The Post | 67m | 27 fl | Completed
 

It seems that the rezoning has been filed for the Post Office
http://rezoning.vancouver.ca/applica...rgia/index.htm

The Post Office redevelopment only looks okay in my opinion, I just wish they had found a way to better integrate the design of the heritage building into the new one. It looks like they just slapped something shiny on top, and left it at that.

Nice scoop Privatejet. Since no one is posting the renders I'll do it.

Seems to have changed a decent amount since the open house several months ago. It's definitely improved but still clearly constrained by its height limitations.

http://i.imgur.com/Zi5T8nf.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/CI799YM.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/gKbfeuq.png

This massing strategy page gives us a good idea of how the towers relate to each other. This one may be short but it should be quite imposing physically.

http://i.imgur.com/2rkQx3C.png

Much better, but only looks good without balconies. Doubt this is the final design. Also, even though the top looks a lot better, it somehow mismatches the podium, which should include more glass to jazz it up a little. Excited a new downtown mall is in the making: my little piece of wish.

I like it. I think I like it more than the proposed new Art Gallery.

I for one am glad that they kept the heritage facade of the post office and built the new towers on top like that. I like this design! It's seriously dense.

Article on Changing City Updates:
https://changingcitybook.com/2016/11...-west-georgia/

Very nice! IMHO the VAG was foolish not to take part in this development by taking over the historic podium.

I agree! Keeping the heritage facade was crucial as I slowly scrolled down to the first rendering :) Project overall looks pretty solid. Obviously the height part kinda sucks but at this height I think they've done a nice job with what they were working with.

The Post | 67m | 27 fl | Proposed
 

Another article on The Post.
http://www.vancouvermarket.ca/2016/1...n-canada-post/
I'm creating a new thread for it and moving previous posts over also.

* chin stroke *

I'm not even sure what 1200 bicycle parking spots look like

Take a trip to Amsterdam, and then what you see there, divide it by 10.

I like it! The development looks pretty nice in the renderings. I'm wondering how it will contrast with the library across the street.

They should quit trying to force the tired multiple-tower-on-shared-podium model and just merge them into one doughnut with a singular expression on all sides, Herzog + de Meuron style:

http://www.designboom.com/wp-content...01-818x545.jpg

Good luck selling some windowless condos.

That is nicer than I was expecting. At least from some angles.

Canada Post's new facility near the airport is already way over capacity so maybe they can build new condos on top of it too.

I dare say I like it... hopefully they don't change it too drastically between now and when they finish construction... unlike the other building across the street...

Just so odd to me. Would have loved to have seen the entire building preserved, as is, and made into a cultural facility including the VAG. This massing is just weird to me, zero integration with the design of the mid-century building, imposing scale to say the least. The old post office is reduced to a 'memory' and becomes a crazy mis-match and rather disturbing to look at.

Without the two storey 'bridge' on the original structure, we lose a key and essential element to the mid-century design as well.

We need to save this mid-century landmark in-tact or there's no need IMO. I'm aware it's too late.

https://d2kcmk0r62r1qk.cloudfront.ne...endering_7.png

https://d2kcmk0r62r1qk.cloudfront.ne...endering_4.png

https://d2kcmk0r62r1qk.cloudfront.ne...endering_3.png

There are also some interesting street level renderings available. More project details at: https://www.buzzbuzzhome.com/ca/349-west-georgia-street

Interesting take from a friend who works in a very high-level government position based in DC.

"... that looks like something out of a very small city that got money from a developer to get something and those making decisions just want cash... and hmmmm really don't care what it looks like... sad, such a beautiful building..."

Have to agree, cities that are grown up think big, and 'big' meaning respect for historically significant architecture, this is garbage!! Honestly it looks like the high-rise portion is sitting on the Post Office using it as a toilet.

Another half million in office space... that's like another decent sized tower, no?

I'd much rather have office space so to building an office tower. If a bunch of companies could get together to build something huge like the First Canadian Place or Scotia Plaza, that'd be great, but won't happen anytime soon.

Plenty of office towers are under construction...

vancouver.txt

If they could get 2-3 extra floors on the tallest part, and 1 floor more on each of the lower steps, they could eliminate the last step and it would look a lot better. It would look less cluttered and would allow for a big green space in the middle.

I agree. This would have been the ideal site and building for the VAG. Honestly, with the current proposed design it looks a lot like an art gallery/museum with mixed-use on top.

They could've at least made the addition more sympathetic to the colour scheme of the existing post office, maybe with burgundy/copper coloured mullion fins or spandrel

http://i.imgur.com/xOGQXqS.jpg

Or just put the casino towers on top of it

http://i.imgur.com/DHRp09O.jpg

I agree the design would be better with that additional treatment. Maybe try emailing/writing the City or design team while it is still in the rezoning stage. Constructive feedback like that is always welcome, and maybe they'd be open to considering it?

That's actually not a bad idea, would help tie the two expressions in a sensitive manner and isn't overly expensive.

Honestly write it in to the city, this thing still isn't UDP approved.

While I like the proposal quite a bit, I agree that highlights consistent with the red in the original building would have made it more eye-catching, and a better blend.

At the very least let's hope for non-clear glass or dull green/grey/white spandrel.

It will be clear glass, it's harder and harder to hit LEED requirements with any sort of tinted or heavy filmed glass.

Well that certainly is a shame. Would be nice to, at the very least, get glass colored like the one on Modello in Burnaby.

LEED certification is so absolutely ridiculous and it should be scrapped as a requirement.

Without doing a complete - and maybe gimmicky - redesign of the towers, IMO a subtle reiteration of the adobe and sienna colours of the Main Post Office building might be good.
I'm not talking metal strips or spandrel, just a tinge of the sienna / adobe colours on the tower portions to give the entire project more colour colhesion and harmony, and less clash.
Maybe a pale tinge the exterior glass on the buildings themselves: but as I said, very subtle, not screaming stripes or bars or other gimmicks.

A CBC article on this development:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...lans-1.3229313

Great suggestion/example. There needs to be a more harmonious blend between the old and new with this project.

What we will actually get.


[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/dNQT9lA.jpg[/IMG]

You forgot the blinds/curtains for the condos.

Can somebody explain this? I thought the point of tinted glass was to reduce the amount of solar heat transmitted into the building, which would save energy used on AC (which are energy hogs).

MY EYES!!!

Yeah, very likely. I also like dleung's idea and it would indeed tie in with the old part much better. The Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg only works because the glass is also off beautiful shape and high quality. The current proposal looks like a poor man's copycat. :(

Vancouver likely has the opposite need, meaning heat gain during the 8 months per year that the average high is at or below 15 degrees.

I think they should go with something like this. Maintain the original integrity and essence of the overall design, honour the mid-century architectural while adding density.

They could easily add some height to this concept and perhaps closely achieve the desired # of units.

The tower design could be altered to achieve a look somewhat like Telus Gardens. Not only would this compliment and preserve the overall design but the less bulky massing would preserve light.

source : http://www.vancouverheritagecommunity.com

http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/...psbgyoav4o.jpg

The current proposal is essentially a doughnut extrusion up to the view cone with some cuts through it; it even uses the little wedge of space outside the viewcone to go a bit taller, so it's already the densest possible configuration. What you're suggesting adds only 1/3 to 1/2 the proposed density addition. If it was done from the very beginning it would've been perfect, but to preserve and build on top of the existing building is an expense that probably requires more density to pay for it.

Still I think the current proposal is way too dense at the expense of daylight for inward facing units and causing wind shear for adjacent public space. I agree that there should be at least a part of the "podium" that should remain a true podium. And I agree that a more solid grid-form is better than glass.

Oh my god that would look amazing, especially 50 storeys high. An added bonus is it's easy to add balconies (are they even needed anyways?) in those boxes.

It would resemble the Grosvenor Pacific building going up in Yaletown.

Agreed!! I'll forward this to the UDP!! The high rise portion would also resemble the MacBlo Tower at Thurlow and Georgia as well.

You guys all forgot about the lovely viewcones? There is a reason why a bunch of bulky short buildings were designed in the first place.

Okay, this might sound a little out there, but why not have the building look exactly like a mountain. In mountain camouflage. That way we can build very high without blocking the views of those sacred mountains.

Definitely better than the first iteration.
But you'd think that with all the stepping, they'd be able to set back the towers from the podium edge
- to pay deference to the Post Office façade.

Overall I am kind of underwhelmed by the design.. But to the architect's defense, it is very hard to design something spectacular with that large of a podium that you can't cut up or build tall because of the city.

I'm still very "meh" about the design..

I agree; it's quite hideous. But it's across the street from the similarly-hideous Telus Garden, so at least it respects the context of the area.

Personally I feel that they should just retain only the West Georgia facade and a quarter of the facades on Homer and Hamilton of the Post Office building. The remaining part of it should be redesigned to match what's going on top. With a bit of architectural design innovation, they should make the original 50s structure look separate from the updated facades, with the tower set back quite a distance from the West Georgia side.