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We all know that buildings don't always turn out like the renderings. Last-minute changes and real-life materials can all cause discrepancies between the vision and reality of a project. In our weekly Flash Forward Friday feature, we take a look at how different projects stack up.
Construction has wrapped at the site of Westrich Pacific's Ultima in downtown Edmonton, and the finished product today is (almost) a spitting image of the original renderings save for a few small differences. By comparing the renderings with the most recent images, those with a careful eye can pick out the small changes that have occurred over time.
Careful observers will likely note the difference in opaque spandrel panelling between the rendering above and the finished product below. The original renderings depicted a series of vertical white stripes rising along the central curtain wall on all sides of the tower. In reality, a window wall system was used, adding a horizontal white component to this section of the building.
Moving around to the front of the tower, the same differences in spandrel patterning can be seen once again. Additionally, the window placement on the red-brick podium level has also changed too. In the rendering, two windows are depicted wrapping around the corners, but these have been replaced with two smaller panes placed on either side.
In comparison to the final image below, the above view of the front of the tower reveals some differences in appearance at the podium level. The change in window placement is the most obvious, along with the front entrance itself, which today appears to have been placed a little left-of-centre when compared to the original plan.
Despite these minor design variances, the final product appears very much in keeping with the original design, Ultima today a fine addition to the local streetscape, the brick-fronted podium serving to help integrate the development into its urban surroundings.
We will return next Friday with another comparison!
