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Some residents say the new Stadacona drill shed on at the Halifax military base on Admiral Way is hard on the eyes.

“I was walking by a few days ago and it felt like a place to put your head down and hustle through as fast as possible,” said Matthew Halliday, who lives nearby and walks by it often.

Congratulations, @RCN_MARLANT, @CFBHalifax, and @NationalDefence for this extraordinary addition to the neighbourhood. Looking forward to many years in the shadow of the grim rectangle. pic.twitter.com/Cx6lzUG31e — Matthew Halliday (@MatthewHalliday) March 9, 2019

“It feels like a generic, by-the-numbers building that could be plunked into an industrial park and doesn’t really belong on Gottingen Street,” he said.

The new building, officially known as the consolidated seamanship training facility, borders the gate on Gottingen Street. Concrete panels line its 13.5 metre-high walls, with only two windows facing the street.

The facility will have two special training areas, a drill hall, offices and classrooms.

Three floors of the building replicate the a ship’s interior, said Todd Osmond, co-ordinator of construction services in Halifax for Department Construction Canada.

“This will be a flagship training facility for the Navy, since it enables them to train on land and with inside conditions,” Osmond said in a recent article on DCC’s website.

Halliday took to Twitter to voice his complaints, where many replied with similar thoughts.

“A bigger middle finger to the neighbourhood is hard to imagine,” tweeted Kyle Miller.

“So, it’s entity hideous, I agree,” wrote Danielle Edsall, “But this building will be used for training and will likely have secret material in it, and there are rules with regards to how it is housed and processed. And the lack of windows in that side is likely because of that.”

Halliday said although he understands the building is most likely designed to fit specific security measures, he hopes the outside can be modified.

“If they’re interested in being good neighbours, maybe soften the impact of it with art ... murals or vegetation,” he suggested.

“There’s houses on the other side, there’s businesses, there’s all kinds of stuff there and this creates a bleak, barren sort of feeling,” said Halliday.

The Department of National Defence couldn’t respond by deadline on whether they would consider adding a mural.

The training facility is to be completed in January 2020.