[Burnaby] Esprit | 2 towers | 25 Floors | Completed

[vanman]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/esprit_image-1.jpg

This project by Bosa will include 2 residential towers at 25 stories on the corner of Kingsway and Edmonds plus street fronting retail. Special features will include an artificial stream that will bisect the site as well as an eventual public library at the south west corner of the property that will replace the current Kingsway branch. It is rumoured that the library will have a cascading water feature facing Kingsway.

Construction update I took about 1 month ago:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC01158.jpg

[vanman]

Construction update from today.

2nd crane is up
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC01224.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC01223.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC01246.jpg

[vanman]

Update from today.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC01320.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC01350.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC01349.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC01348.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC01352.jpg

[excel]

Thanks for the updates.

[vanman]

Took these earlier today.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/Port%20Moody/DSC01833.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/Port%20Moody/DSC01796.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/Port%20Moody/DSC01795.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/Port%20Moody/DSC01794.jpg

[excel]

thanks for the update.

[Xrayal]

Some pic's taken by my bro today. Enjoy:)
More images are on my flickr account if you want to see more.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3163/2883805992_5ee427db23.jpg?v=0
Finished 04 unit
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3118/2882967393_7914831206.jpg?v=0
Highgate towers between esprit towers
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3002/2882964055_04049e433c.jpg?v=0
Unfinnished 3rd floor garden
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3064/2882959031_693f164482.jpg?v=0
New Burnaby Library From Esprit 1 rooftop
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3161/2883794482_c5245f429e.jpg?v=0
Brentwood towers from atop Esprit 1
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/2882953365_55161302e7.jpg?v=0
Down Kingway from Esprit 1 rooftop
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3103/2883787776_13b09542b4.jpg?v=0
Completed Highgate
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3192/2883783514_5f244278ab.jpg?v=0
View down from subpenthouse towards edmonds steet+rooftop garden

[hollywoodnorth]

thanks!

[Metro-One]

This area is sure looking good compared to a few years ago. What was funny is that on one of the other forums someone was complaining about Burnaby, calling it a typical suburb with no downtown. I consider Burnaby to be quite the opposite. It has two mass transit lines running through it with numerous city centers that most suburbs only dream of having. Metro town alone is larger then many American city's down towns (ever been to Phoenix?), and Brentwood, Lougheed Town Center and now the Edmonds area are all becoming quite impressive themselves with condo, shopping and even office developments (all centered around skytrain stations might i add, even Holdom has a good share of projects now). If anything it is the city of vancouver that is doing a terrible job of development around its train stations. Joyce is the only one that is decent, and even that one is beside Burnaby, hehe.

Also keep those pictures coming, fantastic views.

Cheers

[vanman]

Those are sweet photos thanks alot for posting!

[urbanizer405]

Wow, that area is really coming! Though, there's still little pockets of unsavory properties that, hopefully, will be redeveloped soon.

Just wish it wasn't such a long walk from the Edmonds Skytrain station...

[paradigm4]

Wow, that area is really coming! Though, there's still little pockets of unsavory properties that, hopefully, will be redeveloped soon.

Just wish it wasn't such a long walk from the Edmonds Skytrain station...

Ya I never quite understood why development occurred so far north of the station. Was it cheap land or former industrial space?

[vanman]

Ya I never quite understood why development occurred so far north of the station. Was it cheap land or former industrial space?

It really isn't far at all.You can walk from Kingsway to Edmonds station in under ten minutes easily. And if you're lazy there are buses that come past every ten minutes or less.

That corner at Kingsway and Edmonds used to be a whole bunch of run down stores including a Salvation Army that sold clothes by the pound. Behind was a vacant treed lot. I believe after a fire (I could be wrong) the site was leveled and stayed vacant for many years. The original plan was to build a hotel with street fronting retail but it fell through because at the time the city had plans to overhaul the Kingsway/Edmonds intersection and they needed land from the site.

[officedweller]

The Highgate Village site used to be the rundown Middlegate Mall - i.e. "opportunistic rezoning" on a previously consolidated site.

Side note: If the 1993 Socred plans for Skytrain had proceeded, the branch to Lougheed Mall would have branched off east of Royal Oak Station, taken the former Hydro ROW to Edmonds and travelled up Edmonds to Government Road and Lougheed Mall.

You can see the ROW on the left side of this Global Air Photos pic (not sure why the Expo Line did not use this ROW for at least a part of the route before turning south - i.e. there could hav ebeen a station closer to Kingsway - but from what I recall, even the Edmonds Station was an "afterthought" and added to the Expo Line late in the planning process):

http://www.globalairphotos.com/images/bc/burnaby/2008/byh2008_083.jpg

http://www.globalairphotos.com/images/bc/burnaby/2008/byh2008_086.jpg

[djmk]

Ya I never quite understood why development occurred so far north of the station. Was it cheap land or former industrial space?

i moved into the edmonds neighbourhood in 1986 (but have since left) and it has been amazing the amount of changed that has happened since then.

all around the station is now jammed packed of condos, social housing, new schools, townhouses and towers (including but not exclusive to "city in the park"). however, it seemed that edmonds street itself went on a downward spiral, especially went IGA left and was replaced by Value Village. Prostitution, drugs and the low income housing along Kingway from Newwest to Gilley. There was that hotel near 14th that was horrible, but has since burnt down.

i do not know why they are building a new library. the old library was really nice (however, its been about 19 years since i last visited). the city moved all the books to metrotown when that library opened and closed off the whole downstairs. i guess this is BC where we like to tear down any building over 20 years old and replace it with something flashy

vanman: ya that corner burnt down. before it was a cabaret, comic book store and a hair dresser.

i'm so glad to see the neighbourhood being revitalized. edmonds still has some great restaurants. some of the best thai food ever.

[vanman]

it's improved substantially in the last few years. I used to see the nastiest hookers on a daily basis but now I only see them once in awhile

[vanman]

Small update taken by me today with my phone. (The iphone only has a 2megapixel camera!)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/IMG_0010.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/IMG_0012.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/IMG_0009.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/IMG_0013.jpg

I have to say I'm somewhat impressed by this development. I'm digging the brick and limestone base.

[vanman]

Some pics I took this morning:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/IMG_0033.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/IMG_0032.jpg

[vanman]

I noticed the other day that the 2nd tower u/c is topping off right now at about 15 stories. In the original project rendering both towers are 25floors so I'm guessing that Bosa is cutting it short so that they don't have a large surplus of unsold condos which would lead to lower prices.

Either way the whole thing is shaping up nicely it looks great especially with the retail podium all lit up at night. The adjacent new library is also coming along well and most of the steel framing is up.

[David]

thanks for the info about the hydro ROW officedweller, i always wondered how that edmonds connection would have worked but i completely forgot that ROW was there. in my opinion that would have been so much better than what we have now.

[worldwide]

thanks for the info about the hydro ROW officedweller, i always wondered how that edmonds connection would have worked but i completely forgot that ROW was there. in my opinion that would have been so much better than what we have now.


what we have now is pretty good... its far from perfect, but its better than a line from royal oak to lougheed... theres virtually nothing but sprawl in that area south of burnaby lake

[giallo]

Thanks for the photo updates, vanman.

[David]

what we have now is pretty good... its far from perfect, but its better than a line from royal oak to lougheed... theres virtually nothing but sprawl in that area south of burnaby lake

i'm probably just biased because of where I live and the fact I have to go through new west any time i need to take the expo line in that direction :yuck:

[vanman]

Thanks for the photo updates, vanman.

No problem, I'll probably take some more this weekend if the weather is clear.

[Xrayal]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3232/3286444421_48b2f35f65_b.jpg
Esprit 1 fully lit tonight
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3560/3287261048_34c42027f3_b.jpg
Esprit 1&2 (2 is sorta hiding in the dark)

[vanman]

Cool shots man. I noticed today too that Esprit was fully lit up tonight. It almost looked like an office building it was so bright.

A shot by me taken a few hours ago:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/olympicoval003.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/olympicoval003.jpg

[verjj]

updated information:

1. Esprit1 has 29 floors and Esprit2 has 24 floors. I don't know why they have 5 floors difference. Maybe that's the reason why Esprit2 went ahead to finish the construction.

2. The Wave coffee, Max dollar store, Pharmacy, and a work-in clinic are now in the commercial building of Esprit1.

3. The new library will be open in late Octomber/early November. The old library on the other street already closed.

[vanman]

These towers were completed over two years ago now. The thread title needs to be updated.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/van%20burbs/DSCF6813-1.jpg

[jlousa]

Thanks, thread updated.