infill, Primrose

Cliff becomes hole

Westsideaction

The view from Primrose of the lot beside the staircase up to Upper Lorne Place and the upper section of Primrose. The former cliff becomes a squared-off hole, ready for footings. Neighbours tell me there will be a 3 storey house, with entrance and parking garage off Upper Lorne and the house having secondary entrances off the staircase. That is similar to what was there a number of years ago, when the existing red house at the foot of the stairs had its main entrance on its second floor off a landing on the stairs. Continue reading Cliff becomes hole

downtown4 Comments

Dubious new building

Westsideaction

Double click on the picture to enlarge, and look for the horizontal “cracks” on the panels above the right-most garage door. This view is from Laurier Avenue of the back of the new Export Canada building that faces Slater and O’Connor. These concrete panels are in various shades of dark gray. I don’t know if they are supposed to show this much colour variation, or if they will age to a similar colour. But right now they are … of dubious delight. And a bunch of the panels show horizontal “cracks” and scratches that are visible now and will probably be … Continue reading Dubious new building

downtown

Dubious new building

Westsideaction

Double click on the picture to enlarge, and look for the horizontal “cracks” on the panels above the right-most garage door. This view is from Laurier Avenue of the back of the new Export Canada building that faces Slater and O’Connor. These concrete panels are in various shades of dark gray. I don’t know if they are supposed to show this much colour variation, or if they will age to a similar colour. But right now they are … of dubious delight. And a bunch of the panels show horizontal “cracks” and scratches that are visible now and will probably be … Continue reading Dubious new building

City Living, downtown

Maclaren Tower – bye bye red brick

Westsideaction

The two photos above are of the senior’s residence on Maclaren street. The photos were taken from the small part of the apartment lot that opens onto Somerset, beside Hartman’s grocery store. New balcony railings were installed earlier. Now framing is being attached to the red brick tower to put a new skin on the building (and hopefully upgrade the insulation at the same time). Soon, the only brick visible will be on the inset balconies, and the traditional red brick residential look will become some sort of panel exterior. This makes an interesting project for sidewalk superintendents. Continue reading Maclaren Tower – bye bye red brick

City Living, downtown

Maclaren Tower – bye bye red brick

Westsideaction

The two photos above are of the senior’s residence on Maclaren street. The photos were taken from the small part of the apartment lot that opens onto Somerset, beside Hartman’s grocery store. New balcony railings were installed earlier. Now framing is being attached to the red brick tower to put a new skin on the building (and hopefully upgrade the insulation at the same time). Soon, the only brick visible will be on the inset balconies, and the traditional red brick residential look will become some sort of panel exterior. This makes an interesting project for sidewalk superintendents. Continue reading Maclaren Tower – bye bye red brick

Claridge, condos, DOTT, downtown, LRT1 Comment

Condo Development linked to LRT ? Will Claridge “play ball”?

Westsideaction

The lot shown in the pictures below is bounded by Queen street on the right (north); Lyon in the foreground (east side); and Albert Street to the left (south). Claridge, a prominent Ottawa condo developer, owns it.  Your photog is standing at the foot of the downramp from the Crowne Plaza hotel: This view is from the corner of Albert and Lyon, at the foot of the ramp up to the Crowne Plaza’s awful driveway ramp entrance. The red brick building at the far side of the lot is 151 Bay, a fourteen storey condo built by Teron in the … Continue reading Condo Development linked to LRT ? Will Claridge “play ball”?

Claridge, condos, DOTT, downtown, LRT

Condo Development linked to LRT ? Will Claridge “play ball”?

Westsideaction

The lot shown in the pictures below is bounded by Queen street on the right (north); Lyon in the foreground (east side); and Albert Street to the left (south). Claridge, a prominent Ottawa condo developer, owns it.  Your photog is standing at the foot of the downramp from the Crowne Plaza hotel: This view is from the corner of Albert and Lyon, at the foot of the ramp up to the Crowne Plaza’s awful driveway ramp entrance. The red brick building at the far side of the lot is 151 Bay, a fourteen storey condo built by Teron in the … Continue reading Condo Development linked to LRT ? Will Claridge “play ball”?

Boston, streetscaping1 Comment

Rememberance of people & things past …

Westsideaction

In Cambridge MA this neighbourhood commemorates people with signs. Virtually every corner was named after someone. A veteran. A resident. Nothing special was done the corner to designate it a “square” as far as I could see, it was still the small inner city intersection of two residential streets. But it certainly gave an amazing sense of history, of continuity, of neighbourhood, of topophilia, to the area. There were individuals here before you, who made a difference. Who were they? If I was doing this in my west side neighborhood, I think signs honouring residents would be the start, but … Continue reading Rememberance of people & things past …

Boston, streetscaping

Rememberance of people & things past …

Westsideaction

In Cambridge MA this neighbourhood commemorates people with signs. Virtually every corner was named after someone. A veteran. A resident. Nothing special was done the corner to designate it a “square” as far as I could see, it was still the small inner city intersection of two residential streets. But it certainly gave an amazing sense of history, of continuity, of neighbourhood, of topophilia, to the area. There were individuals here before you, who made a difference. Who were they? If I was doing this in my west side neighborhood, I think signs honouring residents would be the start, but … Continue reading Rememberance of people & things past …

streetscaping3 Comments

Beneath our feet

Westsideaction

This inlaid paver pattern on Kent Street in front of the Hudson condo towers shows how a simple design can be effective for pedestrians and viewers from upper floors of the condos. Most refreshingly, it broke out of the normal square patterns usually used, where some different coloured or textured blocks are substituted for others to make a pattern that keeps the overall rectilinear rigidity inherent in the blocks. In this pattern, the base blocks were laid over the whole area and then a saw cut was made in curvilinear pattern for the constrasting dark blocks to be inserted. Iregular shaped … Continue reading Beneath our feet

streetscaping

Beneath our feet

Westsideaction

This inlaid paver pattern on Kent Street in front of the Hudson condo towers shows how a simple design can be effective for pedestrians and viewers from upper floors of the condos. Most refreshingly, it broke out of the normal square patterns usually used, where some different coloured or textured blocks are substituted for others to make a pattern that keeps the overall rectilinear rigidity inherent in the blocks. In this pattern, the base blocks were laid over the whole area and then a saw cut was made in curvilinear pattern for the constrasting dark blocks to be inserted. Iregular shaped … Continue reading Beneath our feet

downtown3 Comments

a leaf falls …

Westsideaction

Property owners take a variety of measures to discourage skateboarders from using walls as boarding surfaces. Usually, there are little clamps on the leading edge of the wall preventing a smooth run along the wall. A typical plain clamp is shown below. The other pictures are of a much more decorative and friendly-looking maple leaf that landed on the edge of the wall. Seen at World Exchange Plaza in downtown Ottawa. Continue reading a leaf falls …

downtown

a leaf falls …

Westsideaction

Property owners take a variety of measures to discourage skateboarders from using walls as boarding surfaces. Usually, there are little clamps on the leading edge of the wall preventing a smooth run along the wall. A typical plain clamp is shown below. The other pictures are of a much more decorative and friendly-looking maple leaf that landed on the edge of the wall. Seen at World Exchange Plaza in downtown Ottawa. Continue reading a leaf falls …

cycling in Ottawa, streetscaping2 Comments

Street closures unfriendly to cyclists

Westsideaction

This is a typical street closure in Ottawa. Closed to cars … open to pedestrians … and closed to cyclists?  Cyclists approaching this particular barrier on Spruce Street can choose to ride on the sidewalk (naughty naughty) or squeeze through the centre bollard or side spaces (provided no one is parked close). Why not remove the centre bollards and let cyclists carry on through? Yes, I know some motorbikes would go through too (they already do, on the sidewalk, I watch them daily do this on the Elm closure on the next block). Continue reading Street closures unfriendly to cyclists

Bayview-Carling CDP, cycling in Ottawa, cyclopiste de preston, LRT, NCC, O-Train5 Comments

Bushwacking for cyclists

Westsideaction

Last week a group of concerned citizens participated with the City and its consultants on the routing exercise for the O-Train corridor cycling path (cyclopiste de Preston). Participants represented the NCC, Dalhousie and Hintonburg Community Associations, CfSC and Cycle Vision Ottawa members, a landscape architect, engineer, planner, and others. The cycling arterial will connect the Ottawa River cycling paths to the Otrain at Bayview, run along the tracks behind the City Centre complex, under Somerset via a new underpass, behind the PWGSC complex at 1010 Somerset, and come out at ground level again at Gladstone. Then a short overground stretch … Continue reading Bushwacking for cyclists

cycling in Ottawa, streetscaping

Street closures unfriendly to cyclists

Westsideaction

This is a typical street closure in Ottawa. Closed to cars … open to pedestrians … and closed to cyclists?  Cyclists approaching this particular barrier on Spruce Street can choose to ride on the sidewalk (naughty naughty) or squeeze through the centre bollard or side spaces (provided no one is parked close). Why not remove the centre bollards and let cyclists carry on through? Yes, I know some motorbikes would go through too (they already do, on the sidewalk, I watch them daily do this on the Elm closure on the next block). Continue reading Street closures unfriendly to cyclists

Bayview-Carling CDP, cycling in Ottawa, cyclopiste de preston, LRT, NCC, O-Train

Bushwacking for cyclists

Westsideaction

Last week a group of concerned citizens participated with the City and its consultants on the routing exercise for the O-Train corridor cycling path (cyclopiste de Preston). Participants represented the NCC, Dalhousie and Hintonburg Community Associations, CfSC and Cycle Vision Ottawa members, a landscape architect, engineer, planner, and others. The cycling arterial will connect the Ottawa River cycling paths to the Otrain at Bayview, run along the tracks behind the City Centre complex, under Somerset via a new underpass, behind the PWGSC complex at 1010 Somerset, and come out at ground level again at Gladstone. Then a short overground stretch … Continue reading Bushwacking for cyclists