[SFUVancouver]

I went for a walk this afternoon on the new seawall section that was just opened a couple of days ago. It is nice! While it is not complete yet one can already tell how it will end up looking and I would say that it will rival the nicest parts of Yaletown and surpass it in many ways. The foreshore area will be landscaped with the seawall being set back some distance (relatively) from the water's edge. There are half a dozen or so small cantilevered jetties that project out over the water and it looks like the wooden decks are all made from recovered wood. They scream industrial in a very good way. Lots of granite cobbles and some enormous stone blocks that look like they could be used to repair the pyramids in Egypt.

The actual Olympic Village construction site has a frantic energy all its own. It looks like Athletes' Way has been built up but certainly not finished. Walter Hardwick way doesn't exist at all yet. It is a fully excavated pit. The scale of the place is decieving from 1st or the bridge. There really isn't much depth of the site at all.

In front of the Salt Building, which doesn't seem to be having any work done on it right now, a good quarter of the total depth is the seawall and Athletes' Way. Somehow they will fit two good sized buildings in there plus another street. I would say that Walter Hardwick way will be about the width of a Downtown South alley and the lots will be no deeper than a Downtown South block as well.

The scale of this place is going to be great! I was grinning as I walked away. The public is getting an exceptionally high quality public realm this time.