[Halifax] Nova Centre | 65-58-58 m | 16-15-14 fl | Completed

[Nouvellecosse]

I think I'm going to be kind of sad to see the cladding go up. The warm earth tones of the concrete and steel of the unclad structure really fits in with the mood of the surroundings whereas I worry that I'll find a lot of sleek blue glass to be quite cold and jarring.

Hard to say but in the finished rendering above it really doesn't fit with the urban fabric and sticks out like a sore thumb.

[counterfactual]

I think I'm going to be kind of sad to see the cladding go up. The warm earth tones of the concrete and steel of the unclad structure really fits in with the mood of the surroundings whereas I worry that I'll find a lot of sleek blue glass to be quite cold and jarring.

Hard to say but in the finished rendering above it really doesn't fit with the urban fabric and sticks out like a sore thumb.

I disagree. We have so few of these very new "sleek" glass modern buildings downtown, that it will bring a nice contrast to the surroundings. We need a more unique and boldly designed buildings to "stick out" like sore thumbs, and provide some much needed architectural diversity.

I think the Nova Center will join the new Central Library as one of the new modern and iconic buildings in the city.

If the 22 Commerce Square ever gets built (not holding my breath) it, too, will likely be a new, unique, and iconic building.

[Nouvellecosse]

Seems to me that downtown is really a jumble of different styles and the main issue is a lack of coherence.

[Keith P.]

Seems to me that downtown is really a jumble of different styles and the main issue is a lack of coherence.


Until recently it was all short, stubby, sawed off red brick Victorians or faux-Victorians. Some diversity is good.

[ILoveHalifax]

We need to get Keith to bring in his wrecking ball to the NFB site and then we can build something new and sleek to compliment the Nova Center, so Nouvelle Escosse will be happy.
There - problem solved

[Ziobrop]

I think I'm going to be kind of sad to see the cladding go up. The warm earth tones of the concrete and steel of the unclad structure really fits in with the mood of the surroundings whereas I worry that I'll find a lot of sleek blue glass to be quite cold and jarring.

Hard to say but in the finished rendering above it really doesn't fit with the urban fabric and sticks out like a sore thumb.

the glass looks to be pretty close to the new stuff they put on TD - Has a blue tint, but its not jaring, and mostly see through.

Id include a photo, but it all has that blue kling protector (like screens on electronics have when you unpack them) so it looks really blue.

[Nouvellecosse]

We need to get Keith to bring in his wrecking ball to the NFB site and then we can build something new and sleek to compliment the Nova Center, so Nouvelle Escosse will be happy.
There - problem solved

I think what bothers me is that for a city of our age, we don't really have any significant sized historic districts. Pretty much every part of downtown is dominated by modern(ish) highrises. I enjoyed the fact that this area wasn't, even though not all the buildings are historic. The downtown Halifax wiki page sort of mentions this:

Unlike other historic Canadian cities such as Quebec[1] and Montreal[2] or comparably size New England cities such as Portland, Maine,[3] Halifax has not preserved any heritage districts and has few intact blocks of historic buildings, although the downtown is known for the historic architecture of some individual landmark buildings. Demolition and urban renewal in the 1960s and 1970s replaced most of the downtown with blocks with office towers.[4] One of the few blocks to have retained its heritage character is Granville Mall, a pedestrian mall formerly part of Granville Street, made up of an array of shops and pubs in a conglomeration of rowed historic buildings built in the 1860s. It is known for the stone facades on each building. Historic Properties, a collection of 19th-century warehouses converted into shops and restaurants, is located nearby. Despite the heritage focus of these remaining blocks of heritage buildings, none are protected as heritage districts.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Halifax

When one of the NFLD forumers mentioned this a couple years ago I sort of scoffed it off because obviously there are quite a few heritage buildings. But I see where he was coming from now. It was really highlighted to me after visiting QC, Montreal, and even Saint John this summer.

But hey, we'll see how things turn out...

[lawsond]

Fact is that Halifax never had a great stock of brick and stone. We have been chewing up old wooden neighbourhoods for decades...most of which were not particularly desirable. Saint John has brick/stone Trinity Royal which shows how rich that city was in the 1800s. Montreal and QC have a lot more brick and stone. And St. John's seems to value wooden neighbourhoods which is good because they ain't got much other than that. In many ways forunate and unfortunate, Halifax development patterns are a mirror in miniature of Toronto We have the same booms and busts including the office tower booms of the 70's and 80s and a current boom in condos. Cities like Saint John and St. John's don't have the wealth and growth to mirror those booms. Even in micro. Frankly old wooden shacks thrown up to hous the working poor are better off demolished IMO. I think Hali is playing it just right with a mix of old, new and hybrid structures. There are competing forces here that, even though we may find the Preservers annoying at times, produces a livable city in the end.

[someone123]

There's a limited stock of old masonry buildings outside of downtown but the stock downtown is still pretty exceptional. Buildings like the Bank of NS and Province House only have equals in a couple of other cities in Canada. If anything I think the heritage buildings downtown are really underappreciated, which is probably why there has been less preservation than there could have been.

Halifax does have historic districts by the way. Barrington is one. Schmidtville is going to be one. The Falkland area could be another one, along with the Hydrostone, Jubilee Road, etc.

The Saint John comparison is interesting. The stock of commercial buildings isn't greater than what you find in Halifax but because there are more highrises, Halifax is arguably less immersive. That's just a trade-off. The cities are different. I'm not sure downtown Halifax could have the vibrancy it has without higher density modern buildings so it's not very upsetting to me, although it is sad that there are a few cases where great old buildings were torn down for parking lots.

[Nouvellecosse]

Sometimes visiting other cities can of course result in one's own grass seeming less green upon return. I'm sure it'll ware off in time.

[Jonovision]

the glass looks to be pretty close to the new stuff they put on TD - Has a blue tint, but its not jaring, and mostly see through.

Id include a photo, but it all has that blue kling protector (like screens on electronics have when you unpack them) so it looks really blue.

Has any of it been installed yet? I walked by today and didn't notice any of it up.

[counterfactual]

I think what bothers me is that for a city of our age, we don't really have any significant sized historic districts. Pretty much every part of downtown is dominated by modern(ish) highrises. I enjoyed the fact that this area wasn't, even though not all the buildings are historic. The downtown Halifax wiki page sort of mentions this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Halifax

When one of the NFLD forumers mentioned this a couple years ago I sort of scoffed it off because obviously there are quite a few heritage buildings. But I see where he was coming from now. It was really highlighted to me after visiting QC, Montreal, and even Saint John this summer.

But hey, we'll see how things turn out...

I agree that it would be nice to have a distinct area that is heritage preserved; it could be sold as a specific destination ("let's go the Distillery district.. or Gastown", etc.

But perhaps we should actually protect the Granville Mall and the surrounding "historic properties" as a heritage district now. In ways, we sort of already treat it that way -- I've often told visitors to check out "heritage properties" along the waterfront there, and then up along Granville Mall.

The problem, of course, is that this area is very dead, mostly killed by the idiotic Cogswell Exchange. Perhaps a big, modern, residential development to replace the Cogswell space-- while also preserving Granville mall and surrounding as a heritage district-- might be a very nice way to promote this area. I think Granville could eventually be a beautiful shopping area for high end shops (like Barrington), if we actually reconnected it to the city by gutting the stupid Cogswell and the big triangular parking spot nearby and infusing much needed residential via new developments nearby.

[Keith P.]

Downtown residential is still a very small target market - basically singles, empty nesters, and young couples without children. Any kids living downtown would need to go to school somewhere, but I have no idea where they would go.

[curnhalio]

Downtown residential is still a very small target market - basically singles, empty nesters, and young couples without children. Any kids living downtown would need to go to school somewhere, but I have no idea where they would go.

I think there is anticipation that these markets will grow in the not-too-distant future. There are plenty of young adults not at all interested in having children - now or at any point. Empty nesters/seniors are certainly a growing demographic, and there are already some seniors living in downtown condos or apartments. Whether these demographics can consistently afford high end luxury units to the point of filling several large new builds remains to be seen.

[ns_kid]

To the surprise of virtually no one, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal has ruled that the province did not break any rules when it allowed construction of the Nova Centre to proceed by way of a Statement of Provincial Interest before a final development agreement was in place with Halifax.

This is the second time the courts have ruled against the Thiel Family. The Thiel's next and final avenue would be to seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada though it seems unlikely the SCC would find this a compelling case.

In the decision released today, Justice Michael MacDonald ruled that the province did indeed have a valid interest in seeing the project proceed and was completely within its rights to issue the planning area order.

Costs were awarded to the province.

Of course the decision has little material impact since the Thiels were not seeking to stop construction or a damage award.

[Nouvellecosse]

I think there is anticipation that these markets will grow in the not-too-distant future. There are plenty of young adults not at all interested in having children - now or at any point. Empty nesters/seniors are certainly a growing demographic, and there are already some seniors living in downtown condos or apartments. Whether these demographics can consistently afford high end luxury units to the point of filling several large new builds remains to be seen.

That, and there are several schools just outside downtown like Saint Mary's Elementary on Morris street and of course the new highschool on Bell rd. But it's kind of a moot point because even if there were schools right downtown, if you saw major population growth of young families in the area you need to either build more or expand the existing ones. But that can be said for most areas.

[Hali87]

There are also several schools outside downtown that have closed over the last 10 years or are underutilized (and probably some that are overcrowded as a result) - St Pat's-Alexandra, Beaufort, and another one near SMU (I forget the name) all closed and there are a number of inconspicuous elementary and jr. high schools scattered across the peninsula and every couple years a few of them are under threat of being closed. There are also actually quite a few private schools on and around the peninsula and I think they tend to be forgotten about most of the time.

[Jonovision]

Still no glass but it keeps getting taller and the box of the ballroom is continuing to take shape along Argyle.

https://40.media.tumblr.com/89cb2d4417cb2821af4986c7029b0b9a/tumblr_nvx4lbBbFm1sk8kjeo4_1280.jpg

https://40.media.tumblr.com/42d0855d5b1a396c86701192af0fdf68/tumblr_nvx4lbBbFm1sk8kjeo5_1280.jpg

https://36.media.tumblr.com/e2736c1ce341aa7378bc2740f2737469/tumblr_nvx4lbBbFm1sk8kjeo3_1280.jpg

https://41.media.tumblr.com/91f159e89650f461f515c86b42478e06/tumblr_nvx4lbBbFm1sk8kjeo1_1280.jpg

[Jonovision]

https://40.media.tumblr.com/97111ae454e60598428bbce357f633fc/tumblr_nw8faoKxwf1sk8kjeo3_1280.jpg

https://41.media.tumblr.com/57a914af34499eb7a609e5e8ab5236fc/tumblr_nw8faoKxwf1sk8kjeo4_1280.jpg

https://41.media.tumblr.com/12dc5007cd53966f3db6e60fd6e2ef56/tumblr_nw8faoKxwf1sk8kjeo5_1280.jpg

https://41.media.tumblr.com/a21f3ba5905aa73135e859df0e2bd776/tumblr_nw8faoKxwf1sk8kjeo8_1280.jpg

https://41.media.tumblr.com/647434a402f81d4af8894b7848537d1e/tumblr_nw8faoKxwf1sk8kjeo9_1280.jpg

[stevencourchene]

so can anyone tell me/us how Meany floors to go until complete?

[OldDartmouthMark]

Great shots, Jonovision!

I have to say from standing on Argyle St. looking up earlier this week... what a monster! Your 3rd shot illustrates this quite well - it just towers over everything else in the immediate area. Without cladding, glass and lights it actually has a foreboding appearance at the moment.

Will be interesting to see how it all comes together and works with its surrounding once it's done.

[Ziobrop]

so can anyone tell me/us how Meany floors to go until complete?
a few more.. its 16,15,14 iirc.they are on 13.

[someone123]

View from the Citadel:

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5741/21638603354_0c5e7434b1_k.jpg
Source (https://www.flickr.com/photos/61737104@N00/21638603354/sizes/k/)

[Ziobrop]

http://41.media.tumblr.com/66fd246d1e9729669d3c237eca2c7f6f/tumblr_nwirp80YQG1sjmgsso1_500.jpg

Hotel Side Crane (#2) is due to be removed this weekend. They are setting up for the 14th floor now, leaving only the roof after this.

[Jonovision]

http://41.media.tumblr.com/66fd246d1e9729669d3c237eca2c7f6f/tumblr_nwirp80YQG1sjmgsso1_500.jpg

Hotel Side Crane (#2) is due to be removed this weekend. They are setting up for the 14th floor now, leaving only the roof after this.

Will they be using the other crane to build the rest of this one? From what I can tell in the renderings it still has another 4 floors to go?

[kph06]

Looking at the webcam it looks like more tower sections have arrived for the Sackville Street crane.

[counterfactual]

View from the Citadel:

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5741/21638603354_0c5e7434b1_k.jpg
Source (https://www.flickr.com/photos/61737104@N00/21638603354/sizes/k/)

It was in the spring, this year of Grace,
With new life pushing through,
That I looked from the Citadel down to the Narrows,
And asked what it's coming to.
I saw Upper Canadian concrete,
And glass right down to the waterline;
I have heard an old song down on Fisherman's Wharf -
Can I sing it just one time?

Can I sing it just one time?

Can I sing it just one time?

[fenwick16]

View from the Citadel:

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5741/21638603354_0c5e7434b1_k.jpg
Source (https://www.flickr.com/photos/61737104@N00/21638603354/sizes/k/)


Gosh darn it! The Save the View group had me believing that it would have a much bigger impact on the skyline. Still not bad though, and there are still a few more storeys to go :)

[OldDartmouthMark]

Gosh darn it! The Save the View group had me believing that it would have a much bigger impact on the skyline. Still not bad though, and there are still a few more storeys to go :)

A few more storeys won't take any more of the view away from the public on the Citadel, but it will give the privileged few who get to be on those floors an exclusive view of the harbour from above.

[OldDartmouthMark]

It was in the spring, this year of Grace,
With new life pushing through,
That I looked from the Citadel down to the Narrows,
And asked what it's coming to.
I saw Upper Canadian concrete,
And glass right down to the waterline;
I have heard an old song down on Fisherman's Wharf -
Can I sing it just one time?

Can I sing it just one time?

Can I sing it just one time?

I've never heard that one. What is the reference?

[portapetey]

Gosh darn it! The Save the View group had me believing that it would have a much bigger impact on the skyline. Still not bad though, and there are still a few more storeys to go :)

What ever do you mean?

http://www.savetheview.ca/images/HorizEmail.jpg

I'd say they nailed it. :notacrook:

Of course, we're still waiting for the destruction of the remainder of our heritage, as they've predicted:

http://www.savetheview.ca/images/2views.jpg

[kph06]

The tallest crane was dropped by at least one section this morning.

[kwajo]

I've never heard that one. What is the reference?
It's Fisherman's Wharf by Stan Rogers

[OldDartmouthMark]

It's Fisherman's Wharf by Stan Rogers

Thanks! :tup:

[Keith P.]

Finally starting to look like a real city.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Finally starting to look like a real city.

What about Halifax makes you believe it's not a real city? :???:

[Drybrain]

Finally starting to look like a real city.

It's funny; I was thinking of the "tall=big city" equivalency during the past few weeks, when I was on vacation.

I spent a week in Amsterdam, and it's easily at least as much of a "real city" as any place in North America, but its city centre has virtually no tall buildings whatsoever. Almost all the skyscrapers are sequestered in far-flung corners of the city, and even there, there aren't very many.

Urbanity is more about what the streets look like at eye level than what the skyline looks like from a distance.

[terrynorthend]

Gosh darn it! The Save the View group had me believing that it would have a much bigger impact on the skyline. Still not bad though, and there are still a few more storeys to go :)
Yes, not bad at all, and it does a great job of obscuring the view of that awlul (ex)refinery.

[Waye Mason]

EDIT - delete double post

[Waye Mason]

Notes from the meeting yesterday with area merchants and DHBC.


2-3 weeks for steel work to be done, big crane leaves the street
main line and municipal services go in Nov/Dec with partial closures and stop and go starting on Prince, up to Market, down Sackville.
Market closed tomorrowish to Sunday or Monday to remove one of the hotel side cranes
weather tight (temporary tarps, not glass) before December
Blue box (convention room) glass in before xmas
Some glass goes in elsewhere before xmas but rest after worst winter weather over.



Argyle 2 blocks and Grafton Prince to Carmichael should all be streetscaped in late summer next year.

[Colin May]

And the rumour is the BMO logo will appear at the Friday press conference. I see the Big 5 are laying off and reducing space across the country, have to keep increasing dividends.
Did BMO provide construction financing ? CIBC was/is heavy into Kings Wharf and with big margins.

[fenwick16]

Notes from the meeting yesterday with area merchants and DHBC.

2-3 weeks for steel work to be done, big crane leaves the street
main line and municipal services go in Nov/Dec with partial closures and stop and go starting on Prince, up to Market, down Sackville.
Market closed tomorrowish to Sunday or Monday to remove one of the hotel side cranes
weather tight (temporary tarps, not glass) before December
Blue box (convention room) glass in before xmas
Some glass goes in elsewhere before xmas but rest after worst winter weather over.


Argyle 2 blocks and Grafton Prince to Carmichael should all be streetscaped in late summer next year.


This sounds very promising. Maybe it really will open late in 2016?

[counterfactual]

I've never heard that one. What is the reference?

Stan Rogers' song Fisherman's Wharf.

A classic!

[OldDartmouthMark]

Stan Rogers' song Fisherman's Wharf.

A classic!

As a born and bred Maritimer, I am embarrassed to admit that my knowledge of Stan Rogers' work is a little deficient.

Thanks, I'll have to give it a listen! :tup:

[bluenoser]

And the rumour is the BMO logo will appear at the Friday press conference.

Nova Centre’s first major tenant, Bank of Montreal, to move in next year
http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1318430-nova-centre%E2%80%99s-first-major-tenant-bank-of-montreal-to-move-in-next-year

BMO will move into the Nova Centre in December 2016. They have signed a 10-year lease with a 20-year extension.

...

The bank has also signed an agreement with Argyle Developments to name the financial component of the Nova Centre the BMO Tower.

The deal means 200 bank employees will occupy two floors and 36,000 square feet of the office tower.

In addition, the main Halifax BMO branch will occupy 4,200 square feet of the first floor of the Nova Centre office tower.

Good news, I guess. I wonder if the branch will be on the Grafton or Argyle side, although 'first floor' probably indicates Argyle. A bank seems somewhat uncool for that block but maybe that's just me...

[someone123]

It's funny; I was thinking of the "tall=big city" equivalency during the past few weeks, when I was on vacation.

I spent a week in Amsterdam, and it's easily at least as much of a "real city" as any place in North America, but its city centre has virtually no tall buildings whatsoever. Almost all the skyscrapers are sequestered in far-flung corners of the city, and even there, there aren't very many.

Urbanity is more about what the streets look like at eye level than what the skyline looks like from a distance.

I would agree with this, although highrises can be nice at eye level too. A lot of the new ones in Halifax are.

Amsterdam has much more densely built up older sections, so I think it's a bit different. In Halifax it won't be possible to have a vibrant downtown core and also preserve comparatively low density areas like Schmidtville (plus the large public spaces like the Commons) without some higher density new construction.

[Drybrain]

I would agree with this, although highrises can be nice at eye level too. A lot of the new ones in Halifax are.

Amsterdam has much more densely built up older sections, so I think it's a bit different. In Halifax it won't be possible to have a vibrant downtown core and also preserve comparatively low density areas like Schmidtville (plus the large public spaces like the Commons) without some higher density new construction.

Definitely true: we NEED selectively places highrises for density simply because our old stock isn't built to a sufficient density. Really, heritage advocates should be pro-skyscraper, since you can house a lot of people in a small space, thereby reducing demolition of existing building stock.

I was just tickled a bit by the notion that skyline=big city.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Definitely true: we NEED selectively places highrises for density simply because our old stock isn't built to a sufficient density. Really, heritage advocates should be pro-skyscraper, since you can house a lot of people in a small space, thereby reducing demolition of existing building stock.

I was just tickled a bit by the notion that skyline=big city.

I don't think that being pro-skyscraper and a heritage advocate are mutually exclusive. In fact ideally we all should fit in both categories with the common goal of having the best city possible.

Sometimes we get our priorities a little messed-up, though, in thinking that a pretty skyline composed of a lot of gleaming, tall skyscrapers is more important than the actual functionality and feel of the city from the ground. Therefore, I think your initial point is spot-on. :2cents:

[Keith P.]

Nova Centre’s first major tenant, Bank of Montreal, to move in next year
http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1318430-nova-centre%E2%80%99s-first-major-tenant-bank-of-montreal-to-move-in-next-year

"BMO will move into the Nova Centre in December 2016. They have signed a 10-year lease with a 20-year extension.

...

The bank has also signed an agreement with Argyle Developments to name the financial component of the Nova Centre the BMO Tower.

The deal means 200 bank employees will occupy two floors and 36,000 square feet of the office tower.

In addition, the main Halifax BMO branch will occupy 4,200 square feet of the first floor of the Nova Centre office tower. "

Good news, I guess. I wonder if the branch will be on the Grafton or Argyle side, although 'first floor' probably indicates Argyle. A bank seems somewhat uncool for that block but maybe that's just me...


So now we will have similar absurdity as we have for the harbor bridges? "The old BMO Building" and "The new BMO building?" Because you just know that people will still call the George St building the BMO Building.

[Hali87]

In theory the bank branch could also front onto Sackville or Prince, or more likely Grafton.

[ScovaNotian]

There's a picture on CBC that suggests that it's the corner of Argyle and Prince.

[Hali87]

That would actually be great for Argyle (and its restaurants/bars), as long as that doesn't become "Bank Corner"

[teddifax]

That would actually be great for Argyle (and its restaurants/bars), as long as that doesn't become "Bank Corner"

I would really like bars and restaurants along the Argyle St. side to continue what is already there and put the street-facing bank elsewhere (Grafton).

[someone123]

It seems unlikely that a lot of banks would set up shop around there. Some of the buildings are registered heritage properties and they're not well-suited to large commercial tenants. Hopefully this will result in a bit more mixing; maybe the old BMO building can be converted to another use like residential.

Here's the rendering:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSBe9nxXAAA7Qzv.jpg:large
Source (https://twitter.com/metrohalifax/media)

The Nova Centre will definitely make this feel like part of the downtown business district, whereas in the past it felt like downtown petered out a couple blocks below Brunswick. I always thought it was too bad that Halifax wasn't quite large enough that the old town site below the Citadel was fully developed with medium-sized brick and stone heritage buildings. That would have been a great "old town", with the modern office district to the west. The same could be said of the peninsula as a whole. It was mostly developed before WWII and before the era when most people had cars, but it wasn't so large that development was heavily constrained by the geography. That is only really happening now because traffic is becoming inconvenient. During the streetcar era and the early era of cars there was plenty of land and densities were fairly low.

[teddifax]

Now we have to find out what brand of Hotel will be going there!

[counterfactual]

As a born and bred Maritimer, I am embarrassed to admit that my knowledge of Stan Rogers' work is a little deficient.

Thanks, I'll have to give it a listen! :tup:

Yeah, the great photo inspired me. It's one of his best ones. :)

[counterfactual]

Definitely true: we NEED selectively places highrises for density simply because our old stock isn't built to a sufficient density. Really, heritage advocates should be pro-skyscraper, since you can house a lot of people in a small space, thereby reducing demolition of existing building stock.

I was just tickled a bit by the notion that skyline=big city.

Dry, you should run for director of the Heritage Foundation. How about a common sense heritage advocate in there? :)

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Originally Posted by bluenoser View Post
Nova Centre’s first major tenant, Bank of Montreal, to move in next year
http://thechronicleherald.ca/busines...e-in-next-year

"BMO will move into the Nova Centre in December 2016. They have signed a 10-year lease with a 20-year extension.

...

The bank has also signed an agreement with Argyle Developments to name the financial component of the Nova Centre the BMO Tower.

The deal means 200 bank employees will occupy two floors and 36,000 square feet of the office tower.

In addition, the main Halifax BMO branch will occupy 4,200 square feet of the first floor of the Nova Centre office tower. "

Good news, I guess. I wonder if the branch will be on the Grafton or Argyle side, although 'first floor' probably indicates Argyle. A bank seems somewhat uncool for that block but maybe that's just me... View Post
Nova Centre’s first major tenant, Bank of Montreal, to move in next year
http://thechronicleherald.ca/busines...e-in-next-year

"BMO will move into the Nova Centre in December 2016. They have signed a 10-year lease with a 20-year extension.

...

The bank has also signed an agreement with Argyle Developments to name the financial component of the Nova Centre the BMO Tower.

The deal means 200 bank employees will occupy two floors and 36,000 square feet of the office tower.

In addition, the main Halifax BMO branch will occupy 4,200 square feet of the first floor of the Nova Centre office tower. "

Good news, I guess. I wonder if the branch will be on the Grafton or Argyle side, although 'first floor' probably indicates Argyle. A bank seems somewhat uncool for that block but maybe that's just me...

I think this is awesome for this area of downtown. Sounds like BMO is centralizing operations and concentrating more bodies in one place.

[Jringe01]

What ever do you mean?

http://www.savetheview.ca/images/HorizEmail.jpg

I'd say they nailed it. :notacrook:

Of course, we're still waiting for the destruction of the remainder of our heritage, as they've predicted:

http://www.savetheview.ca/images/2views.jpg

Because like yeah...if we lose the view of the Oil Refinery well that just ruin's everything

[Jringe01]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/nova-centre-bmo-tenant-1.3285665

Seeing much the same article on the CBC...however the CBC seems to suggest that BMO "...will relocate its Atlantic Canadian headquarters and support services, as well as its main bank site to the downtown Halifax complex."

Makes it seem like the move is bigger than it is

[Jonovision]

https://41.media.tumblr.com/1287f29d0e9e736697a7de5a04fa5aaf/tumblr_nwryiqh9jX1sk8kjeo2_1280.jpg

https://36.media.tumblr.com/1fd61add939fcd3ebb1b5efc6075f0f8/tumblr_nwryiqh9jX1sk8kjeo3_1280.jpg

https://41.media.tumblr.com/3a60bae33c1d8933088eb98ff45447c1/tumblr_nwryiqh9jX1sk8kjeo4_1280.jpg

https://41.media.tumblr.com/fb62c17e6e1dfe60d5f97fa2b71ce258/tumblr_nwryiqh9jX1sk8kjeo5_1280.jpg

This crane has been propped up a few more sections and is now very visible all over downtown.

https://41.media.tumblr.com/9ac04f9a46ee128f5a762f94d266b63b/tumblr_nwrzatKFxB1sk8kjeo1_1280.jpg

https://41.media.tumblr.com/685e9cd192077fc6652f766df43c99f0/tumblr_nwrzbbr5Hm1sk8kjeo3_1280.jpg

[teddifax]

https://41.media.tumblr.com/1287f29d0e9e736697a7de5a04fa5aaf/tumblr_nwryiqh9jX1sk8kjeo2_1280.jpg

https://36.media.tumblr.com/1fd61add939fcd3ebb1b5efc6075f0f8/tumblr_nwryiqh9jX1sk8kjeo3_1280.jpg

https://41.media.tumblr.com/3a60bae33c1d8933088eb98ff45447c1/tumblr_nwryiqh9jX1sk8kjeo4_1280.jpg

https://41.media.tumblr.com/fb62c17e6e1dfe60d5f97fa2b71ce258/tumblr_nwryiqh9jX1sk8kjeo5_1280.jpg

This crane has been propped up a few more sections and is now very visible all over downtown.

https://41.media.tumblr.com/9ac04f9a46ee128f5a762f94d266b63b/tumblr_nwrzatKFxB1sk8kjeo1_1280.jpg

https://41.media.tumblr.com/685e9cd192077fc6652f766df43c99f0/tumblr_nwrzbbr5Hm1sk8kjeo3_1280.jpg

I think the only negative thing I can see about this is the backside of the Hotel on Market St. It is all concrete, hardly any windows. Is this going to be fixed with something to take away from this stark look?

[Ziobrop]

In theory the bank branch could also front onto Sackville or Prince, or more likely Grafton.

Things might have changed but I saw a bank vault on the grafton level drawings months ago.

[counterfactual]

Gorgeous photos, jonovision! Thanks for posting.

[teddifax]

Gorgeous photos, jonovision! Thanks for posting.

Yes, really great pictures! Please keep posting!

[OldDartmouthMark]

Gorgeous photos, jonovision! Thanks for posting.

:yeahthat:

[Jonovision]

Thanks guys! I walk by it everyday on my way to work.
I can't wait to see the first please of glass go up in the next few weeks!

https://41.media.tumblr.com/718c5a605349afeaf01aa48cd7e7055b/tumblr_nwu9hr0a6n1sk8kjeo1_1280.jpg

[bluenoser]

Yes, thanks a lot Jono and Ziobrop - I always appreciate your photos!

Things might have changed but I saw a bank vault on the grafton level drawings months ago.

Upon closer inspection of the updated rendering, it does look like the branch is on the corner of Grafton and Prince. Hopefully we end up with some interesting shops / restaurants along Argyle.

[kph06]

They moved one of the roof trusses today, the mobile crane took one end and the tower crane had the other. They used the cranes scond trolley to get more mechanical advantage.

[RoshanMcG]

Their website has a new rendering I believe, at least I've never seen it before.

http://i60.tinypic.com/x6a4oy.jpg

Source:Nova Centre Website (http://novacentre.ca)

[hoser111]

[QUOTE=RoshanMcG;7212761]Their website has a new rendering I believe, at least I've never seen it before.

You are correct, I've never seen this angle either!....and I think it's awesome!

[someone123]

The details about Grafton Street are interesting. They're calling it Grafton Place and there's a form up for people to enquire about holding events there and there are some renderings that make it look very bright and full of public art, etc. Hopefully it'll live up to expectations. I think it could be a really cool and unique space for the city if it's attractively designed and retains a "public" feel.

[Jonovision]

Starting to rear its head along Barrington. Also note the lack of visible progress on the NFB.

https://40.media.tumblr.com/00df46aab7dbe7758e0360c5e0734105/tumblr_nwvvngEBwT1sk8kjeo4_1280.jpg

[Keith P.]

Eyesore section of Barrington.

[ILoveHalifax]

NFB - what a fu@kin joke - a whole year and nothing done - bring in Keith's wrecking ball

[counterfactual]

Annoying, because the NFB proposal is extremely modest.

What is the hold up?

Seriously, sell it to Reznick. He's also slow, but we can be sure it'll eventually get done quality.

[someone123]

It seems like there are a lot of projects in Halifax where construction proceeds slowly. They tend to get finished though. Maybe it's hard to find workers given how many projects are on the go?

That view will be pretty interesting if and when the NFB building is done and the building in behind gets a couple more floors. I find areas like this feel a lot more impressive when the sidestreets are also nicely built up. Downtown areas are also a lot more interesting when you can wander in any direction and find things worth looking at without having to trudge through dead zones.

[Drybrain]

NFB is slow but I still see progress whenever I go by, whether it's workers inside or materials being hauled. Maybe there was some contamination or something inside that required longer to clean up (pure idle speculation there).

And I imagine they have to do a lot of site prep to make sure they can get equipment behind there without endangering the stability of the facade, etc.

[Ziobrop]

Annoying, because the NFB proposal is extremely modest.

What is the hold up?

Seriously, sell it to Reznick. He's also slow, but we can be sure it'll eventually get done quality.

they are working on it. there appears to be a decent bit of ground removed from within, and i see workers there regularly.. seems to be a lot done by hand.

[Keith P.]

Must be just One Guy Named Moe working there.

[fenwick16]

They moved one of the roof trusses today, the mobile crane took one end and the tower crane had the other. They used the cranes scond trolley to get more mechanical advantage.

Looking at Nova Scotia Webcams - http://www.novascotiawebcams.com/en/webcams/nova-centre/ - they have all the roof trusses in place now. It is good to see that they are moving along in getting the roof done; it won't be too long before the snow comes.

http://images.novascotiawebcams.com/novacentre/2015/10/27/20/novacentre_20151027-200506_G0YVxwnyq2nq8oU6.jpg

[ILoveHalifax]

Must be just One Guy Named Moe working there.

And Moe will be spending the winter in the sunny south? like last winter? when nothing got done because there was snow in there?

[OldDartmouthMark]

Don't know if everybody has seen this:

http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1318525-taylor-nova-centre-window-installation-begins-soon

Scroll down through the BMO stuff, and they talk a little about installing windows, etc.

[Hali87]

From yesterday:

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5640/22375307940_3674824002_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/A6eivo)
20151027_140748[1] (https://flic.kr/p/A6eivo) by Hali87 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/72021271@N05/), on Flickr

[Jonovision]

https://40.media.tumblr.com/e412e6bc0a09527f84968b26cb648f2f/tumblr_nx9hkiqmkV1sk8kjeo2_1280.jpg

[teddifax]

https://40.media.tumblr.com/e412e6bc0a09527f84968b26cb648f2f/tumblr_nx9hkiqmkV1sk8kjeo2_1280.jpg

How many floors are left?

[someone123]

I was just going to post a similar shot from flickr. The Grafton Street perspective is pretty interesting; this view looks a lot more urban than it used to.

I read a while back that the brown bunker on the left might be sold and developed soon. Hopefully that will happen in the next year or two.

[beyeas]

I read a while back that the brown bunker on the left might be sold and developed soon. Hopefully that will happen in the next year or two.

Be prepared for a defence of this building based on it being a classic example of the Rectanglist Movement, a little known Finnish derivative of Cubism.

[OldDartmouthMark]

I read a while back that the brown bunker on the left might be sold and developed soon. Hopefully that will happen in the next year or two.

Thank god for that. That building is one of the worst blemishes on the downtown area. Not only does it have absolutely no attractive features whatsoever, there is no relationship between it and the street below in the least, essentially making it a dead zone to pedestrians.

It can't happen fast enough for me.

Incidentally, the link to google streetside below shows a similar view when Nova Centre was just being started...

https://www.google.ca/maps/@44.645026,-63.5744282,3a,75y,304.53h,87.4t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sA3kbLI4jFfgJ_bCr1tcNwg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

[Ziobrop]

I was just going to post a similar shot from flickr. The Grafton Street perspective is pretty interesting; this view looks a lot more urban than it used to.

I read a while back that the brown bunker on the left might be sold and developed soon. Hopefully that will happen in the next year or two.

what is that brown bunker?

[Ziobrop]

How many floors are left?

on the Tower, on the prince side, Just the roof, on the sackville side, one more + roof. Hotel has a couple more.

[hoser111]

what is that brown bunker?

Cheque processing facility owned by the major banks.

It was rumored here http://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=139843&page=57 that Ramia had put an offer on that building.

[OldDartmouthMark]

what is that brown bunker?

Looks like it's home to Symcor, for the moment.

http://www.yellowpages.ca/bus/Nova-Scotia/Halifax/Symcor-Inc/3295059.html

http://www.symcor.com/en/

[midasmull]

It was rumored here http://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=139843&page=57 that Ramia had put an offer on that building.

The Lawen's actually ended up buying it around the same time that Ramia was supposedly kicking the tires on it.

[Jonovision]

It's like a huge ship sailing over the rooftops from this angle.

https://40.media.tumblr.com/4f9c52fb422acaaac4f02ebe59731711/tumblr_nxb4oq5wtx1sk8kjeo1_1280.jpg

[Jonovision]

https://41.media.tumblr.com/290ca1e8f9390966a70910d7b95ac5ca/tumblr_nxb4ktskdN1sk8kjeo5_1280.jpg

[Jonovision]

Most of the ballroom steel has now been put in place. Curtain wall should be next!

https://40.media.tumblr.com/9e1597ad713cf296c6a505dfc21c8393/tumblr_nxci1dj8LL1sk8kjeo3_1280.jpg

https://40.media.tumblr.com/0cf92d75e854af096de3737de8f29afc/tumblr_nxci1dj8LL1sk8kjeo2_1280.jpg

https://40.media.tumblr.com/cffc2142e2dadcdc3bfac946d1615ed2/tumblr_nxci1dj8LL1sk8kjeo1_1280.jpg

[beyeas]

Most of the ballroom steel has now been put in place. Curtain wall should be next!

Yeah I was at the chamber of commerce dinner at the WTCC last night, and got chatting with one of the trade centre folk, and they said that glass is on site and should start going in soon.

[curnhalio]

The top half of this can be seen driving down Gottingen. It will look fantastic upon completion.

[lawsond]

The top half of this can be seen driving down Gottingen. It will look fantastic upon completion.

I do not live there in the winter months or I would do it myself but am hoping someone can snap a pic from the Dartmouth side to show how it sits on the skyline.