Rogers Arena Complex | 104m, 100m, 97m | U/C & Proposed

[mr.x]

If anybody has more info on this proposal, like city reports and the height, that would be great!



http://www.lestwarog.com/admin/uploads/article/moreimages/2762.jpg

http://www.westerninvestor.com/articles/images/bcbriefs.jpg

http://www.journalofcommerce.com/images/archivesid/24656/100.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i305/mattcav/northwestcollage.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i305/mattcav/roofviewviaductwskytrain.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i305/mattcav/skylineview.jpg


http://www.busby.ca/clients/gm/images/01.jpg

http://www.busby.ca/clients/gm/images/02.jpg

http://www.busby.ca/clients/gm/images/03.jpg

http://www.busby.ca/clients/gm/images/04.jpg

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/1565/p4110622pt3.jpg

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/6558/p4110625zr1.jpg




New office tower to adjoin GM Place
Businesses hope location will help lure the best employees with Canucks perks

Bruce Constantineau, Vancouver Sun
Published: Saturday, August 18, 2007

GM Place owners plan to build a 22-storey office tower that will connect to the arena's northwest corner, Vancouver Arena Limited Partnership announced Friday.

A formal application has been submitted to the City of Vancouver for permission to build a 312,000-square-foot building designed by architect Peter Busby.

Busby said the building will become a signature Vancouver office tower because of its design and plans to make it among the most energy-efficient commercial buildings in North America.

Sustainable features will include using "energy synergies" between GM Place and the connecting office tower. Heating and cooling systems between the two buildings will work together so waste heat from one building will be used to heat the other.

Part of GM Place's underground parking, which is used mostly at night, will be used for the new office tower.

Vancouver Canucks chief executive officer Chris Zimmerman, who was uncertain about the project's cost and potential opening date, said the new building will enhance the fan experience by providing new amenities like restaurants and retail shops.

He noted office tower tenants will be able to walk from their lobby straight onto the concourse level of GM Place for hockey games or concerts.

"We always want to have more concourse space because it gives us the opportunity to create more food and beverage options," Zimmerman said in an interview. "It will allow for better flow throughout the arena."

He expects the new tower will attract a lot of potential new tenants who will enjoy the unique opportunity to be directly linked with an NHL venue.

"In a highly competitive job market, I think it gives the primary tenants some wonderful recruiting tools," Zimmerman said. "We'll be able to provide some unique benefits around utilization of the building, the ice surface and probably some inside access to certain team events. It will be a great way for companies to differentiate themselves."

He said the current high demand for Vancouver office space makes it an ideal time to build the new tower. The downtown Vancouver office space vacancy rate is currently at an all-time low of 3.5 per cent, according to CB Richard Ellis Ltd.

bconstantineau@png.canwest.com


© The Vancouver Sun 2007







It'll be interesting to see how it'll fit in with the arena.

http://www.vancouver2010.com/images/gallery/fr/mediaCentre/lowRes/2006/01/GeneralMotors_Place.jpg
http://www.1st-vancouver.com/images/PICT1974_lg.jpg
http://www.1st-vancouver.com/images/PICT1962_lg.jpg

[mr.x]

Zimmerman: Tower won't harm 2010 hockey plans
By BOB MACKIN, 24 HOURS

Even if Vancouver city hall approves the proposed General Motors Place office tower, it won't be finished before the 2010 Winter Olympics.

But the president of arena operator Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment says the 22-storey building's construction won't harm plans for the men's Olympic hockey tournament.

"The ultimate goal and the current timing would be that the exterior of the building would be completed before the Olympics begin, with actual full occupancy of the building in late 2010," Chris Zimmerman said.

"All of the design is being done to make sure that there are no negative impacts on the operations of the arena."

Aquilini Investment Group, which owns GM Place and the Vancouver Canucks, wants to build the tower at the corner of Griffiths Way and Expo Boulevard over the ground level broadcast and service bays. Zimmerman said the tower's design would not impede access. "That's obviously the lifeblood of the arena," he said.

The proposal is on the Oct. 9 city hall development permit board agenda, but the meeting may be postponed by the ongoing civic workers' strike.

Zimmerman said some lower floors could be ready in time for the Games.

"There may be a benefit to VANOC in terms of providing the exclusive operating space necessary to meet some of our internal office space requirements," said Guy Lodge, Vancouver 2010's vice-president of services and overlay.

VANOC paid $18.9 million for GM Place improvements and is paying almost $4 million more in rent for 36 days in 2010. The organizing committee expects to gain $70 million in ticketing revenues from the venue.

[deasine]

I want to see what that place will look like after the construciton. I mean the area looks so busy with the GM Place, BC Place, viaducts, TV Towers... and then now one more office tower. It's quite amazing what they can do with that small amount of space.

[jlousa]

I beleive I posted all the details on the tower in the old Vancouver construction thread, it would've been a few months back, it would've had sqftage, probably height, and amount of floors.

[Hed Kandi]

..

[MistyMountainHop]

To honour him when he retires, they should build a giant statue of Trevor Linden that doubles as an office tower. They could add Luongo later as well.

[raggedy13]

:poke: Ahem... it would appear that the rendering of the office tower has for some reason been replaced by a rendering of a 10 storey condo tower... the one that is going up in Pitt Meadows I believe. :shrug:

[mr.x]

:poke: Ahem... it would appear that the rendering of the office tower has for some reason been replaced by a rendering of a 10 storey condo tower... the one that is going up in Pitt Meadows I believe. :shrug:

don't look at me.:shrug:

[MistyMountainHop]

I liked the old design better. :)

[SpongeG]

what is this?

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/2de3e3f6-b472-4835-9142-3ead50913788/tower.jpg

[excel]

^raggedy is right that is half of a project that is going up in pitt meadows. that is definitely not a new rendering for this project.

[Pinion]

I walk through the parking lot every day where the proposed tower would be and it's in none of those pics. It's the tiny one across from Costco and I have a lot of trouble imagining anything fitting there. It's like 20x40 feet, has like 10 parking spots max. But then again I couldn't believe they fit GM Place between the viaducts.

[jlousa]

Your numbers are off, although it looks tiny, it is actually 9900sqft at ground level, could easily be over 10000sqft once it clears the concourse level. While not large by office tower standards it will be quite a sizable addition even with only 23 floors.

[Delirium]

here's the rendering that was in the paper. doesn't look like 22 storeys though.. i count 17
http://www.lestwarog.com/admin/uploads/article/moreimages/2762.jpg

i did this really quick to show what 22 storeys looks like
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Image1-4.jpg

[jlousa]

That rendering shows 17 stories above the concourse level. The address is 800 Griffiths Way, meaning you'd need to start counting from the bottom level, probably 5 stories below.

[smho]

Here's a different rendering of the tower:
http://www.westerninvestor.com/articles/articlesBC.html

[Hed Kandi]

..

[hollywoodnorth]

http://www.westerninvestor.com/articles/images/bcbriefs.jpg

nice :)

[officedweller]

Not bad - it'll definitely improve the view at that corner of GM Place when driving over the viaduct.

[raggedy13]

I came across this older pic of mine (from March?) that shows a bit of the site. Anybody know if there are plans for any retail at the base that could potentially compliment the Costco?

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g296/raggedy13/100_7173.jpg

[privatejet]

http://www.journalofcommerce.com/images/archivesid/24656/100.jpg
Carbon-neutral office tower planned for downtown Vancouver

Brian Martin

correspondent

A planned addition to the Vancouver skyline will come complete with a whole lot of firsts.


For one thing, it will be the first office tower built from the ground up in the city’s core in more than a decade. For another it will be the first ever carbon neutral tower built in Canada and likely in North America. It will also be among the first few towers built in years with opening windows.

The 22-storey structure is being proposed not just next to, but attached to General Motors Place by a development group called Tri Power. The architects are the well known Vancouver firm of Busby Perkins+Will.

The tower will be well out in front of the pack when it comes to environmental sensitivity. This, say architects Z Smith and Jim Huffman, is the result of both leading edge design and technology and a unique site. The building will be located beside the Georgia Viaduct in a very tight lot. As a result of the size of the lot, the floor plates in the tower will be considerably smaller than normal. This in turn means that everyone working in it will be able to use natural daylight at their work stations.

Likewise the heating and cooling is a departure from the norm. Both heating and cooling are being provided by radiant concrete ceiling slabs. This means the spaces between the floors have been made smaller. So much smaller in fact that three extra floors were able to be added to the structure and still keep it within city guidelines. The revenue from the extra floors more than justifies the couple of extra million dollars the system will cost.

The designers insist that opening a window won’t toss the air system out of sync.

As the HVAC doesn’t depend on blown air, an open window will not throw it off balance. In addition, state-of-the-art computer technology will tell the system when a window is open in an office — and it will simply stop supplying either hot or cold air to that space.

The benefits of the marriage between the two structures spreads to the outside as well. No additional parking is needed. Enough parking exists around GM Place and B.C. Place to serve the tower during the day while remaining available for sports fans at night. The real key to the project, however, is how it will interact with General Motors Place.

The two will share facilities to the benefit of both. For example, rain water from the arena’s vast roof may well be used by the tower.

Ice shavings from the arena will be used to help cool the office building. The cooling tower on the arena tosses a lot of hot air into the atmosphere. Consultants Stantec plan to capture that hot air and will use some of it in the office tower. Some of it will be combined with heat produced by the many computer server rooms in the tower and stored in a ground source tank. When it is needed by the arena — as in the case of heat for a rock concert — the office tower will give it back.

Smith explains how the tower will become effectively “carbon neutral”. The tower, he says, will be an all electric building and most electricity in British Columbia is not generated by burning coal. It is generated by hydro dams. The 10 per cent that does come from fossil fuels, he explains, will be offset by a reduction in the fossil fuel heating currently used by the arena thanks to the tower sending the arena its excess heat.

“By building this tower, the amount of fossil fuel used in GM Place will go down. The tower will result in less fossil fuels being used in the arena and we will in effect become a carbon neutral office tower.”

The final incentive for the tower is the fact that tenants will be able to walk directly from their offices to their boxes or seats in GM Place.

[jlousa]

Love the idea of having radiant heating and being able to cut back the height of each floor. Just by going from 13.5ft to a still generous 10ft you could add almost 10 floors on a conventional tower. I imagine we will see alot more of this on future developments.

[officedweller]

I wonder how responsive the radiant system will be. During the summer, the temperature on the south side of a building can skyrocket so much that even conventional air-blown AC systems can't keep up with the temperature gain. I suppose that's when the operable windows may be handy, but I wonder whether an open window would cool fast enough (I assume they would be the small flip-out version). Having the AC shut off when a window is opened may not work well. One good thing is that the tower will be partly shaded from the late afternoon sun by the Spectrum towers.

[fever]

http://members.shaw.ca/mikef0001/Image004.jpg

this is inside the front of costco right in front of the entrance facing south toward BC Place

(my photo, if it matters)

[Hed Kandi]

..

[mr.x]

Retail wouldn't survive there, it's an extremely dead area....except for ga I could see maybe a restaurant or a club/bar there though.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g296/raggedy13/100_7173.jpg

[hollywoodnorth]

I think a large format retailer would love to locate there......think about all the parking and access to transit.

Walmart, Zellars, Save-on, Superstore, Lowes, Rona, etc

[mr.x]

I think a large format retailer would love to locate there......think about all the parking and access to transit.

Walmart, Zellars, Save-on, Superstore, Lowes, Rona, etc

Remember, the lot size is 9,900 sq. feet.


Walmart - wtf??? it's disgusting. the lot is too small for them anyway.

Zellers - i doubt it would work.

Save-On: maybe a small two-level store? it could work.

Superstore - lot is way too small.

Lowes/Rona - at Vancouver's sport precinct next to the Garage? ewww.

[jlousa]

Save-On will have a 2 Nesters (same family) down the street with one at Woodwards plus an Urban fare in the other direction. There isn't enough space for any large retailer. That spot really is dead and will probably continue to be so for the next 5-10 years until NEFC is built out. They should probably just stick with office space with maybe a starbuck/timhorton in the lobby. Even then I imagine the office staff wouldn't be large enough to justify the rent, maybe game nights could justify it.

[westcoast604]

I dont think the Costco is even doing that well there. Ive seen numerous perks to lure downtown residents such as free passes to try it out without buying a membership. Would be really unfortunate to lose them as a tenant - if they weren't surviving and had to break the lease. Hard to imagine what could fill that space.

[osirisboy]

I dont think the Costco is even doing that well there. Ive seen numerous perks to lure downtown residents such as free passes to try it out without buying a membership. Would be really unfortunate to lose them as a tenant - if they weren't surviving and had to break the lease. Hard to imagine what could fill that space.

well i would be surprised if that is true based on my experience when shopping there. everytime i go it seems busy, from even right when it opens its doors.

however, if they want to attract more people i wish they would make the parking free or validate like what urban fair does. i know the parking is cheap but its annoying nonetheless.

[jlousa]

Costco is doing fairly well and will only continue to improve. If they were to leave I'd love to see Ikea move in, but most likely it would be Walmart they are aggressively looking for a d/t location.

[jo67sh]

i go to that costco downtown nowadays and its dead during the day,
costcos on grandview and also at production way is always busy,

only time i find the downtown store busy is on weekends and also after 6pm,
but i just dont get the sense that the downtown is doing well,
at its peak i see maybe 4 or 5 cashiers open and the lineups are never unbearable like in the suburb stores..
heck, the fridges in the spectrum is so tiny it wont be able to handle any bulk buying.. same goes for most single pads in downtown vancouver

[officedweller]

I tend to agree. The first sign of slow customer traffic was Costco opening up the lower level of their parkade to GM Place patrons.

[Lee_Haber8]

Retail wouldn't survive there, it's an extremely dead area....except for ga I could see maybe a restaurant or a club/bar there though.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g296/raggedy13/100_7173.jpg

Maybe getting rid of the viaducts would improve that whole area

[deasine]

I love shopping at Costco Downtown way more than I do at the other ones because the lines are soo short. It's nice to shop peacefully and slowly instead of the usually FRANTIC and RUN TO GET A SPOT IN LINE type of thing.

But we have to see that it's kind of hard for Costco to be sucessful in downtown. Many living in downtown can't buy anything there because it's just way too big. I mean I don't need huge ass cans of fruit cocktail. Vancouverities in downtown is a complete different market. For Costco downtown to be sucessful, they need to change the products in that store.

Think of this now, IKEA has moved the furniture that is getting smaller and smaller or else it's really hard for them to survive now... Costco Downtown needs to do the same!

[hollywoodnorth]

i go to that costco downtown nowadays and its dead during the day,
costcos on grandview and also at production way is always busy,

only time i find the downtown store busy is on weekends and also after 6pm,
but i just dont get the sense that the downtown is doing well,
at its peak i see maybe 4 or 5 cashiers open and the lineups are never unbearable like in the suburb stores..
heck, the fridges in the spectrum is so tiny it wont be able to handle any bulk buying.. same goes for most single pads in downtown vancouver

well once the Grandview Costco shuts down and gets combined with the Burnaby location and moved to the new site at Willingdon I think the downtown stores traffic will really pick up with all the East Vancouver people starting to hit it more so.

I also agree the parking is retarded....people spend enough in there anyways the parking should not cost anything.

[mr.x]

Yea, I find the parking fees is quite retarded.....it's the reason why my family goes to the Richmond one more often.

From what I heard, downtown Costco is considered a success...it may not be as busy as the other stores but do consider it is 1/3rd smaller than the Richmond store and it's been around for how many years? 2 years? Give it some time.

[officedweller]

They need another free roasted chicken promotion!

[mezzanine]

I think if they allow validation for parking, business will greatly increase. I remember going there when it first opened and they had impark 'ambassadors' explaining to ppl they had to pay, and many seemed PO'd. Unfortunately, most purchases there need a car to take them home. I doubt that costco would write off DT without trying to change parking regulations, unless it's some sort of COV covenant...

I *really* hope they don't shutter/downscale it - It is really handy. I'm also planning to get new tires in the winter there...

[Pinion]

Your numbers are off, although it looks tiny, it is actually 9900sqft at ground level, could easily be over 10000sqft once it clears the concourse level. While not large by office tower standards it will be quite a sizable addition even with only 23 floors.


Yeah, my numbers are off. I went through it again yesterday and it has EIGHT parking spots, not 10. My brain cannot accept that space is 9900sq feet at ground level.

And for those talking about Wal-Mart in downtown Vancouver, do you not live in Vancouver? It ain't gonna happen (and I'm glad).

[jlousa]

I live in Vancouver, and while I would not frequent a Wal-mart, downtown or otherwise, I can certainly understand why it would be successful. I would acutally be surprised if Vancouver doesn't end up with a Wal-mart at somepoint down the road.

Anyways back to the building, the floor size must increase slighty after it passes the concourse level as it's listed at just over 232,000sqft on the application. There is also talk of another office tower in the parkade on the other side between the viaducts.

[Canadian Mind]

I live in Vancouver, and while I would not frequent a Wal-mart, downtown or otherwise, I can certainly understand why it would be successful. I would acutally be surprised if Vancouver doesn't end up with a Wal-mart at somepoint down the road.

Anyways back to the building, the floor size must increase slighty after it passes the concourse level as it's listed at just over 232,000sqft on the application. There is also talk of another office tower in the parkade on the other side between the viaducts.

I was looking at that awhile back and trying to figure out why they wouldn't stick a tower there aswell.

Any word on what it could be; office, residential, mixed use?

Yeah, my numbers are off. I went through it again yesterday and it has EIGHT parking spots, not 10. My brain cannot accept that space is 9900sq feet at ground level.

And for those talking about Wal-Mart in downtown Vancouver, do you not live in Vancouver? It ain't gonna happen (and I'm glad).

9900 square feet is only 99 feet by 100 feet. doesn't take much to fill that up.

[Canadian Mind]

Deleted.

[deasine]

Pacific Metropolis View's on this (I love their articles):

Trevor Linden's New Office
In answer to the regular cries for more downtown Vancouver office space (the latest vacancy rate came in at a record 3.5%), a new 22-storey office tower is soon to be built next to GM Place.

http://www.lestwarog.com/admin/uploads/article/moreimages/2762.jpg

Somehow, they're going to shoe-horn this thing into the northwest corner near the stadium, at 800 Arthur Griffiths Way, across from the new Costco.

Frankly, we were surprised that they managed to squeeze the four Spectrum buildings and the Costco in there to begin with - this one's going to make things even cosier amongst the viaducts.

Aside from the convenient location (for sports fans, anyway), the building is also going to be energy efficient and carbon neutral, partly by sharing heat waste with the neighbouring GM Place.

The building's developers have also said that they intend to use ice shavings from the rink to cool the tower.

http://pacificmetropolis.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/10/16/gm_place_tower_ii_2.jpg

The building is scheduled for completion in late 2010, according to this article from the Sun.

Although it may be a quaint notion in this day and age, when the trend is to sell naming rights for buildings to marketers, we thought it would be interesting to consider naming the new structure after a former Vancouver Canucks player.

While the Smyl, Snepts, or Odjick Tower would probably sound a little strange, the Brodeur or Linden Tower might just have a little upscale cachet.

And if you'll pardon the digression - about 15 years later, we're still laughing about the Sportspage broadcast, in which they referred to Gino Odjick as a 'Chippendale gone berserk', after a particularly fight-filled night for the chap.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007 in New Construction | Permalink | Comments (0)

Source: http://www.pacificmetropolis.com/2007/10/trevor-lindens-.html

[deasine]

New office tower to adjoin GM Place
Businesses hope location will help lure the best employees with Canucks perks
Bruce Constantineau

Sun

Saturday, August, 18, 2007


GM Place will soon be the site of a 22-storey office tower


GM Place owners plan to build a 22-storey office tower that will connect to the arena's northwest corner, Vancouver Arena Limited Partnership announced Friday.

A formal application has been submitted to the City of Vancouver for permission to build a 312,000-square-foot building designed by architect Peter Busby.

Busby said the building will become a signature Vancouver office tower because of its design and plans to make it among the most energy-efficient commercial buildings in North America.

Sustainable features will include using "energy synergies" between GM Place and the connecting office tower. Heating and cooling systems between the two buildings will work together so waste heat from one building will be used to heat the other.

Part of GM Place's underground parking, which is used mostly at night, will be used for the new office tower.

Vancouver Canucks chief executive officer Chris Zimmerman, who was uncertain about the project's cost and potential opening date, said the new building will enhance the fan experience by providing new amenities like restaurants and retail shops.

He noted office tower tenants will be able to walk from their lobby straight onto the concourse level of GM Place for hockey games or concerts.

"We always want to have more concourse space because it gives us the opportunity to create more food and beverage options," Zimmerman said in an interview. "It will allow for better flow throughout the arena."

He expects the new tower will attract a lot of potential new tenants who will enjoy the unique opportunity to be directly linked with an NHL venue.

"In a highly competitive job market, I think it gives the primary tenants some wonderful recruiting tools," Zimmerman said. "We'll be able to provide some unique benefits around utilization of the building, the ice surface and probably some inside access to certain team events. It will be a great way for companies to differentiate themselves."

He said the current high demand for Vancouver office space makes it an ideal time to build the new tower. The downtown Vancouver office space vacancy rate is currently at an all-time low of 3.5 per cent, according to CB Richard Ellis Ltd.

© The Vancouver Sun 2007

Source: http://www.lestwarog.com/newsArticle-3599.html

[vanman]

The building's developers have also said that they intend to use ice shavings from the rink to cool the tower.



Ice shavings?!?! Has some eco hippie been hogging the bong for too long?

[Canadian Mind]

it'll work. you know how much thermal energy it takes to warm up a pile of the stuff? ice shavings could easily keep the building cool.

[Delirium]

GM Place tower could be Canucks Central

Ben Kuzma
Province

Sunday, October, 28, 2007

Call it the Tower of Power.

When the Vancouver Arena Limited Partnership unveils its 22-storey office structure in the fall of 2010, the state-of-the-art building connected to GM Place will be hailed for its environmentally friendly design and function.

For Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment, it will also provide another revenue stream. Aside from addressing a downtown need for leased office space -- the vacancy rate is just 3.5 per cent -- there's an opportunity for the Vancouver Canucks to better service their fans.

Not only will the tower connect to the concourse level of GM Place to provide more retail, food and beverage options, there's potential for much more.

Earlier this month, Canucks CEO Chris Zimmerman visited Flames Central in downtown Calgary and was impressed.

The renovated 86-year-old theatre on the Stephen Ave. Mall boasts casual and upscale dining and a sports club on three levels that seats 1,000. There are 150 high-definition TVs and a 30-by-20-foot projection screen.

There are separate booths and even private rooms with bars and, of course, Flames merchandise to purchase.

Imagine something similar in the Tower of Power. It would be like being at the game and provide another option for those who can't afford tickets gobbled up by the corporate community.

That was part of the Calgary concept.

"You feel like you're in an arena and it's branded throughout," Zimmerman says of Flames Central. "I do like the concept and it's one we will look at.

"We're in the development stage now with retail, food and beverage options."

For tower tenants, there will be the attractive option of having exclusive access to GM Place and its events.

"The most common business challenge that virtually every business in B.C. has right now is the recruitment of and the retention of employees," says Zimmerman. "In a highly competitive market, you will go into our building that provides one of the best work spaces and is environmentally conscious.

"It will have all the bells and whistles and the city needs it. There are plenty of new condos and residential housing, but nobody is actually serving the business market. It will continue to thrive, but it needs more office space."

Ground-breaking for the 311,738-square-foot tower, located in the southwest corner of the property, is expected in the new year. Architect Peter Busby says the structure is a modern-day marriage of form and function.

"I'm confident this will be one of Vancouver's signature office towers, in part because of its GM Place location, but also because of its green focus," says Busby.

"We're very proud to have designed a beautiful-looking building that will also be among the most energy-efficient commercial buildings in North America."

The tower will boast exceptional energy performance and a carbon-neutral environment. That will be created by using energy synergies between the structure and GM Place.

The office tower will use part of GM Place's underground parking, which is occupied mostly during evening events. Heating and cooling systems between the two buildings will work together with waste heat from one building used to heat the other.

© The Vancouver Province 2007

http://www.lestwarog.com/admin/uploads/article/moreimages/2962.jpg

[MistyMountainHop]

Awesome.

[officedweller]

From that rendering, it'll certainly help visually connect the Concord projects east of the Plaza of Nations to the downtown core.

[Hed Kandi]

..

[LeftCoaster]

Hey guys, bit of a Happy Friday present for ya.... here are some updated pics!

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i305/mattcav/northwestcollage.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i305/mattcav/roofviewviaductwskytrain.jpg

And a bonus skyline rendering:

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i305/mattcav/skylineview.jpg

[Hed Kandi]

..

[natelox]

Wow, looks very nice. I especially like the top with those upside-down V-columns. Very Richard Rogers; looks like T5's structural system. The antennae look silly though. It seems to meet the viaduct well too. Is that a green wall to the north? The form and massing are beautiful.

All that remains is the space under the viaduct. Hopefully Busby won't butcher it like James Cheung did with Spectrum.

[Lee_Haber8]

Instead of designing around the viaducts, why doesn't the city just get rid of them? They are barrier between Chinatown and False Creek and hurts the redevelopment of this area. They are a relic from the days that they wanted to build freeways through the city - Montreal recently removed a highway interchange, why can't Vancouver do the same?

[Canadian Mind]

looks nice, I like it.

[officedweller]

The viaducts are fine - they are only a visual barrier, not a physical one.
i.e. it's not constructed of bents like the Gardiner in TO with an arterial directly underneath it. It's actually quite unobtrusive, compared to say, the area below the Burrard Bridge or below the Cambie Bridge.
The undeveloped nature of the land below the viaducts is a function of Concord Pacific making the northeast False Creek area the last phase of development. Remember that the are below the viaducts held railway tracks and warehouses until redevelopment for Expo 86 - so there weren't many buildings there to begin with.
Without the viaducts, Pender, Hastings and Water Streets would be constantly clogged.

[MistyMountainHop]

We need to put a huge statue of Luongo on top of it.

Or, better yet, put the statue on one of the mountains or even Queen E. Park (as the observation tower). It would be just like Rio:

"Christ the Redeemer" = "Luongo the Goaltender"

[excel]

Looks good.

[mr.x]

that looks amazing, thanks.

[hollywoodnorth]

awesome!

[raggedy13]

Those renderings are great. I really like the 'V' thing going on at the top and especially towards the base. Personally I kind of like the antennae. It may not be tall but its a quality project for sure.

[cityguy]

Big improvement over the original rendering.

[Hot Rod]

Looks good, just wish it were 15 stories taller!

[cityguy]

Speaking of height 73m seems very short for a 22 storey office building.84m would be more of a norm.

[Canadian Mind]

3.5 meters per floor.

probrably not going for AAA office space, just trying to cram as much office in as possible.

[cityguy]

Most office towers are around 3.8{12.5ft] or more,so watch your head.

[Canadian Mind]

heh, thanks for the ti... *Clunk*

:p

[jlousa]

They are going with radiant in floor heating/cooling remember, not need for the large false ceiling to run the hvac hence the ability to use shorter floors. (ie more floors for the same height)

[giallo]

Looks like some of the shorter office towers going up here.
I'll save my opinion for the final product. It's all about the materials used.

[vanman]

Anyone know what will happen with the space in the building below the viaduct? Will there just be more office space or retail at grade?

[EastVanMark]

Rendering looks great. The only possible downside would be the loss of prominence of the arena itself. Most (especially tourists) view the arena from the downtown core. I hope the design allows for the arena to remain prominent. I also assume that the "lobby" area of the tower will also at least partly be used as an addition of concourse space for the arena itself. This could go a long way to improving GM Place's reputation as not having the greatest concourse space. Hopefully the Boston Gardenesque staircase leading to the lower bowl situation will be addressed as a result of this project.

[achu]

Anyone know what will happen with the space in the building below the viaduct? Will there just be more office space or retail at grade?

Heard it'll be used to store the ice shavings from the rink and provide cooling to the building. Probably also to store trailers and trucks that roll in. So yeah probably doesn't sound good in terms of a pedestrian friendly streetscape.

[vanman]

Oh yeah, now I remember hearing that. From the renderings it looks like the glass facade of the building will extend below the viaducts so at least it won't have blank concrete walls at street level.

[officedweller]

UDP MInutes on the GM Place office tower:

http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/udp/2007/minutes/dec5.htm

Mr. Segal noted that the mechanical penthouse will go to the view cone height....
The bottom five floors of the tower will be connected to GM Place for circulation and access to the retail and restaurants....
The Panel supported the spires at the top of the tower and did not have a problem with them intruding into the view corridor. ...

[mr.x]

^ really, if they had a problem with these spires, i would've given up of this city:
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i305/mattcav/roofviewviaductwskytrain.jpg

[InlandEmpire]

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/3503/bcbriefszp1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Looks like a picture of Hotel 1 going up in downtown Seattle made it's way here!

[mr.x]

^ that image link was previously a rendering for GM Tower. the site must've changed it.

[Mininari]

Speaking of height 73m seems very short for a 22 storey office building.84m would be more of a norm.

I picked this out of the UDP minutes:

Whether the tower’s overall height, including upper mechanical volume, is appropriate in respect to the By-law height of 91 m. (300 ft.), to which may be added the typical rooftop mechanical. So, 91m plus the rooftop mechanical penthouse...(?)

Looks like 91m, not 73m...
Still a stub, but at least its the tallest stub they can build there!

Yay, go stubby!

[Rusty Gull]

Maybe I'm being swept away by the renderings, but this seems to be a good-looking project! As for location insofar as businesses go, I think companies would be clamouring to set up shop there.

No, it's not Burrard or Howe Street, or Yaletown for that matter. But it is a downtown location with excellent transit connections and proximity to the up-and-coming Gastown/Chinatown neighbourhoods.

Unlike the Canucks on Saturday night, this one is shaping up to be a winner.

[officedweller]

Busby has updated its website with a few more renders:

http://www.busby.ca/clients/gm/index.htm

GM Place Tower. Setting new standards in occupant comfort and energy efficiency, GM Place Tower is projected to be the first carbon neutral office building in North America.

The proposed commercial tower will be built at the southwest corner of GM Place Arena. The 23 storey tower will be a major architectural icon, marking the east end of Georgia Street in downtown Vancouver. The tower design consists of a triangular floor plate with facades facing northwest, east, and southwest. The new tower’s green design strategies include full daylighting, operable windows, non-toxic and recycled materials, storm water recapture, state-of-the-art glazing and energy-efficient mechanical systems. Instead of dumping waste heat from internal loads such as computers into the atmosphere, the new tower will export this heat to the adjacent arena when needed, reducing the fossil fuel use associated with heating the arena. This reduction in fossil fuel use balances that used by the utility in generating electricity for the tower, rendering the tower project carbon neutral. The project is anticipated to qualify for LEED® Gold certification. The project is walking distance to mass transit, the downtown core, and thousands of residences. The tower levels that align with the adjacent GM Place Arena will offer restaurants, retail, and other services for office workers and the neighborhood in general, helping to enhance urban life as part of a revitalization of this part of the city. There will be a direct connection of lower commercial levels into the arena during events.

http://www.busby.ca/clients/gm/images/01.jpg

http://www.busby.ca/clients/gm/images/02.jpg

http://www.busby.ca/clients/gm/images/03.jpg

http://www.busby.ca/clients/gm/images/04.jpg

[excel]

Cool.

[dreambrother808]

from those last 2 angles it looks kind of like metrotower 3

[harls]

Looks nice.

[Coldrsx]

simple, needed, attractive...nothing more, nothing less.

[EastVanMark]

When are they gonna move the arena (and the viaduct) down the street towards Science World?:haha: :haha: Judging by that first rendering...

Nice looking tower.

[westcoast604]

simple, needed, attractive...nothing more, nothing less.

I suppose if your only fixated on looks and height...


The new tower’s green design strategies include full daylighting, operable windows, non-toxic and recycled materials, storm water recapture, state-of-the-art glazing and energy-efficient mechanical systems. Instead of dumping waste heat from internal loads such as computers into the atmosphere, the new tower will export this heat to the adjacent arena when needed, reducing the fossil fuel use associated with heating the arena. This reduction in fossil fuel use balances that used by the utility in generating electricity for the tower, rendering the tower project carbon neutral. The project is anticipated to qualify for LEED® Gold certification.

[excel]

Looks like they will have a big screen on the outside.

[officedweller]

DPB City staff report:

http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/dpboard/2008/PDF/800%20Griffiths%20Way%20-%20DE411483.pdf

They want to require the developer to extend Stadium Station to the south side of Expo Blvd - this will happen anyways with the platform extensions:

http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/834/87924580ye9.png

[jlousa]

In todays 24hrs paper.


Towering glory wrapped for 2010

By BOB MACKIN, 24 HOURS


The Aquilini brothers are a step closer to building a 22-storey office tower connected to GM Place. City hall's development permit board approved Tri-Power Developments Inc.'s application on Monday.

It was originally scheduled for an October hearing, but was postponed by the civic strike. Tower development was originally permitted in December, 1993. But arena construction cost overruns forced then-owner Arthur Griffiths to nix the plan.

City of Vancouver deputy general manager David McLellan said the actual permit may not be issued until late spring or early summer because of several minor issues that need further study.

The Aquilinis are trying to capitalize on downtown's red-hot office market, but the tower won't be finished before GM Place hosts Olympic hockey in less than two years. Construction would pause during the Games and a decorative 3M-made building wrap would hide most of the site.

The project is planned for a triangular plot at Griffiths Way and Expo Boulevard that is used as a service and broadcast equipment loading bay.

[officedweller]

DPB Minutes:

http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/dpboard/2008/Minutes/feb25.html

Mr. Segal noted that it is a difficult site and there are a number of remaining issues that need to be resolved. The building height needs to come down to 91 metres. The building will be redesigned to have the top two levels come down and be incorporated in the 91 metres with the exuberant cap remaining. The building will have four telescoping spires that will exceed the 91 metres and will project into the view cone. Staff’s recommendation is to have the issue of the spires dealt with at the Board. Generally staff suggest that such elements not project into the view cone, however there is a more serious matter that has to do with Condition 1.3. Staff suggested that the applicant remove the vehicular drop-off at the viaduct level as it creates visibility problems and pedestrian conflicts. This does imply, with the deletion of the lay-by, that the ground floor on Expo Boulevard would become the dominant front door and arrival point for the office tower and staff are suggesting an enhancement of the lobby should be pursued. Also, some investigation needs to be done for the arrival concourse. The pedestrian plaza needs some further design development and the pedestrian link needs to be reconfigured at the viaduct level. This is a timely and welcome use for the site, and is leading the way in LEEDTM Gold. Staff believe that it is a very positive application.
...
Mr. Busby, Architect, said he was prepared to accept Condition 1.1 in the Staff Committee Report regarding the building height. With respect to the telescoping spires, Mr. Busby noted that they will refer to the score in a game being played in GM Place and that they are a character defining element on the building. Mr. Busby added that he would like to keep them above the view cone as he felt they would not compromise the view to the North Shore Mountains.
....
Regarding Condition 1.6, Mr. Busby made a commitment to work with the Director of Planning to provide a right-of-way within the plaza for the future expansion of the SkyTrain Station.
....
Mr. Busby gave a Power Point presentation to show the location of the vehicle drop-off and the proposed solution to have it integrate into the viaduct. Mr. Busby stressed the importance for the building to have a West Georgia Street address rather than a Georgia Viaduct address. He proposed that the city grid be extended by one block to allow for a connection to BC Place and that traffic calming be done on the viaduct. Mr. Busby also proposed a modified version of the lay-by to allow for taxis and car drop-off. He noted that the area would include gates and barriers with no permanent parking allowed. Mr. Busby added that by decreasing the speed of the cars on the viaduct, it would be safe for a car to pull out of the lay-by onto the viaduct. Also the lay-by would be closed during game time. Mr. Busby asked the Board to direct Engineering Services to work with them to find an acceptable solution.

David Negrin noted that they had spent the last month looking at revisions for the tower with respect to the loading bay area. He added that the design of the area cannot be changed due to the number of trucks that use the space during events in the arena. He said he was prepared to work with the City to get a vehicle drop-off on the viaduct so that they could have a West Georgia Street address. Mr. Negrin also asked that the City work with them in order to meet their requirements.
...
-The spires would penetrate the view cone when fully extended and would be lit to indicate the score for the hockey game. Staff are asking the Board to consider the spires rather than leaving it to the rezoning application.
-The spires would be intruding into the view cone around 100 hours a year.
-The preference is to have the spires remain lit at night.

[mr.x]

that's pretty neat, has there been anything like that done before?

[raggedy13]

That's pretty interesting about the spires. I wonder how exactly they pull off telling the score... like what would a score of 5-3 look like?

Thanks for posting the info officedweller.

[hollywoodnorth]

very cool!

[Hed Kandi]

..

[officedweller]

The floorplate is pretty interesting - circular elevator core (and only one bank of elevators). In addition, the 14th and 21st floors will have areas that are open to the floors below. Note the dotted line along the south curtain wall - that indicates sun shades.

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/1565/p4110622pt3.jpg

Here's a rendering of the spires (lighting apparently not finalized). There will be a backlit wall along Expo Boulevard to liven up what would otherwise be a blank wall.

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/6558/p4110625zr1.jpg

Pics from the Development Permit Report prepared by Busby.

[raggedy13]

^Cool stuff. Thanks officedweller. So, I guess those antennae mean Canucks 2, Flames 1? :) I think that'll add a great night lighting feature to the skyline.

[SFUVancouver]

^ It looks like the bathrooms would be the safest place in the building in the event of fire or earthquake.

Thanks for images Officedweller.

[mr.x]

i love it! thx for sharing.