Spa's Atlantic Retreat

[spa]

Simdad: Thanks. About the lot size. I don't know if you recall, but the Roy does cross the entire block (easy to forget since there is nothing on Granville Street). All that said, you're probably right, 4 across is likely a tad larger than the real thing. If I were sticking to the real thing strictly, it should probably be only 3 tiles, but 4 just fits better From what I gather, the developer is planning on recycling as much of the brick as possible to try and maintain that old touch. Difficult to say how that'll turn out. It worked beautifully over at Founders Square and the west side of Granville Mall, but it's something that can also easily fail miserably.
3Stooges: Thanks. I appreciate the feedback. The developer is planning on replicating the original. It's not clear exactly what that'll entail. What'll count is what's in the eventual development agreement between the developer and the municipality (any building over the height limit for the area in Halifax can only proceed by negotiated agreement between city staff and the developer that then requires approval by city council at a public hearing).
Art128: Thanks.

So since you guys asked, I'll chatter on a little bit more about the proposed new Roy Building. The developer is Starfish Properties, which is a company not usually in the demolition business. Starfish, in fact, previously bought two run-down heritage buildings on Barrington and restored them (Brander Morris and G.M. Smith Building). Today, they are probably two of the best-preserved commercial heritage buildings in Halifax and the company has a similar restoration underway at the iconic Morses Tea Building on the waterfront. They've done fantastic work and have been a good corporate citizen, which makes the demo of the Roy all the more surprising to me. They say the Roy is beyond saving so they're going to tear it down and rebuild a replica with a tower. Below are some images of the proposal:


You can see the tower on the Barrington street side will be brick with a rebuilt Roy at the base. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a coloured rendering of the Granville side, but you can kind of see from the black and white that instead of brick, the Granville side will have ribbons of interwoven glass. I think the interwoven glass is at least an interesting proposal. At the end of the day, Barrington Street needs more traffic and more intensity. I would be fairly supportive of the plan, but I can't get over that the facade will be demolished. Modern buildings built to look old, generally, end up looking fake and cheap. Better to let modern building's be modern buildings. I wish that Starfish was proposing to retain and restore the Roy's original facade. At the end of the day though, I have to take a bit of a pragmatic view. A demolition permit has already been issued. If the proposal is rejected what then? Is it a Roy replica or a parking lot? If that's the option that's not a choice at all 

Anyway, in Sim City Starfish had really deep pockets since the Roy is doing just fine This evening while watching the Canadian election debate, I finished the Granville side of the Roy Building. Here's what's on the back in real life:

And how mine has turned out:

You'll probably notice two things: mine is shorter and not quite as long. Well the Roy doesn't come into Sim City easily. It's built on a steep hill so it's actually a floor higher on Granville then it is on Barrington, even though the roof is level across the entire building. The second thing is that, on the Granville side, there are way more windows then on my version. Well the Roy is also an incongruous shape. The Granville side is actually slightly longer, which, of course, doesn't agree with the square lot world of Sim City! So I had to make some compromises. Luckily for me, but not Halifax, Granville Street is dead on the back of the Roy so only those who really know Halifax (or who happen to read this mea cupla) will notice Anyway, the roof on the Roy is pretty simple (a penthouse between the two secitons and some small chimneys) so it shouldn't take too much to finish this model. Then I can start texturing!

[threestooges]

Interesting plan. It reminds me of what they attempted to do with Grand Central Station in New York. Interestingly the original plan called for an office tower on top. Later they attempted an addition to it (also an office tower) which was denied due to historical preservation (details go a bit more than that, discussed in property law as the Penn Central case).

Your version of the building is turning out nice. It'll be a hefty one when it's in game, but the real one looks that way too. As far as the adjustments go, I don't think the resulting building will be much the worse for wear. It looks great now, and I'll be waiting to see it when textured. Great work, as always.
-Matt

[art128]

this building is looking good 

[Simpson]

This bat is looking super, great work 

[spa]

Threestooges: Intersting that Penn Central case. One big difference between the American and Canadian context is in Canada private property is not constitutionally protected. This has meant that Canada's three levels of government have typically enjoyed greater latitude in imposing restrictions on property owners. It makes a difference when these types of things get to court... of course in many Canadian provinces there are quasi-judicial boards that are appointed by provincial governments to review municipal decisions (ex. Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board, Ontario Municipal Board). These boards are packed with political appointees and can be quite heavy-handed or fairly docile depending on where you are. Nova Scotia's URB has tended towards a fairly hands off approach whereas the OMB in Ontario has overruled city council decisions frequently and usually in favour of developers. It has gotten to the point that the City of Toronto recently named a street in one contentious development "OMB Folly" (the development was rejected by council, but then approved by the OMB!)
Art: Thanks
Simpson: Thanks

Well I haven't made much progress lately. I attended the Halifax mayoral debate (there are two elections going on at the same time in Halifax) and have been hitting the old squash courts. I have also been playing Rome Total War again. So really not much time for Sim City in the last little while. I did, however, make some more progress on the Roy Building over the weekend. Check it out.

I think it's looking pretty good. I may darken the awnings just a touch but I also kind of like how they stand out (they're a little bolder than what was on the building way back when). I still need to texture the roof obviously, and the windows on one side and the back. After that it'll be night lighting. If I had to guess, I think I'll be done this one this Thanksgiving weekend.

[threestooges]

Glad you enjoyed the case. I found that section of property law rather interesting, regulatory takings and all. It's not that difficult for the government to regulate, or take property (especially after the Kelo v. City of New London case) but they do need to give the whole due process thing. At any rate, it's interesting to hear how things work around there. Also pretty funny to hear about the street name (must be a fun address to say you live at). Progress on the Roy Building looks really good, expecially considering how much else you've been up to. I'll look forward to its release around Thanksgiving. Until then, I'll look forward to the next update. Take it easy.
-Matt

[superhands]

great work on this project spa. the main door and the air con unit could not be any better

[jacqulina]

great looking building there

[art128]

that's look great ! good work on this building 

[girlfromverona]

The Roy Building looks amazing! It's going to fit so well into my city. 

[tag_one]

Wonderful work Samuel! The textures fit the building very well 

[spa]

3Stooges: Ahh but the street name isn't a done deal quite yet. Apparently Toronto's street naming policy includes a clause about not using names that are mean spirited or offensive or something like that and some of the city's councilors are arguing that OMB Folly contravenes that policy. I wouldn't count on the street getting named OMB Folly just yet!
Bighead99: Thanks. I really like how the front door turned out too.
Jacqulina: Thanks
Art128: Thanks
GirlfromVerona: Thanks. I'm hoping it'll fit in across a city block.
Tag: Thanks. I like them for the most part, particularly the front door. I'm still tinkering with the glass texture somewhat though.

Well it has been a long weekend up here in Canada (Canadian Thanksgiving). I was out at the parents place for two days, which almost always means a new bat. This weekend was no exception. I haven't done anything more on the Roy, but I started another of Halifax's downtown landmarks, the Morse's Teas Building. Below is a picture of the real thing:

The Morse's Teas Building is a very significant local landmark. It spans the block between Lower Water and Hollis Streets and is a surviving piece of Halifax's old industrial waterfront. The building faces the Cogswell Interchange and is one of the first things you see when entering downtown from Hollis. Morse's Teas, however, almost didn't survive the post-war era. In the 1960s-1970s an expressway named Harbour Drive was planned for Halifax. Harbour Drive would have run the entire length of the waterfront and would have destroyed the old stone warehouses at historic properties, including the Morse's Teas Building. Morse's Teas was ground zero in the fight to stop the expressway. In the end, pressure from citizens saw the plan shelved and the old warehouses were later redeveloped into one Halifax's most important tourist attractions. This explains why the Cogswell Interchange and its mess of roadways abruptly ends in front of the Morse's Tea Building.

The Morse's Tea Building, until recently, housed part of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, but with NASCAD's recent move to Pier 21, the building is being renovated to provide office space. Anyway, below is my recreation:

Obviously a work in progress. The preview is of the side that faces the interchange. I had to eliminate a row of windows on the Hollis and Lower Water sides so that it'll fit on a corner wall-to-wall lot. The roof is still the big thing that needs to be done. From what I can tell it is actually gently sloped. I'm going to snap a picture of it when I'm at work tomorrow or on Friday (the 7th floor of my building has a good view of it from way down the street). I'll have a better idea of what I'm doing then.

[threestooges]

Please, let me know what the street name ends up being. Law or not, I think it's funny that they at least tried. Looks like Tea building is on its way. The brick texture at the top looks a bit large, but I know it's just a preview pic. I like your floor texture; which skyline is that? Hope all is well, and I'll look forward to watching this develop.
-Matt

[art128]

that's reaaly nice 

[Pat]

sam wow the progress on the Roy was looking real good there and I cant wait to see you finish it off and now with the Morse Tea building that is kinda funnie how the freeway just ends pretty much right on its door step... Thank god that histroy won on this battle!!!

[Fledgeling]

Hey spa, long time no post... well, here anyways. I love your new building, the textures are spot on. Window textures... long ago I said to you that I thought your window textures were your weakest spot. Now its your strongest, in fact... I wish Jasoncw did his windows like you now instead of vice-versa like I once said.

I know its likely too late for this building but the Person Obsessed With Window Details (AKA me) has one suggestion: make these windows narrower. I see all these old buildings with narrow windows, narrow plus that split glass widow style screams 'old'. Really, I think it is the narrowness of the windows in the real life pictures of these buildings that captures part of the visual feel of both this and the roy. So, I love your building but the windows look too square. I think they should be somewhat narrower in my wholly personal and equally insignificant opinion. 

[spa]

Matt: If I see a follow-up story in the paper I'll make sure to post it! I'm going to go back and revisit the brick texture slightly. I don't want it become a blur so I'm not going to resize it, but I'm thinking of making the mortar lines less distinct so that it's a little more subtle.
Art: Thanks
Pat: The Roy is "done" now. Check it out below. I agree, it really is funny how the freeway ends right on Morse's Teas doorstep. Halifax would not be the place it's today if the freeway project had gone ahead in its entirity. Since the freeway was never finished and just transitions into narrow, old city streets, it has ridiculous amounts of surplus capacity. They've done traffic studies that show it could be removed without having any impact. Eventually the city will tear it down, reestablish the old city grid and redevelop the remaining land, but, it's not something that's happening very quickly. My bet is it'll happen when the cost of maintaining the interchange becomes greater than the cost of tearing it down, so a decade or so from now. It's annoying since it's the one thing that everyone (developers and heritage advocates) agree on.
Fledgeling: Thanks! Windows were a long road for me, mainly because my photoshop skills were non-existent when I started batting. I'm just honoured to be included in company like Jason's. I'm sorry to say though that you're right to a degree about the windows. They did end up a little wider than they should have. You're also right though that they're as is now. It would be too big an undertaking for my liking to go back and adjust them all. With both, since they have small window panes, you might also end up losing detail! I have, however, incorporated narrower windows in another oldy that I started yesterday, but more on that at another time

So just a small update today. I finshed the Roy Building. Here's some pics.

front

back

left

right

Overall I'm pretty happy with it. I did go back and I adjusted the floor textures on the top two levels to give the window glass more contrast and detail. The awnings are now darker and the bottom curves on them have been streatched to be just slightly more visible. The textures on 1st floor cornice have also be adjusted to make it stand out more. Oh and I obviously added a roof texture The nightlighting is also done and is my usual style.

One final shot. I wanted to make sure the Roy Building could fit in mid-block with smaller buildings like the real thing. It seems to have worked:

So that's a wrap on the Roy, barring any last minute suggestions.

[Shiftred]

Spa I really like how you are making some larger w2w.  My cities are filled with your BATS.  Keep up the good work.

[papab2000]

Nice job    Looks great 

[art128]

great work on that BAT my friend