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By RobF (registered) | Posted August 15, 2014 at 12:33:35 in reply to Comment 103969
There was nothing particularly commie about slab blocks ... concrete modernism was a world-wide architectural phenomenon.
Toronto pioneered the flying-form construction method, which made it especially profitable, and makes the super-structure of our 1960s towers very durable (hence ERA Architects and David Miller's Tower Renewal proposal ... another progressive solution that has withered on the vine under RoFo). The flying-form is still employed and is employed in most mid- and high-rise condo construction in the GTHA. It also explains some of the design choices we see.
In the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc it is my understanding they used modular pre-fab construction, which has proven more prone to structural and envelope integrity problems. Yet, I know someone who studied an area on the outskirts of East Berlin and noted that some of the buildings are being retrofitted in a creative manner in part because the modular construction method allows for partial deconstruction and so forth.
In my experience, it's hard to tell much about color and so forth from architectural renderings. To be honest, I'm not sure which I'd prefer for exterior cladding: pre-fab panels of red- or brown-brick. Everything here tends to look kind of drab during the winter months ... except when coated with fresh snow.
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