Saskatoon Construction

[Kruzat]

Originally Posted by kgc087

Is the Holiday Inn building ugly or what! Just windows on the front and then venting all to the front of the road. Seems pretty slapped together and not well thought out for the area. Perhaps they are planning on having other buildings on the sides so windows would be useless.

I don't think it's all that bad. Jesus christ man it's a holiday inn, what were you expecting?! We don't live in a tourist resort, and I'm sure they aren't ready to drop another 2 million just to make the damn thing look pretty.

In other news, wood is being erected on the JD Black Estates...hah. And apparently deadmau5 is coming to tequila. I don't beleive it but at the same time they've managed to bring MSTRKRFT and Steve Aoki so..who knows.

[A4Regina]

Indeed, there's not much to expect with holiday inn's...but the previous design was a lot nicer than the current one. Even the ugly venting unit doesnt look as bad!

(image from swilley)

[Jerry]

I took the liberty to enlarge the artist's rendering. Looks like a garden or patio area above the parking lot.


Photo Source

A little info on the hotel.

Saskatoon's $40 million Holiday Inn breaks ground

SASKATOON, SK-Shovels have hit the ground for a $40 million, 11-storey Holiday Inn with 179 rooms at Pacific Avenue and 22nd Street, the former site of the Pacific Theatre in Saskatoon.

Developers are Lawrence and Patricia Rychjohn's P.R. Hotels Ltd. The hotel was originally announced in 2007, but the company decided to hold off on construction until the building boom of the late 2000s cooled down.

"It's going to be a state-of-the-art property on what we consider to be the best hotel location in the city," Lawrence Rychjohn told the Star-Phoenix.

P.R. Hotels says the project will be the first of its kind downtown since the Radisson Hotel was built in the early 1980s.

The hotel is expected to be completed in about 18 months. When finished, it will include a full-service restaurant and bar, heated parking and penthouse suites featuring 14-foot floor-to-ceiling windows

Source

[shmakim]

Originally Posted by Jerry

Here you go Dalreg photos taken yesterday.

No no NO! You're doing it all wrong, the floors are slanted!

In seriousness, yeah, what's up with the hideous grating on the front of the building? It's venting from the parkade but you'd think they could at very least print a design over it so it doesn't look like air vent slats. There's gotta be some kind of asthetic improvement you can put over something like that.

[shmakim]

I had previously posted in
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?p=4825308#post4825308
of a nice printed cloth of some sort that covered the exterior of an above ground parkade in Calgary. Something like this is cheap and easy, and looks far nicer. It could be applied to both the Holiday Inn and Affinity CU just down the street.

[Jerry]

While we are on the topic of hotels, the Sheraton Cavalier has been undergoing some changes. The rental apartments on the north end of the hotel are being transformed into hotel suites.

Here are a few shots of the exterior transformation that were taken from last fall to the last photo taken yesterday.

Full story from Sept. 3 2008.
Hotel Rooms Trump Apartments


^^ North end of hotel that used to be rental apartments.




















^^ View of what use to be the penthouse suite some years ago.


^^ Exterior as of yesterday. Interior work continues.

[kiwi4life]

Looks like another tower crane downtown by the blue cross building, that would put us at 7 tower cranes in the city now, sorry don't have any photos

[Jerry]

Originally Posted by kiwi4life

Looks like another tower crane downtown by the blue cross building, that would put us at 7 tower cranes in the city now, sorry don't have any photos

Ha ha too funny I was just down there. No tower yet but should be up some time this weekend. This one is for Ken Achs office project.

Info and previous SP story here.
Building a Legacy - Developer Achs putting unique stamp on downtown

[Ruckus]

Originally Posted by Kruzat

I don't think it's all that bad. Jesus christ man it's a holiday inn, what were you expecting?! We don't live in a tourist resort, and I'm sure they aren't ready to drop another 2 million just to make the damn thing look pretty.

In other news, wood is being erected on the JD Black Estates...hah. And apparently deadmau5 is coming to tequila. I don't beleive it but at the same time they've managed to bring MSTRKRFT and Steve Aoki so..who knows.

I saw the announcement on facebook and went to get tickets the next day...didn't have them available/price set yet, haha. With Tequila only having 1200 capacity a lot of people will be missing out. They should change the venue...maybe Prairieland.

__________________

Thanks Jerry! Hope you enjoyed your vacation

Ach's newest project is seeding all kinds of ideas in my head. One less surface parking lot on that block gives me sense of what 2nd Ave north of 25th could become. Improving the streetscape with public art, benches, corner bulbing, bollards, beginning from 25th extending to 33rd Street would tremendously improve the character of that stretch of 2nd Ave. There are still several properties I would like to see redeveloped, like the strip retail next to Earl's. A bit of a teaser, but the 2nd Ave. widening project provides the City with an opportunity to consider strengthening other elements of 2nd Ave. to create a grand entrance into north downtown.

[ninipanini]

I saw the crane going in on 2nd today too... I don't remember hearing what that's supposed to be... any renderings?

[kiwi4life]

Hey Jerry thanks a lot for those pictures, your the man, I was driving that way this morning and I saw that crane, and was thinking to myself, I never heard anything bout another high rise, then obviously it hit my head, this tower crane aint very tall but still something good to see! Way to go, and I see Pagnota from edmonton is the contractor, way to go boys! Doing a fine job on that Meridian project in the university there keep it up

[Stormer]

The link to the story is in Jerrys post. Four storey office building as part of the Modern Press Building redevelopment

[kiwi4life]

Their attaching the boom of that crane this morning up on second avenue, looking good, whens the next tower crane that will get put up in the city haha?

[ninipanini]

Looks like phase 2 of the university residence project is going ahead. The following is from On Campus News:

"By Colleen MacPherson

The design is already approved, the drawings are done, the construction crews are on site and the tower crane is in place so the university’s Board of Governors has decided to move forward with building another 400-bed residence for undergraduate students months ahead of schedule.

The second phase of the residence project will be a mirror image of the building currently under construction in College Quarter. Richard Florizone, vice-president of finance and resources, said because the initial project is going so well – “on budget and on time with the quality we are very pleased with” – there was little reason to delay. In fact, proceeding now rather than waiting a year is expected to save about $3 million on the cost of the second building.

The university is now negotiating a second design-build agreement with Meridian Development Corporation for the new residence building. Florizone said the success of the first partnership agreement with the Saskatoon-based developer “was one of the reasons why we pushed hard on phase two.”

Unlike the first residence building, which was supported by $15 million from the Ministry of Social Services as well as funding from the City of Saskatoon, the second phase will be largely financed by the university through external debt and an internal loan. The city remains “incredibly supportive” and has committed, subject to city council approval, another $5,000 per door for the project, said Florizone. The provincial government is also supportive, he said, but is unable to provide any resources. The government will be required to approve by order in council the university’s request to borrow $25 million for the project.

Florizone said the decision to proceed with the second building on an accelerated schedule is testament to “the power of partnership” between the city, the province, Meridian, the university community and the board. “There are some amazing things we can accomplish when everyone works together.”

The cost of the second building is expected to be similar to that of the first, which is estimated at about $35 million. Undergrad students will be occupying the first building by fall 2011, with the second 400 beds expected to be available a year later.

While the university awaits approvals from the city and the province, site preparation will go ahead just north of the first residence behind the Williams Building."

[Jerry]

City asks province to support whitewater park study


The StarPhoenix October 23, 2010


The City of Saskatoon has asked the province to support the next phase of study for the whitewater park at the weir.

Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Bill Hutchinson said in an interview the city has made an official request for support of a feasibility study for the project.

The next phase of research, an environmental impact and feasibility study, would "drill down and have a closer look," he said.

The first prefeasibility study completed last year, which the province put $100,000 toward, was a "high level look," he said.

"It's a very intriguing concept," Hutchinson said. "First of all, there's green power involved and we're always looking for alternate ways to provide power."

Also, it has an intriguing recreation component. We are very interested in proposals of this nature and that's why we wanted to get involved."

The estimated $65-million concept on the east side of the river at the weir includes a whitewater rafting course and a standing river wave for surfing -- funded by the province -- and a hydroelectric facility funded by the city.

The province has not yet decided whether it will provide funding for the next study, which is estimated to cost between $2 million and $4 million, Hutchinson said, and needs time to process the request.

The province is being asked to provide $600,000 toward the study, city officials say.

City council is set to make a decision on further studying the hydro option after the next open house on the whitewater park.

© Copyright (c) The StarPhoenix

Source

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It would be great to the province move further on this project.

[Jerry]

Originally Posted by Ruckus

Thanks Jerry! Hope you enjoyed your vacation

Ach's newest project is seeding all kinds of ideas in my head. One less surface parking lot on that block gives me sense of what 2nd Ave north of 25th could become. Improving the streetscape with public art, benches, corner bulbing, bollards, beginning from 25th extending to 33rd Street would tremendously improve the character of that stretch of 2nd Ave. There are still several properties I would like to see redeveloped, like the strip retail next to Earl's. A bit of a teaser, but the 2nd Ave. widening project provides the City with an opportunity to consider strengthening other elements of 2nd Ave. to create a grand entrance into north downtown.

Hey vacation was great thanks.

Just going through my photos and noticed there will be 180 indoor parking stalls at the Achs project. I'm wondering if that includes the underground parking at the Modern Press building. It just sounds like a lot of stalls unless an extra floor will be dedicated to parking as well. Would be nice to see some renderings or plans but no luck yet. In any case, it's great to stroke off one surface parking lot and add some visual interest to 2nd Ave.

[Echoes]

Originally Posted by Jerry

Hey vacation was great thanks.

Just going through my photos and noticed there will be 180 indoor parking stalls at the Achs project. I'm wondering if that includes the underground parking at the Modern Press building. It just sounds like a lot of stalls unless an extra floor will be dedicated to parking as well. Would be nice to see some renderings or plans but no luck yet. In any case, it's great to stroke off one surface parking lot and add some visual interest to 2nd Ave.

A few months ago I got to learn a little more about the project. The 4 floor office component will face on to 2nd Ave, and attached to that will be a 5 level parkade in the rear of the property, along with a level of U/G parking. The 180 stalls is well beyond what will be required for employees in the building, so the surplus will be available for public pay parking. Some parking relief I guess, and not the gravel lot kind.

I saw a pretty basic rendering of the 2nd Ave facade as well. It had a contemporary elegance to it, and I wouldn't expect anything less from Achs.

On another note, I've noticed from the Idywyld Freeway while approaching the Buckwold Bridge that a penthouse unit is being built on top of an apartment block that backs on to the freeway. Anybody know anything about that?

[kiwi4life]

I was wondering, about the college quarter residence, when they were going to start the next phase, and no wonder why they are ahead in schedule, those pagnotta crews were working saturdays and some sundays, early spring/ summer, I spoke to a journeyman carpenter from Calgary whose on that project, he said, they started at 530/ 6 in the morning and he drop his tool belt till 530/ 6 at night, he said things were so fast paced there compared to with PCL, who he use to work for, way to go Pagnota!! Keep up the good work. Oh by the way, one more week until the decision is make on Lake Placids project for river landing, seems pretty scary to me

[kgc087]

Originally Posted by kiwi4life

I was wondering, about the college quarter residence, when they were going to start the next phase, and no wonder why they are ahead in schedule, those pagnotta crews were working saturdays and some sundays, early spring/ summer, I spoke to a journeyman carpenter from Calgary whose on that project, he said, they started at 530/ 6 in the morning and he drop his tool belt till 530/ 6 at night, he said things were so fast paced there compared to with PCL, who he use to work for, way to go Pagnota!! Keep up the good work. Oh by the way, one more week until the decision is make on Lake Placids project for river landing, seems pretty scary to me

I've really tried to stay optimistic with RL but honestly if the company STILL has not come forward with anything I don't think we can expect much. We might as well kiss one of the most pivotal developments in Saskatoon's history goodbye and welcome some sh*t pile that Remai will produce.

[Echoes]

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