Saskatoon Construction

[circle33]

Very welcome news. Takes some of the sting out of the bad news we've had of late.

[macca]

Some interesting numbers in the second article re: the Rumley building, namely:

renos: $10 million

condos: $500k

[Dalreg]

We all know that $500 000 condos are in very short supply in Saskatoon. Can't see to many selling for that price.

[joelpiecowye]

i dont know if this has been posted but here are some new renderings of the new d-wing of the u of s Academic Health Sciences Builing


http://www.meewasin.com/common/pdfs/development/current_applications/render1.pdf

[joelpiecowye]

also here are some pictures of a future river landing sculpture

[drm310]

[QUOTE=joelpiecowye;2806113]also here are some pictures of a future river landing sculpture

Are those supposed to be anything in particular? They look like giant Pringles to me.

[nook]

[QUOTE=drm310;2806843]

Originally Posted by joelpiecowye

also here are some pictures of a future river landing sculpture

Are those supposed to be anything in particular? They look like giant Pringles to me.

Or sharks teeth. Or half buried urinals.

Oh the wonders of modern art.

[jaysfan99]

I see our tax money is being put to good use.

[QUOTE=nook;2806974]

Originally Posted by drm310

Or sharks teeth. Or half buried urinals.

Oh the wonders of modern art.

[psych1]

It's got people talking, which is part of the function of art. Give it a chance. People don't judge a building by the looks of the foundation and art is never a waste of money. Roads on the other hand...

[jaysfan99]

I've got some art I'd like to sell you then.

Originally Posted by psych1

It's got people talking, which is part of the function of art. Give it a chance. People don't judge a building by the looks of the foundation and art is never a waste of money. Roads on the other hand...

[prairieguy]

Is this Joelpiecowye just having some fun with us?? Are these just Joelpiecowye's 'renderings' of future art ideas...I sure hope so.

It is one thing for art to be a stimulant for discussion and varying opinion, but you have to admit...this particular proposal(if in fact real), is a bit disappointing for the 'city landmark' location!

Of course, this is just an opinion!!

[joelpiecowye]

no its not a joke its real, the pics are posted on the meewasin web site. http://www.meewasin.com/
the web site shows pictures of new buildings and stuff in saskatoon like the new university wings and new sculptures like this one or the info chairs being put in the farmers market.

take a look if u wanna.

[Hawker]

This was the lead editorial in the S-P today:

Warehouse area revival promises lively downtown

The StarPhoenix

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

It may have taken a nearly unprecedented spike in housing prices, but this week Saskatoon has seen the best hope in years to save two of its most beautiful and historic buildings.

Council on Monday approved a request from Paradigm Developments to convert the Rumely Building on 24th Street into a combination of commercial, office and residential space. And the city learned last week that Meridian Developments has won its bid to buy the troubled but historic King George Hotel. Meridian and its senior partner, Ken Achs, already have a strong track record in restoring and successfully converting historic buildings.

These two projects only are the latest in what has become a movement to bring residential development, and with it renewed life, to Saskatoon's warehouse district. This fits in with long-standing city plans to save this critical part of the downtown.

The warehouse district is among the oldest in Saskatoon, carved out of the northern side of the city's core by a crisscrossing of the railroad tracks that brought vitality to this part of Saskatchewan in the early 20th century.

The design of many of these building reflects those heady days of rapid expansion and unbridled optimism. Perhaps none reflect that better than the Rumely Building, built to assemble and demonstrate the Rumely tractor that was expected to revolutionize the agricultural industry.

During this early part of the century, Rumely constructed stunning warehouses in most major agricultural centres in North America. In Des Moines, Iowa, for example, its warehouse is a federally designated heritage building. Its conversion, now underway, is expected to help kick off an effort to save that city's warehouse district.

And considering the efforts being taken to reuse other Saskatoon landmarks, such as the old Bay building and the Fairbanks-Morse Warehouse, there is ample reason for hope.

There are a lot of reasons all Saskatoon residents should be cheering these projects, even if they are designed for high-end users. The city long has recognized that revitalizing the warehouse district could play a critical role to strengthen the downtown and balance the impact of the River Landing project.

More here:http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoen...?id=28c37eb3-18a2-4fb5-b6de-4d913588dd4e

[richmond]

Thanks for the Meewasin link. I did not realize that they had renderings of future projects on there. RUH Mental Health on the riverbank looks promising. I'd much rather see a building on the riverbank than another parkade!

I'm torn on the chairs at the Farmers Market. They look mighty lame & make me long for the pringles on the riverbank. I much rather like something visually appealing ... like the blue piano near Albert School on Clarence or the tree thingy at the base of the University Bridge.

[Ruckus]

I too appreciate the link to Meewasin, lots of information on there, who knew Meewasin had a website thanks JP.

As for the proposed art piece "Launching Time", it's definately unique for Saskatoon. I don't entirely understand it though, so many questions, are they buried canoes? spoons? Made of concrete or some kind of plaster?

The choice of white for the exterior is interesting, considering its River Landing with all the color and such. At first I thought they should paint each of them a different color, but after some consideration they should contrast quite nicely with the surrounding green of the grass.

If your not a fan of "Launching Time", there is a slim chance the MVA will vote it down at their May 4th meeting

[joelpiecowye]

on the saskatoon website i found some info on the south bridge so circle drive can be completed. It says that they plan to build it before Saskatoon reaches 250.000 people. they even got a basic plan of the new streets. It goes from marquis downs to montgomery.

Check it out
http://www.saskatoon.ca/org/municipal_engineering/river_crossings/Options_Nov24_2005.pdf

[swilley]

^Great info on the Meewasin site. I found this picture of the PROPOSED Prairie Wind, if anyone is in the area, take a picture of the completed version to compare.

[Ruckus]

With the wonderful summer weather more events are able to operate outdoors, and it occurred to me that city council meetings should be held outside in a specific location(riverside park), or maybe rotate the locations where it could be held (river parks/community parks, etc).

Maybe a bit over the top and too boring for some, but IMO would be a great way to get more people interested/involved in municipal government.

So a Monday evening might consist of dinner, strolling along the river and stopping to check out the current council debate at a riverside park, then maybe a local pub for a few drinks/live music and maybe a movie if your not feeling too rushed.

Watching council live at city hall, or even on Shaw tv could never compare to a council meeting held outdoors with a warm summer breeze and a picturesque riverside setting.

But a new baseball park downtown might work too!

Also, that series of pringles almost looks like someone forget to pinch the perogies

[jaysfan99]

Are you serious?

Originally Posted by SASKFTW

With the wonderful summer weather more events are able to operate outdoors, and it occurred to me that city council meetings should be held outside in a specific location(riverside park), or maybe rotate the locations where it could be held (river parks/community parks, etc).

Maybe a bit over the top and too boring for some, but IMO would be a great way to get more people interested/involved in municipal government.

So a Monday evening might consist of dinner, strolling along the river and stopping to check out the current council debate at a riverside park, then maybe a local pub for a few drinks/live music and maybe a movie if your not feeling too rushed.

Watching council live at city hall, or even on Shaw tv could never compare to a council meeting held outdoors with a warm summer breeze and a picturesque riverside setting.

But a new baseball park downtown might work too!

Also, that series of pringles almost looks like someone forget to pinch the perogies

[jaysfan99]

I think that if city council wants River Landing to be a people gathering place, they should consider something other cities have done. I know that this idea is a little costly, but will absolutely get tourists visiting River Landing.

I think city council should consider a 50-60 storey observation tower similar to the CN TOWER in Toronto, the Stratospher in Las Vegas, and the Space Needle in Seattle, but a little smaller in size. With support of the provinvial gov't along with corporate support it could happen. This would add to our non excisting skyline, get people talking about Saskatoon, and attract visitors.

Obviously we don't have the need or the money to build a 100 storey tower, but a structure of 50-60 floors is reasonable.