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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 Flash Forward Friday feature, we take a look at how different projects stack up.
As the first completed skyscraper within the game-changing ICE District, the Edmonton Tower sets the benchmark that all remaining buildings within the new neighbourhood will have to live up to. Curiously enough, it also appears to be the only project in the masterplanned development that has generally maintained a certain level of consistency throughout its design evolution. Some notable changes have occurred as the project made its way from the drawing board to the skies, but for the most part, the building is a faithful reproduction of renderings dating back to when the new downtown was known as the 'Edmonton Arena District.'
An early depiction of the project showed the Edmonton Tower opposite a taller, albeit similar in appearance, building at the site of the Baccarat Casino. An alternate angle showed the articulation of the northern elevation, split between a gently curved portion and a flat wall. The interaction between the bent and linear surfaces results in a visible rift.
The other ICE District towers in the rendering — JW Marriott and The Legends Private Residences and the Tower B site — are substantially different from their current versions. The updated rendering below shows some visible changes to the podium and height of the Edmonton Tower, which had been reduced.
The large podium projection didn't make the cut and the dominance of glass along the street was dialed back somewhat by adding a whimsical perforated metal screen. Though the glass curtain wall does extend beyond the floor plates and the roof, it's not quite as pronounced as the earlier rendering suggested.
Despite the drop in height, the 27-storey tower designed by Stantec fits snugly within a new community that significantly expands the profile of the downtown core. Containing all the bells and whistles of a modern office tower, the development is home to the Edmonton Service Centre, and provides view-oriented office space for City of Edmonton employees. If the project is any indication of what's to come, the ICE District is going to be a showstopper.
We will return next Friday with another comparison!
