[Halifax] Nova Centre | 65-58-58 m | 16-15-14 fl | Completed

[sdm]

Originally Posted by kwajo

I was under the impression that Somerset Square was the first LEED Gold building in the region.

You guys in Halifax are behind the times, we're already working on LEED Platinum buildings in Saint John, none of this Silver and Gold nonsense

Platinum? which building(s) are targeting that in St John. Mind you the projects mentioned above, save and accept for Farmers Market, are private development and not government.

[Haliguy]

Originally Posted by kwajo

I was under the impression that Somerset Square was the first LEED Gold building in the region.

You guys in Halifax are behind the times, we're already working on LEED Platinum buildings in Saint John, none of this Silver and Gold nonsense

Actually we have two LEED platinums under construction now. The NSP power plant conversion project and the new Seaport Farmers Market.

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by Haliguy

Actually we have two LEED platinums under construction now. The NSP power plant conversion project and the new Seaport Farmers Market.

What's the transit garage aiming for?

I think its pretty high up there as well.

[kwajo]

Originally Posted by Haliguy

Actually we have two LEED platinums under construction now. The NSP power plant conversion project and the new Seaport Farmers Market.

Well shoot, I guess I'd better spill the beans on a second Platinum project planned in SJ then.... well maybe it's better if I don't

Anyway, that's great that there are two, I knew about the Farmers Market, but I thought the NSP conversion was only Gold. By the same token, the whole LEED thing is getting a bit out of hand, I mean the benefits are good and all, but the name is starting to be used to 'green-wash' developments. Glad to see the concept of green building taking hold throughout the Maritimes, I know there are a bunch of LEED projects in Fax, about 8 in SJ, some in Moncton, Charlottetown, Fredericton, etc. - it's really nice to see.

[sdm]

Originally Posted by kwajo

Well shoot, I guess I'd better spill the beans on a second Platinum project planned in SJ then.... well maybe it's better if I don't

Anyway, that's great that there are two, I knew about the Farmers Market, but I thought the NSP conversion was only Gold. By the same token, the whole LEED thing is getting a bit out of hand, I mean the benefits are good and all, but the name is starting to be used to 'green-wash' developments. Glad to see the concept of green building taking hold throughout the Maritimes, I know there are a bunch of LEED projects in Fax, about 8 in SJ, some in Moncton, Charlottetown, Fredericton, etc. - it's really nice to see.

Yeah at least if the building is certified its not green washing. Its the ones that simply say built to leed standards and not certifying that are the ones green washing really.

[Jonovision]

Originally Posted by sdm

Yeah at least if the building is certified its not green washing. Its the ones that simply say built to leed standards and not certifying that are the ones green washing really.

I don't know about that. That's is kinda of my quarrel with LEED. To get the certification you have to pay a certain amount and go through quite a lot of paper work. I don't know exactly what the amount is, but I do know its quite a hefty sum. Not all developers are willing to go through all that just to have the name associated. This is the debate that fusion will be hosting on the topic in a few weeks.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Jonovision

I don't know about that. That's is kinda of my quarrel with LEED. To get the certification you have to pay a certain amount and go through quite a lot of paper work. I don't know exactly what the amount is, but I do know its quite a hefty sum. Not all developers are willing to go through all that just to have the name associated. This is the debate that fusion will be hosting on the topic in a few weeks.

I've done quite a bit of work on LEED and have come away convinced that it is in large part nothing more than a boondoggle. It is sold to the public as some sort of environmental panacea but in reality it is mostly about filling out a bunch of forms and paying a substantial fee to consultants to certify what you have done, regarldess of whether it makes any sense to the particular situation. It has been hugely oversold.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Jonovision

Ok, so I got a chance to see Mr Ramia's new convention centre project yesterday. And I know I've been very skeptical of this project but all my fears were set aside yesterday when I saw this proposal. It is unbelievable! It's nothing in the way of crazy modern architecture. But it has clean lines and a great design. And they are going for LEED Gold status. They are not building over Market, but building under it. The convention space will be built underneath the two blocks and Market street will become a pedestrian street lined with retail and will be covered by a large glass canopy.
I'll wait to say more until we see renderings released publicly. (which I'm guessing will be after HRM By Design is passed) But this project will change the face and feel of downtown in the exact way we need.

This sounds like what I hoped, and much better than what I feared.

Good development on that site would be huge - it would tie together a few different parts of the downtown and currently that is one of the ugliest sections of the city.

[Empire]

Originally Posted by Jonovision

Ok, so I got a chance to see Mr Ramia's new convention centre project yesterday. And I know I've been very skeptical of this project but all my fears were set aside yesterday when I saw this proposal. It is unbelievable! It's nothing in the way of crazy modern architecture. But it has clean lines and a great design. And they are going for LEED Gold status. They are not building over Market, but building under it. The convention space will be built underneath the two blocks and Market street will become a pedestrian street lined with retail and will be covered by a large glass canopy.
I'll wait to say more until we see renderings released publicly. (which I'm guessing will be after HRM By Design is passed) But this project will change the face and feel of downtown in the exact way we need.

Isn't there a 17 storey component? HT will have a major issue with that. It would have to be on Argyle because the Midtown didn't fly at 17fl. This ia a golden opportunity to link to rest of downtown. If a link were developed from the the new site where the Midtown now sits to the Prince George then there would be a connection from the casino to the new Convention Centre. The link would have to be underground as those sitelines down the street to the harbour are protected under the HRM by Design plan.

[sdm]

Originally Posted by Empire

Isn't there a 17 storey component? HT will have a major issue with that. It would have to be on Argyle because the Midtown didn't fly at 17fl. This ia a golden opportunity to link to rest of downtown. If a link were developed from the the new site where the Midtown now sits to the Prince George then there would be a connection from the casino to the new Convention Centre. The link would have to be underground as those sitelines down the street to the harbour are protected under the HRM by Design plan.

I personally do not agree with the proposed heights for the development.

I rather see 8-9 stories, then down in areas like hollis, granville being 15-17.

Putting height so far up the hill throws the balance off in my opinion.

[Jonovision]

Originally Posted by Empire

Isn't there a 17 storey component? HT will have a major issue with that. It would have to be on Argyle because the Midtown didn't fly at 17fl. This ia a golden opportunity to link to rest of downtown. If a link were developed from the the new site where the Midtown now sits to the Prince George then there would be a connection from the casino to the new Convention Centre. The link would have to be underground as those sitelines down the street to the harbour are protected under the HRM by Design plan.

Yes, its either 17 or 18 I cannot recall. And that is the hotel portion on Argyle. The reason for the height is a convention center of that size needs a direct proportion of rooms in a hotel. And this was the result. It is set back from the street a bit with a lower podium. And the podium is on both buildings. I believe it was about 5 or 6 stories on Market street so that would make it 7 or 8 on Argyle.

I was at first adverse to these heights but I think they work with the way they were approached through the design. They didn't have any context renderings however. So I'm still not sure what it will look like in comparison to the buildings around it.

[terrynorthend]

Originally Posted by sdm

I personally do not agree with the proposed heights for the development.

I rather see 8-9 stories, then down in areas like hollis, granville being 15-17.

Putting height so far up the hill throws the balance off in my opinion.

I wouldn't mind a bit of height here and there further up the hill.. just to add visual interest to the skyline.. i'm a little concerned about too much of a monotonous "tabletop" feature developing in the DT core if the heights are all stepped down on the higher streets. But having said that, I'd dont want a wall of tall buildings up in front of Brunswick either.. just a few point towers well placed.

[Haliguy]

Details are going to be released to the public tomorrow. The Premier and Mayor will sign a mendorum of understanding with the developer.

[sdm]

Plans ready for unveiling
Convention centre expected for site of former Chronicle Herald building
By JEFFREY SIMPSON Staff Reporter
Mon. May 4 - 5:28 AM

Plans for the former Chronicle Herald building on Argyle Street and its adjoining lots will be unveiled today, says Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly. (CHRISTIAN LAFORCE / Staff)




The public can get a glimpse of how downtown Halifax will look in a few years when plans for a convention centre are unveiled this morning.

Mayor Peter Kelly confirmed Sunday that he’ll be joined by Premier Rodney MacDonald and developer Joe Ramia at an announcement about what’s in store for the former Chronicle Herald building on Argyle Street and its adjoining lots, as well as the adjacent Midtown Tavern.

The 2,500-seat convention centre complex is expected to include two towers of 18 and 14 storeys, along with retail space and possibly a hotel. The plan calls for the office component to be marketed as a location for clients from Nova Scotia’s growing financial services sector.

"I’ve seen different versions of these schematics," Mr. Kelly said in a telephone interview. "There are three or four different components."

But that’s as much as the tight-lipped mayor was interested in saying about the project.

"I don’t want to take the wind out of the sails of this announcement," he said. "I’d like to withhold further comment."

A selection committee from the province and Halifax Regional Municipality chose Mr. Ramia’s Rank Group in February as the sole candidate eligible to win a contract to build a new convention centre on the site.

The selection panel had last fall narrowed the shortlist to two Halifax-based bidders, Rank and the Hardman Group, from the six that responded to a call for proposals. When the municipality determined that a site reclaimed from the dismantling of the Cogswell interchange, proposed by the Hardman Group, would not be made available for a convention centre it was determined that Rank was the only qualified bidder.

The complex is expected to be completed in a few years, possibly by 2013.

"We are trying to get this built as quickly as possible," Mr. Kelly said.

The project has been greeted with enthusiasm by other business owners in the area, who support what will be the downtown’s largest commercial development in many years.

The convention centre is viewed as a project that government can get moving quickly as a means of aiding an ailing economy, while at the same time catering to the long-term needs of the province.

"As other municipalities grow in this direction we need to keep at the forefront to ensure our continued viability," Mr. Kelly said.

The complex is expected to be officially named Nova Centre, Global Trade and Finance.

( [email protected])

[Dmajackson]

Some stats from the Gov. of NS website;

A recent study conducted by the firm Criterion found that between June 1, 2007 and February 28, 2009, at least 60 international conferences decided not to come to Nova Scotia because the 25-year-old facilities at Halifax's World Trade and Convention Centre were deemed insufficient. This represented a loss of 45,855 delegates, 86,865 room nights and an estimated $65 million in overall economic impact.

[steve61]

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/9011705.html





i have to say, this has exceeded my expectations.

[Aya_Akai]

Holy crap... totally not what I was expecting ... not even close


and I love it!!!

[Barrington south]

pretty nice, like jono said not super modern looking, but functionally,.... for downtown as a hole, this will be revolutionary....and I love the fact that there is retail on all sides that are not on inclines....that is my fav part....it's going to do so much for the core....also the towers are much wider than I was expecting...I thought they where going to be very slender....nice....kinda looks like it was designed in 1998.....whatever...it's still gonna be sweet

[sdm]

Originally Posted by Barrington south

pretty nice, like jono said not super modern looking, but functionally,.... for downtown as a hole, this will be revolutionary....and I love the fact that there is retail on all sides that are not on inclines....that is my fav part....it's going to do so much for the core....also the towers are much wider than I was expecting...I thought they where going to be very slender....nice....kinda looks like it was designed in 1998.....whatever...it's still gonna be sweet

Those towers concern me in the fact they could be the cause of this development not happening as shown.

The government doesn't move very quickly with their partnered projects in past, and with a pending election i wonder what will happen to this.

Project looks very nice.

[Jonovision]

Great to finally see those released! Is it not superb!

This is not exactly a government project. It is being done with private money and no government money. From what I understood at the meeting last week is that they were waiting for the agreement that was signed today. And the only other hurdle is HRM By Design. So if all goes smoothly this week at council then the shovel will be in the ground this summer.