Vancouver Convention Centre Expansion Project | Completed - Page 43

GeeCee · #**841** Posted **Apr 3, 2009, 3:15 AM**

What's the big dome for?

SFUVancouver · #**842** Posted **Apr 3, 2009, 3:27 AM**

^ It's a temporary, inflatable space, probably for use as part of the weekend's open house festivities.

johnjimbc · #**843** Posted **Apr 3, 2009, 3:31 AM**

Got it. Feeling foolish.

The pics look great!

flight_from_kamakura · #**844** Posted **Apr 3, 2009, 3:37 AM**

wow! sfu, thanks for all the great pics! fantastic set!

**opinion alert** on the exterior and plaza, my immediate impression is that i'm torn between awe for the monumentalism of it all, and shock/dismay at how soulless it feels. the elegance that they're striving for seems to me to get sort of lost in a) the bunker design, etc; and b) the wall of glass and (by design) lack of street activity in coal harbour. i'm sure this will be a pretty nice place to chill out when the sky is blue and the sun is out and there are people everywhere, but during the other 10 months, it's going to be awfully depressing, i mean, me likes, but i doubt i'll be spending much of my spare time over in that area during the gloomy days.

other thoughts: great work on the streets, the seawall addition is nearly flawless, the structure feels super well-integrated into the pedestrian fabric there, the height (if not the scale) feels about right to me, the quality of the materials in surprising given what i expected, from the photo there the lampost light art thing that the usual suspects on here were raving about looks pretty neat, the lighting features impress generally.

and of course, these are insanely great views, a real gem this in that sense.

amor de cosmos · #**845** Posted **Apr 3, 2009, 3:59 AM**

CTV says:

Quote:

Vancouver's convention centre a world-class jewel
Updated: Thu Apr. 02 2009 20:18:03
ctvbc.ca

After years of delays and budget overruns, Vancouver's brand new convention centre will open its doors on Friday.

Jutting into Coal Harbour in downtown Vancouver it is the new jewel on Vancouver's waterfront, and the man charged with running it says it is unique.

"I think of Hong Kong, Geneva... other world-class, potentially Cape Town, would compare to it. But this doesn't exist anywhere else in the world," said Warren Buckley, the convention centre's chief executive officer.

Not many convention centres can offer delegates and visitors stunning views like the North Shore Mountains. Even fewer would use more than two acres of hemlock for interior walls, or have a living roof with 400,000 plants and grasses.

And amongst its 55,000 square feet, and dramatic five-storey ceiling is Canada's largest ballroom.

But such beauty doesn't come cheap. The final price tag is thought to be $883 million, double the original estimate, though Buckley said that figure is too high.

"That budget was set two years ago. We will come under that budget... and that's it," he said.

Soaring costs for construction materials and labour are blamed on the increased cost.

During the 2010 Olympics official broadcasters from around the world like CTV will be drawing attention to the stunning view. The building will house the media centre as they show off Vancouver to the world.

Already, the new facility is drawing admiring glances, especially from the 90 convention planners from across North America who are attending the opening.

One, Kerry Crockett, is from Georgia.

"My group got to do the float plane tours, we got to see some of your wonderful clouds," she laughed. "The coastline is really beautiful."

And she's now booked two conventions -- one in 2012 and the other in 2018.

She's not alone.

So far, 184 events are booked at the new centre, all the way into 2018. That's expected to bring $2 billion to our economy.

http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090402/bc_convention_centre_090402/20090402

excel · #**846** Posted **Apr 3, 2009, 5:43 AM**

Great pictures, thanks.

hollywoodnorth · #**847** Posted **Apr 3, 2009, 6:32 AM**

thank you sir!!

vanman · #**848** Posted **Apr 3, 2009, 6:54 AM**

SFU thanks for those awesome pics. You should copyright them the local papers might try and steal them hehe.

Quote:

What's the big dome for?

It's called the Stratosphere, and used to project video and images. I'm pretty sure I saw one in NY a few years back.

http://createevents.co.uk/view_act.php?act_id=183

Spork · #**849** Posted **Apr 3, 2009, 7:00 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by amor de cosmos

CTV says:

http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090402/bc_convention_centre_090402/20090402

It hasn't even started events yet and its ROI is already 100%!

*Anybody who makes comments about NPV gets a complimentary stalking.

osirisboy · #**850** Posted **Apr 3, 2009, 6:21 PM**

what does ROI and NPV mean?

LotusLand · #**851** Posted **Apr 3, 2009, 6:25 PM**

ROI = Return on Investment

NPV = Net Present Value.

The ROI isn't technically 100% because don't you have to factor in operating costs??? I may be wrong its been a while since finance class. Anyways, all the APC and NDP goons are probably crying knowing that it already has $2 billion economic activity booked. HA

Spork · #**852** Posted **Apr 3, 2009, 7:00 PM**

Yes, if you were looking on it on the part of the convention centre operating company, then it would be minus operating costs, but from an economic perspective, the return to the economy is over 100% (minus any money that leaves the province).

Vancity · #**853** Posted **Apr 3, 2009, 7:07 PM**

is the vancouver convention centre sign going to be lit up at night? if not, how are people going to notice the sign?

osirisboy · #**854** Posted **Apr 3, 2009, 7:10 PM**

ah, thanks for the definitions I have thankfully never taken accounting before.

I finally got to go take a walk around it today and its truly amazing!! and once all the finishing details and cleaning are finished it will just get even better.

Does anyone know what kind of retail is going in? It would be really awesome if a restaurant/bar went in on the corner and have some decent sized patios on the seawall.

lightrail · #**855** Posted **Apr 3, 2009, 7:13 PM**

That is one ugly building. I can't believe that it got built in Vancouver. The streetscape is not human scale. It's overpowering - sorry, but I don't like it.

Other than the green roof, it looks like they dusted off some old plans from the 1970s and dumped it in Vancouver's harbour. Too bad, it could have been so much better with more attention to design.

mr.x · #**856** Posted **Apr 3, 2009, 7:19 PM**

^ one word describes the facility: different.

We don't have a single building in the city that resembles power, we finally have one.

osirisboy · #**857** Posted **Apr 3, 2009, 7:19 PM**

Hmm.... well you should attend the open house this weekend and explore it. Yea it does feel massive and overpowering but in a good way.

osirisboy · #**858** Posted **Apr 3, 2009, 7:21 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr.x2

^ one word describes the facility: different.

We don't have a single building in the city that resembles power, we finally have one.

yea exactly, all of our buildings cant be passive unobtrusive ubiquitous point towers.

Vancity · #**859** Posted **Apr 3, 2009, 7:24 PM**

we need more "powerful" buildings =)

CBeats · #**860** Posted **Apr 3, 2009, 7:48 PM**

great pictures, thanks. I can't believe how much public space there is, and I really like how the seawall curves around and under the convention centre. That picture of the angular lamps in rows on opposite sides was cool - it really gave me an idea of how big that space is.
As for that art-lamp thing, I still think it looks creepy, but having it in a clear photo makes it look less strange than the blurry ones before. It's kind of like a blue christmas tree/pine cone, and I like the lighting on it. I kind of have a blind faith in architects in Vancouver; as others mentioned, even if it looks bad during construction, it will probably look good by the time it's finished. Otherwise, the design would not have been approved. (of course there are exceptions to this...) I just hope my faith holds for the temporary Olympic design features in Vancouver and Whistler. They better be impressive!