gc commentary june2008

8/14/2019 GC Commentary June2008

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Prepared by Alessandro Alasia

Gallery CourtCommentary

Hallway renovations

Hallway and lobby renovations havea major impact on a condominiumlife. First, on the daily life of theresidents who will have to live with

the new design for many years.Second, on the value of their prop-erties, as the new design will affectthe willingness to invest in GalleryCourt of perspective buyers.

Thus, hallway and lobby renovations atGallery Court are an important projectfor all of us, with a real monetary valueabove and beyond the actual cost of

the project. This real value will poten-tially last for a couple of decades.

Ten members of the House Committeehave worked hard over the past twoyears and have now narrowed downthe choice to few options. Their volun-tary work is admirable, and it shouldbe followed by clear a communicationof the results and an open discussionwith all owners.

Ideally, some refinements should bediscussed at this stage. But ownersmight feel that some substantialchange is needed. That is part of anopen and transparent discussion, whichis necessary to build a solid consensusaround such an important project.

This commentary presents some con-siderations that are intended to con-tribute positively to the discussionamong owners and to the realization ofthis project.

Some preliminary mock-ups seemed tofavor wood paneling. This can be anelegant and stylish choice. There arehowever some observations that couldbe made.

The pictures included in this commen-tary provide some examples of woodpaneling. Although, some of these ex-amples are not the style that is neededfor the Gallery Court, they illustrate

Important noteThis document was prepared for the owners ofGallery Court. The opinions expressed in thiscommentary are solely those of the authors.

Please send comments to:Alessandro Alasia (Unit #311).Email: [email protected]

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Gallery Court Commentary

some points that should be considered.

An important part of wood paneling arethe finishing details. Chrome/aluminumtrims and exposed bolts might substan-tially change the look of a wood panel.For instance, the examples shown heredo not use exposed fasteners. The vis-ual effect in any of these examplescould be substantially different with

exposed fasteners.

Some of the examples also show thatwood paneling may be limited to somespecific parts of the hallway, like thewall surrounding elevator doors, and/orother more trafficked or more visibleareas. This could have some substan-tial advantage (lower cost and/or bet-ter panels in limited areas).

Wood can come in natural and stain

colors. Light colors generally convey amore casual look, while darker shadesare generally associated with a moreclassic style. Clearly, the intensity oflight that will be available in our hall-ways, should be taken into account.

In our lobby and in the elevator wehave finishing that is permanent

(marble tiles, brushed brass, etc). Spe-cific attention should be paid to matchthese permanent elements.

Last but not least, there are importantbudgetary considerations that will helpshaping the renovation project. Theseconsiderations might also limit the useof some material or design solution.

Conclusion

The House Committee has made a re-markable work in moving this renova-tion project forward and narrowing thechoices. It is now up to the owners tomake a final decision.

We all know that there is no single project that will get the support of 100%of the owners. At the same time, a

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broad consultation and an open discus-sion on the options and the final detailsmay certainly ensure that the selectedproposal will be supported by a largemajority of owners, and not merely51% of the votes cast.

Effective discussion and consultationwith owners will also ensure that themain ideas and suggestions that eachwill put forward will be taken into consid-eration and will be properly assessed.

Eventually, it is also on these many ideasand the experience of all residents thatthis Corporation will build the consensusthat is necessary to complete success-fully this renovation project.

Stay tunedNext commentaries will be on:

Budget 2008/ 09

Communication: can w e turn this into

a resource for our Corporation?

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Can we envision the overall design of the renovations?

Source:JMPB Enterprises,available at:www.jmpbenterprises.com


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These pictures are examples ofinterior design with color patternsthat resemble the colors of somefixed finishing at Gallery Court.

The only purpose of these pictures is

to provide a visual example of theeffect of color schemes and materi-als (including wood panels andgreen marble).

Can we envision some color scheme that would m atch thefixed finishing and the exterior design of the building?


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Green marbleWood panel

Example 1

Brushedbrass

Fixed finishing

Example 2

Renovation

Example 3

Other

Can we refine the possible combinations of materials, colorsand patterns?

gc commentary june2008

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