It May Be Green But It Ain't Pretty

Posted by Andree Iffrig Sep 20, 2009

It's a four storey mixed-use building, an infill development in a community that desperately needs to be revitalized. Viewed from the street, the 54 unit condominium development looks attractive: nice articulation of the façade so that it does not appear too massive, retail at grade level, underground parking.

The development gets it right in other ways too: in-floor, hot water radiant heating, balconies that are actually insulated for a Canadian winter—goodbye thermal fins—and a parking garage that accommodates bicycle storage.

From an urban design perspective, the condo building is a good fit: close to public transportation routes, near recreational areas, and a nice scale for the surrounding low-rise residential area: dense, but not too dense. If a transect were drawn through this neighborhood, this building would be the desired result.

The floor plans are another story. There are 16 different floor plans, many saddled with design features that not even future renovations will be able to rectify: long, dark corridors that are internal to units, dining rooms that are little more than left over space, and dark kitchens, entryways and dining areas.

Another development recently reviewed is a prefabricated, modular, ready-to-move (RTM) housing complex of six condo units. The prefab units were carefully detailed and constructed in an enclosed facility where almost no materials go to waste. Regional materials, triple-pane windows and geothermal heating are just some of the sustainable features of the 1400 square foot units.

Where the project comes to a bracing halt is in the design of the units: labyrinthine, warren-like spaces on the bedroom level and dark interiors for the kitchen and dining spaces. At more than half a million dollars each, these units come up short on basic necessities like ample natural light and good air flow.

We applaud the developers' green efforts but look forward to better examples of condominium design. In the meantime, sustainable design afficiandos can continue to appreciate some of the recent condo architecture in Calgary's Bridgeland community: the Acqua and Vento, by Busby Perkins + Will, and Sturgess Architecture's 21 unit Olive building.