Quote:
|
^Indeed!
Here's another aerial shot of the site / surrounding area: https://scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram...78036736_n.jpg https://www.instagram.com/brintonphotography/?hl=en |
It's interesting that the sidewalks are closed on both sides of the street now, yet all the traffic continues on through.
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
|
|
It is interesting to see this proceeding, however it is too bad that the boardwalk will be disturbed for several years.
|
Quote:
http://www.metronews.ca/news/halifax...ns-marque.html Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
And there will be Gravol dispensers at both ends, ha, ha!!
|
Work started this week on the shoring along Lower Water.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2675/3...0ca0e5d5_h.jpg2017-02-10_06-47-46 by Jonovision23, on Flickr https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2829/3...b9e524e5_h.jpg20170208_163245_HDR by Jonovision23, on Flickr https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3682/3...23edcd07_h.jpg20170208_163455_HDR by Jonovision23, on Flickr |
http://68.media.tumblr.com/911a48ab7...dq8o1_1280.jpg
Halifax Developments Blog (Photo by David Jackson) |
Here is a rendering of the floating boardwalk:
https://i.cbc.ca/1.3970660.148649211...ing-bridge.jpg Source |
Quote:
In warm weather. |
From CBC News:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-s...ment-1.4018633 Quote:
|
Anyone have those photos handy of how vacant those parking spots were 90% of the time
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
While I do have some sympathy for businesses affected by the construction (Strange Adventures was displaced by the Dillon), it's pretty obvious that developing prime land like this is a big win for the downtown area as a whole, and avoiding redevelopment like this isn't a viable long term option.
|
Quote:
I wonder how it'll hold up in stormy weather though........ |
Quote:
|
In spite of the disruptions, surely everyone can agree that it's better to have some sort of development here than a surface parking lot.
(Well, maybe not everyone... OPINION: Queen’s Marque a blight on the waterfront) |
On a related note: apparently a little train/bus is being brought in to supplement the floating bridge.
Halifax waterfront getting train, bridge |
Quote:
Another consideration is the urban fabric. There was none on this site before. It was just a hole. And Lower Water Street consequently did not have a complete streetscape. It's not all about water views, which will just be moved down a block anyway. Why wouldn't we want more city and while preserving similar water views from some buildings? |
Quote:
I really want this to turn out well, and I just hope that it won't distract from the attraction that the boardwalk has become, with views of both the downtown buildings and harbour. Although the boardwalk will extend around the building on the harbour side, will there be enough of interest in Queen's Marque for people to want to make the trek around it when it is finished in 3 years? I assume the HMCS Sackville will be tied up next to one of its piers, which will be an attraction. |
Quote:
None of the renderings I have seen make me feel that this is going to be a great building. It looks to big for, and and too close to, that part of Water St and doesn't seem to suit the space. Time will tell I guess. I find it difficult to understand the WDC and how they have managed to screw up the waterfront so badly when starting with a clean sheet of paper. For over 40 years they have managed to keep surface parking lots in place and the things that were built were either tacky, like the Disneyfied touristy parts with the t-shirt shacks and replica heritage, or totally unremarkable. Looking at it as a whole, it is a mess. |
The width of Queen's Marque along Lower Water Street will be about 300 feet wide, almost as wide as the Nova Centre along Argyle Street. One good feature is that the developers have incorporated pedestrian gates at street level, so that people can take shortcuts through the building (instead of walking all the way around) - http://www.halifax.ca/boardscom/drc/...reet-8.2.1.pdf. On the negative side, it seems that the parking ramp is so close to Lower Water Street that pedestrians will be constantly dodging cars exiting the parking garage.
And on a somewhat trivial point, it will block some great skyline pictures from the harbour. |
Quote:
The Nova Centre is similar. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
I'm on the fence about the building itself. It appears that the cladding materials will be of higher quality, but it'll all come down to how it presents when finished. I wouldn't call the overall design beautiful or inspiring, but it is at least 'interesting'. The most important point is how it will relate to the public. From the concept, it looks like reasonable thought has been given to how it will fit into its environment and provide public interaction. There are passes through the 'legs' of the building to let pedestrians continue along the boardwalk without walking around each section. The "Rise Again" section appears to be created almost entirely for public use, and the main building looks like it will have ground floor retail for restaurants, cafés, shops, etc. So it might well be a place where people will want to congregate. These are currently the types of areas along the waterfront that are busiest (i.e. Bishop's Landing and the ferry terminal/historic properties areas). The residential/hotel aspect presents a concern in that it might limit public events in the area, such as concerts/entertainment, through noise complaints from residents or hotel guests. This isn't exactly the same, but the Marriott Harbourfront closed the Fife and Drum pub a few years back, at least partially due to noise complaints from hotel guests. It was actually a good place to see a band and have a couple of 'pops' and some grub - busy but not as chaotic as the Lower Deck can be on a weekend. Additionally, the hotel was reconfigured to focus more on business clientele rather than private guests and public space, resulting in the harbour-facing restaurant (which was a nice place to go for brunch with nice views of the harbour) being replaced by conference space and the elimination of outdoor patios. The restaurant is now centrally located and far less attractive. In my opinion, the hotel has become less welcoming to the public and more focused on its customers. While not an unreasonable expectation for a private business, this example shows how direction can be changed by a private concern to transform a space to be less available to the public than originally intended. Maybe not a huge concern, but since the harbour boardwalk area is Halifax's 'crown jewel', I think every effort should be made to keep a certain part of it accessible, attractive, and welcoming for public use. Handing its control over to a private concern can cause the opposite to happen. In the case of Queen's Marque, it's not that the surface parking lot was any great use of land, but at least it did allow for occasional festival usage, etc. There is still space for events such as this around the Waterfront Warehouse area, but one has to wonder how long it will be before it becomes developed and therefore more limited in potential usage. Overall, as long as a dead zone is not created, such as the one that starts at the Marriott Harbourfront and continues to the casino, then I'm OK with it. The Purdy's Wharf area could have so much potential but offers very little in terms of public interaction (ironic, since PW are probably the most attractive buildings on the waterfront) and the hotel and casino don't offer much more on the waterside, and thus that area doesn't see anywhere near the usage that the more southerly areas of the waterfront have. Hopefully the QM project will be successful in engaging the public. :2cents: |
Quote:
|
The Armour Group has put a lot of thought into their design planning for this project with a view to making it a popular public gathering place. They are not looking to cut costs by using cheap materials plus we will be rid of two surface parking lots as a bonus. I feel any inconvenience caused by great projects should be stoically endured with a smile.
|
There is now a pile driver on site.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3867/3...d50fafbe_h.jpg20170316_161248 by Jonovision23, on Flickr https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2896/3...a6f01c07_h.jpg20170316_161337_HDR by Jonovision23, on Flickr https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3753/3...3d159f7c_h.jpg20170316_161256_HDR by Jonovision23, on Flickr |
I still find it surprising that this is moving ahead. Initially I thought it was too ambitious a project and probably wouldn't be built.
|
I was down there Friday afternoon. That thing is REALLY loud.
|
Quote:
|
I like this rendering from the Queen's Marque website - http://queensmarque.com/. It looks impressive, and seems to be the only building in the downtown with power :). Everything else is blacked out.
http://queensmarque.com/wp-content/u...NEW-DARKER.jpg |
Although Queen's Marque won't be extremely deep with 2 parking levels below ground, the excavation will cover a large area. I wonder if the dirt excavated will be used to create the piers? It would certainly speed the excavation if the excavated dirt could be dumped into the harbour as fill for the piers.
It would be great to see concrete footings poured by the end of the summer. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
So that sheet metal they're driving in is a coffer dam? How does that work? Are they driving it into earth? Or bedrock (is that possible)? And then I assume it holds out the water so they can pour concrete? Does it get removed at the end of construction, or is it just worked into the final construction?
|
Quote:
http://i.imgur.com/vwFl4cl.jpg |
Quote:
typically they cut it off a few feet down and leave it there. |
Bishop's landing was done similarly and also water tight, I had heard they did a type of leakage test to ensure that no water would get in. I am impressed with how quickly the sheet pile went in. I think they have been working 6, maybe 7 days a week.
Large caissons are on site now, I could see them being the supports for the pier sections. |
All times are GMT. The time now is 7:33 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.