Complete Belmont Village Condominiums | 33 m | 11 fl

[metropolis]

Based on the early construction pics they excavated the entire site for underground parking. This was promising. Now based on the render they are going to have additional surface parking "lots of parking for guests!" the website says and much of it looks like it is along the sides/front of the structure. The building should be positioned parallel to the street, pressed up against the sidewalk with any absolutely needed parking hidden out back. Even the student apartments along King St. have been able to get that right!

As I said already the whole thing looks really Mickey Mouse, inside and out.

FYI the image at the top of the page is really stretched and I know it is because their website (Mickey Mouse too by the way ) is doing that to the image but is there any way to fix that?

[IEFBR14]

Now based on the render they are going to have additional surface parking "lots of parking for guests!"

Unless the condo corp hires rent-a-cops the outdoor parking will more likely be used by owners who have more than one car but who either didn't have the foresight/money to buy additional underground parking spots or who found that they were all sold out. I suspect that some (many?) buyers pay for additional parking spots in the hope that they can later rent/resell them for a profit.

FYI the image at the top of the page is really stretched and I know it is because their website (Mickey Mouse too by the way ) is doing that to the image but is there any way to fix that?

One way is, especially for PhotoShop illiterates like me, would be to use another graphic from their site, e.g.

[jay]

Just curious, but does Bauer Lofts have individual HVAC in each unit?

Yes each unit has it's own Heat Pump and is individually billed.

[IEFBR14]

Yes each [Bauer Lofts] unit has it's own Heat Pump and is individually billed.

So Belmont Village Condominiums brings [to rip off a phrase] "small town cheap" to Belmont Villages's "small town feel."

[SP!RE]

Ugh. What a blight this architecture-less piece of junk this will be. Sigh.

[Urban_Enthusiast86]

Compared to what I thought it was going to be, I'm actually a little relieved. But only just barely.

For an apartment building being built on spec, I figured it would look something like what's gone up/is going up behind the Cambridge Centre.

But by condominium standards, it's kind of ugly. The worst part of all is the surface parking lot surrounding it. I was hoping something would be built there which would extend the 'village' southwards.

[mpd618]

But by condominium standards, it's kind of ugly. The worst part of all is the surface parking lot surrounding it. I was hoping something would be built there which would extend the 'village' southwards.

The Belmont mixed-use corridor can't come too soon....

[Greg Moore]

The Belmont mixed-use corridor can't come too soon....

I'd like to see Belmont between Union and Glasgow lined like this, up to four stories high if these apartments were visually improved.

http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=belmont...079999999,,0,0

[UrbanWaterloo]

December 20, 2010

[UrbanWaterloo]

January 14, 2011

[Spokes]

Those big windows look good!!

[UrbanWaterloo]

3rd Floor - February 15, 2011

[panamaniac]

I know that this project has its critics, but the floorplans for the condos show some surprisingly spacious units. That together with what looks like big windows and balconies would seem to promise some pretty decent living space, although it might be too car-oriented for some tastes.

[Spokes]

It looks like the wall is already finished on the outside. Are they doing precast walls with this thing?

[KevinL]

Are they doing precast walls with this thing?

That's definitely my guess; no way were those poured in place.

[BigCityBoy]

That's definitely my guess; no way were those poured in place.

Definitely pre-cast panels and floors on exterior walls and most interiors - i've been watching them put them in. Very fast way to erect the walls and allows for factory-controlled construction of the panels. There are also at least two in-situ re-inforced walls being installed in the core. It'll be interesting to see how they cover gaps in the segments and whether further down the road i wonder if rust stains will be a problem with the wall connections?

This development seems a little 1950's style of pre-cast, knock'em up and make'em cheap-style of apartment construction so famous in council estates across Britain at that time. The surrounding properties are not great - Transglobe owns the red towers to the north and there is low rise commerical further south including large parking lots.

[panamaniac]

Are there any other buildings of that size in the Region that used precast panels?

[SP!RE]

Precast = ten times better than stucco, IMO.

[BigCityBoy]

Are there any other buildings of that size in the Region that used precast panels?

Don't know, panamaniac, but i'm sure there are (i know the Westmount Grand is using 2 storey-high interior pre-cast walls for some interior walls).

[benjaminbach]

Here is an interesting article (PDF) on how "How Precast Meets High-Rise Challenges"

http://www.clarkpacific.com/download...s_HighRise.pdf

(Clark Pacific is a firm that specializes in pre-cast building systems, fyi)

“Based on our experience on a wide range of building types, it appears that precast is most appropriate for exterior cladding where there is a desire to conceal interior uses,” Manus says. “When a greater percentage of glass is desired, the economy of precast is diminished. But where there is a desire to create a masonr y-like condition, such as in an historic context, precast is a very logical material.”

“Precast panels are often a good choice because of their ability to control costs and provide the richness of texture and pattern that you expect from a residential building. For us, the challenge is always to turn the panel into something that expresses lightness and delicacy.