[Saint John, NB] 99 King Street | 13 storeys | Under Construction

[Pugsley]

Originally Posted by sailor734

I understand that foundation work is time consuming and doesn't show readily apparent progress the way structures actually going up do.

It does appear to me though that in general, projects in SJ often seem to advance at a slower pace than other cities. (I have no evidence to base this on but it certainly seems to be the case from casual observations)

Not to mention that everything is one giant archeological dig. This is one of the oldest cities in North America. Everywhere you dig you are likely to find bones, pots, and other curiosities that often require the Province to come in and investigate. Not sure if that is the case here, but that can certainly slow things down in a city as historic as Saint John.

[darkharbour]

Originally Posted by nwalbert

Agreed, I went by yesterday and there is definitely progress. It is a BIG foundation.

By comparison I think of the new convention centre development in Halifax, which had a massive rock hole to fill and took what felt like ages to get above grade. This is smaller, but at least provides some context.

[sailor734]

Originally Posted by darkharbour

By comparison I think of the new convention centre development in Halifax, which had a massive rock hole to fill and took what felt like ages to get above grade. This is smaller, but at least provides some context.

It's true, they are starting a long way below grade.

[Sabien]

This was taken just now (1:30pm - Jan.23) - they're sneaking in more concrete whenever it's not -100 degrees. They have blast heaters under the orange tarps.

[bingun]

The crane will be relocating tomorrow based on this notice from the city.

https://saintjohn.ca/en/news-and-notices/traffic-advisory-king-street-1

[bingun]

Originally Posted by bingun

The crane will be relocating tomorrow based on this notice from the city.

https://saintjohn.ca/en/news-and-notices/traffic-advisory-king-street-1

The crane has been lowered but is still in the same spot. We will see what happens next week.

[bingun]

Crane is finally back up and running; it was moved further up closer to Kings Square. I assume it can now reach the remaining west section of the site to support the concrete work.

I haven't seen any activity apart from this, which isn't surprising given the weather.

[KnoxfordGuy]

Probably a week ago or so.

[Sabien]

Looks like work has begun on the elevator shafts/stairwells. Photo taken Feb.22:
(where's all the snow? I thought you guys had a ton of snow recently)

[KnoxfordGuy]

Love to see it!

[sailor734]

Am I correct in thinking they still have a bunch to pour on the half of the foundation closer the Charlotte?

I wonder what's a reasonable timeframe to expect to see structure starting to rise up above grade? Mid summer maybe?

[bingun]

Originally Posted by sailor734

Am I correct in thinking they still have a bunch to pour on the half of the foundation closer the Charlotte?

I wonder what's a reasonable timeframe to expect to see structure starting to rise up above grade? Mid summer maybe?

Yes, there is a lot more foundation to go; they have poured very little in the last few weeks amidst the bad weather. We will have to see how quickly they up the pace as it warms up.

[sailor734]

Originally Posted by bingun

Yes, there is a lot more foundation to go; they have poured very little in the last few weeks amidst the bad weather. We will have to see how quickly they up the pace as it warms up.

I'm told by an engineer friend that pouring concrete in cold weather, while it can be done, is a., tricky and b., adds significant costs. I'm given to understand Wilber ran into this during the Wentworth build so it wouldn't be surprising if he was determined not to have a repeat.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by Sabien

Looks like work has begun on the elevator shafts/stairwells. Photo taken Feb.22:
(where's all the snow? I thought you guys had a ton of snow recently)

Saint John sure has amazing geology. The geologic diversity in the province, and especially around Saint John and the bay of Fundy is pretty incredible.

[dhottawa729]

I’m still nervous that this building will be a permanent atrocity on the city’s skyline. Even without those weird “things” at the top corners, it’s a very dull design that looks like it had minimal time spent on it through the design stage. Why not more balconies, larger windows/more glass, better materials, more contemporary visual interest? Why cheap out on something so prominent.
I really hope the project gets sold and redesigned (with added height) before they get above grade with the foundation work.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by dhottawa729

I’m still nervous that this building will be a permanent atrocity on the city’s skyline. Even without those weird “things” at the top corners, it’s a very dull design that looks like it had minimal time spent on it through the design stage. Why not more balconies, larger windows/more glass, better materials, more contemporary visual interest? Why cheap out on something so prominent.
I really hope the project gets sold and redesigned (with added height) before they get above grade with the foundation work.

Atrocity is a bit much

Why isn’t it built in the brutalist architectural style either? lol

I think the biggest missed opportunity, considering its prominent location atop a hill, is that it’s not going to be a 20+ storey building.

At least it’s not going to be a typical 6 storey apartment box.

[sailor734]

I agree that atrocity is a bit harsh. OTOH, I certainly do find the design uninspiring and something of a disappointment.

[bridgeoftea]

I actually quite like the render of the building. The street level looks interesting and as much as I'd love some large glass towers like Halifax. I do think for this spot, the faux-brick or real brick feel, will fit in quite nicely.

[dhottawa729]

Sorry for being harsh, I just really don’t like it….. not for a residential building anyway. I wish there were more balconies on the south and east sides, and that the top 2-3 floors had floor-to-ceiling glass, with perhaps some stepped-back rooftop terraces and/or amenity space. This would make a great transition from historic at the ground to contemporary at the top. Those tiny windows do the amazing ocean views you’d have from the top of King Street no justice and is such a lost opportunity.

Not often we get buildings that define our skyline and so it’s hard for me to accept mediocrity at best.

[sailor734]

Originally Posted by dhottawa729

Sorry for being harsh, I just really don’t like it….. not for a residential building anyway. I wish there were more balconies on the south and east sides, and that the top 2-3 floors had floor-to-ceiling glass, with perhaps some stepped-back rooftop terraces and/or amenity space. This would make a great transition from historic at the ground to contemporary at the top. Those tiny windows do the amazing ocean views you’d have from the top of King Street no justice and is such a lost opportunity.

Not often we get buildings that define our skyline and so it’s hard for me to accept mediocrity at best.

I have to say I agree with you. Tiny windows and no balcony's on a building with sweeping views of the harbour and bay seems counterintuitive.

While I understand that they are trying to blend with and complement the Admiral Beatty and the IOL building where is it written that everything around King's Square needs to look like it was built in 1920's or 30's? Even worse, this design is not a particularly good attempt at a tribute to that era of design.

The Trinity Royal heritage area ends at King St. and while it includes King's Sq. it does not include the north side of King or south side of Charlotte. I think it would make more sense for this to continue the march of modern buildings up the hill that would run from Fundy Quay through City Hall, Brunswick House, Brunswick Square to 91 King.