant.
Ce que je trouve “intéressent” de cet immeuble c’est comment il n’y a eu aucun effort à intégrer la vie des habitants à la vie du quartier. Vivre sur le Plateau, c’est vivre sur les balcons, sur les trottoires, etc. Mais ici, que vont faire ces gens à part descendre dans leur parking et partir? It’s alienating. En plus, l’immeuble bloque la rue d’à coté.
On ne parle pas juste de l’architecture, mais aussi comment on vivra la-dedans. Il y a une différence entre élargir la communauté et d’agrandir la population.
If you look carefully, the building is divided into 4 separate houses all attached together. A single tenant owns all 3 floors plus mezzanine. I can almost imagine the views you might get laying down on your roof.
On the other hand, they were almost instantly sold out! meaning that a great market study demanded such a project in this neighborhood. Subsequantly, i do agree that the alignment on the corner street could have been treated differently and integrate itself on either street sides.
All in all, i do not dislike the project and could be a start of thoughts for following interventions, intergrating mix-use retail on ground level.
Just to politely take issue with the claim that it went up quickly; while the construction, once under way, may have been speedy for all I know, the project must have been years overdue. It was already a standing joke amongst some of my friends as early as sophomore year McGill (2004 yikes) as one of the most obvious examples of that Montreal creature the announced but never delivered construction project. The original designs as displayed on its increasingly weathered sign-board used more of the slate grey colour which I think could have made it a less obtrusive project if it had been realised in the final version.
There is another new condo development some blocks down only on the south side and I have a hard time imagining from its shape what the final product will offer. But with Ginger and plenty of old apartments burning down all the time Des Pins is a natural place for this mini condo-boom.
16 comments
I was so excited when I saw this going up (and it went up very quickly), but I’m now ambivalent – it’s a nice bit of infill, but surely the city could have required retail at grade? Pine is really not a healthy street, no street life to speak of, a few shops barely surviving, no trees, wide lanes, etc. To give it some life, the city should narrow the street and expand the sidewalks (without necessarily reducting the number of lanes), bring in some nice street furniture, trees and so forth, and get gift the zoning changes to encourage street retail. with luck and a decade or so, this ill-used arterial could become something awesome.
by the way, i think this is by the same folks who did the similar apartment building on the southeast corner of rachel and mentana. that one again should have installed retail at the street level. and incidentally, the revitalization of that part of rachel (which i think owes a lot to the banquise, oddest of all) is really neat, and demonstrates that organic, non-gentrifying renewal can have great results.
I’m not sure I’m seeing the same photo…
That awful brick cube stands out like as sore thumb.
Biked by it the other day and noticed it for the first time. It’s a confusing building: wasn’t sure at first that it was residential condos. I have fond memories of partying in the old triplex that stood there, before it burnt down. But that was a whole other world, wasn’t it.
This condo design goes completely counter to the architecture of the neighbourhood, where front gardens and staircases help create a street life that is people friendly. These new condos, and there are so many like them, are all interior-focussed. It’s all about self-referential design, display furniture, and underground parking. Part of me wonders what is drawing people with that kind of mind-set to the Plateau anyways. Wouldn’t they be happier in Brossard or Baie d’Urfe?
“Part of me wonders what is drawing people with that kind of mind-set to the Plateau anyways. Wouldn’t they be happier in Brossard or Baie d’Urfe?”
That is where they are coming from. As housing becomes unaffordable for the suburban set, they turn their beady little eyes to the urban landscape, with the plan to make it more suburban friendly.
“people friendly”…pfft that’s hippie stuff.
WIth Griffintown coming, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
It’s not a very attractive building, and I would sure hate to have to live in the lower corner units where the windows are right on the sidewalk. Noisy, and zero privacy.
As for retail, I don’t think the city should be in the business of demanding street level retail on every building that’s constructed. This is a pretty small unit already, and Pine isn’t really a pedestrian/retail street. It’s a thoroughfare. One block north and one block south are two of the most interesting pedestrian oriented streets in the city, and a couple of short blocks east is St. Denis, so it’s not like that area is crying out for retail space.
But that design is not good. Too many units for the size of the space it’s occupying.
I like it. Leila, protogenes, these (eclectic?) mixtures are what makes Montreal unique, enjoy them! Besides, making something that matches the old architecture of the area would be really expensive right now. Most new developments are that simple because that is what was found to be efficient and inexpensive.
On the other hand, I agree with david in his comment.
Ick – stacked bedrooms, right on a noisy street. Didn’t the building that used to be there face onto one of the side streets, and what was on Pine was mostly wall, with upper-story windows/balcony?
I just can’t handle much of what passes for “contemporary architecture”. I don’t see what the architects (is a license-holing architect actually responsible for this building?) are trying to get at or trying to “say”. Can anyone explain?
I know that the driving ambition seems to be to create as many separate addresses at the smallest square foot area possible to house the worker bees who don’t entertain at home. Apart from that?
I dislike the disharmony / disequilibrium of the irregular windows, as well as the windows’ dimensions. And where the heck did they get those puce-coloured bricks? There must have been a sale on those suckers – they put them all over an even uglier new building at the corner of St-Denis and Jean-Talon. They look great with the red brick and the blue sky, but they look like vomit against a cold grey November sky.
Hmmm, after reading the comments… I still like the way it looks :), I don’t think the architects are trying to “say” anything, it’s just a building, those where people live in. As for the functional design, I agree, zero privacy on bottom floor, but the only way to fix that is retail space, isn’t it?
My only complaint is that it looks exactly like every other small condo building on the island built since, I dunno, let’s say turn of the millennium. The juxtaposition of red brick + opaque glass + brushed steel + random “earthy texture” material has been done ad nauseum.
I think it looks ok. Surely this sort of eclecticism adds to the diversity of montreal. It gets points for density but I agree — it could have used retail at grade.
“Pine isn’t really a pedestrian/retail street. It’s a thoroughfare.”
Well, who says it can’t become one? Who says we can’t claim new neighborhoods for the flag of “New Urbanism-and-friends” ?
If the suburbanites really are invading, we’ve got to speak up louder for values like “not adding parking to every building” and “mixed usage”.
Je n’aurais jamais cru recevoir autant de commentaires sur cette photo. Voici un montage avant après du site :
Personnellement, je trouve le style de cet immeuble intéressant. Par contre, il aurait été préférable que le batiment ait été implanté avec une marge de recul latérale semblable aux autres bâtiments de la rue transversale. De cette façon, des balcons auraient pu être ajoutés et l’effet d’intégration aurait sans doute été mieux réussit.
Merci Guillaume. Quelque part, dans un boite perdu, j’ai un photo du triplex qui était la avant.
Ce que je trouve “intéressent” de cet immeuble c’est comment il n’y a eu aucun effort à intégrer la vie des habitants à la vie du quartier. Vivre sur le Plateau, c’est vivre sur les balcons, sur les trottoires, etc. Mais ici, que vont faire ces gens à part descendre dans leur parking et partir? It’s alienating. En plus, l’immeuble bloque la rue d’à coté.
On ne parle pas juste de l’architecture, mais aussi comment on vivra la-dedans. Il y a une différence entre élargir la communauté et d’agrandir la population.
If you look carefully, the building is divided into 4 separate houses all attached together. A single tenant owns all 3 floors plus mezzanine. I can almost imagine the views you might get laying down on your roof.
On the other hand, they were almost instantly sold out! meaning that a great market study demanded such a project in this neighborhood. Subsequantly, i do agree that the alignment on the corner street could have been treated differently and integrate itself on either street sides.
All in all, i do not dislike the project and could be a start of thoughts for following interventions, intergrating mix-use retail on ground level.
Just to politely take issue with the claim that it went up quickly; while the construction, once under way, may have been speedy for all I know, the project must have been years overdue. It was already a standing joke amongst some of my friends as early as sophomore year McGill (2004 yikes) as one of the most obvious examples of that Montreal creature the announced but never delivered construction project. The original designs as displayed on its increasingly weathered sign-board used more of the slate grey colour which I think could have made it a less obtrusive project if it had been realised in the final version.
There is another new condo development some blocks down only on the south side and I have a hard time imagining from its shape what the final product will offer. But with Ginger and plenty of old apartments burning down all the time Des Pins is a natural place for this mini condo-boom.
Super nice fun minimal architecture!!!!!
tip!