General Updates and News

[fenwick16]

Not all siding can be considered to be cheap material. Vinyl siding is cheap and looks cheap but some types of siding are concrete/wood-fiber composite materials that are fireproof and much more costly than vinyl siding. It is often called Hardiboard - http://www.jameshardie.com/ (there are other brands also).

[Empire]

Originally Posted by eastcoastal

I live nearby - the concrete and siding are both done quite nicely. I think it looks much better in person. I would characterize it as a thoughtful use of materials to work with the massing. I would also say that at this point, it looks like it'll have a nice relationship to both Agricola and West streets.

Unfinished concrete will bleed salts created by the concrete curing process. (Efflorescence) This will leave ugly white/brown stains on the unfinished concrete surface. This is a lazy cheap way to build. Take a look around town at the concrete blocks used to mimic granite and you will see that most of them have stains. Hardi plank is much better than vinyl but is more appropriate on houses IMO. I would sooner have seen dryvit or stucco on the concrete and shear aluminum (looking) panels on the rest.

[halifaxboyns]

I found this in another thread - what do people think of something like this in the south end areas where building height is limited?

[beyeas]

not bad... it reminds me of some of the buildings in sections of Helsinki

[alps]

The venerable/creepy Connaught Pharmacy has been undergoing renovations for a few months, and looks now to be a Beltone hearing aid store.

We've still got this place however, which I've never seen anyone enter in 15 years of living nearby.

[bornagainbiking]

The last picture looks like one of those shipping container bldgs. With Halifax/Dartmouth being a major shipping centre and I imagine there are a great many spare shipping containers, do you think someone might go into this business.
I saw where some guy in Quebec is doing huge houses for big bucks.
Just stack em like Lego and cut out the centers.
Just a thought, steel last almost forever with a coat of paint or five.
tried to cut and paste a couple pictures but ????
I did find that each sontainer is about 292 sq ft. 39X7.5 ft
INSIDE LENGTH 39'8"
INSIDE WIDTH 7'8"
INSIDE HEIGHT 8'10"

[Jstaleness]

Good place for a 8-12 storey development in the last picture. It would shadow the area FOREVER!!! Muahahah.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by alps

The venerable/creepy Connaught Pharmacy has been undergoing renovations for a few months, and looks now to be a Beltone hearing aid store.

I was sad to see that place go - I have lived in this city forever and I cannot remember it ever being open. I often wondered how much old 1950s merchandise was in that store.

We've still got this place however, which I've never seen anyone enter in 15 years of living nearby.

That used to be Cleveland Industries, a Johnson/Evinrude outboard motor dealer. I lived in that neighborhood in the '70s and it was in business then. There was a cool cutaway 1960s Johnson outboard on display in the window forever. I believe the owner was German and I am not sure if he has passed away or what exactly, but apparently the business just shut down due to old age.

[cormiermax]

I remember looking into the window of the old Connaught Pharmacy awhile back, It was totaly filled with old goods which looked as though they were probably from somtime in between the late 70's to the early 90's. Was really cool seeing all the old labeling and such. It was as if the place just one day shut down for the evening and was never opened again, I wonder what did they do with all that cool old stuff!

[EGS]

I looked inside the other day and the inside is being torn down, slowly, presumably by one or two people. It's a corner lot.

[Rinny]

Halifax Regional Council has unanimously chosen the former Deputy City Manager of Toronto as the new Chief Administrative Officer of Halifax Regional Municipality. Richard Butts assumes his new responsibilities March 28, 2011.

Richard has worked in municipal government and the private sector for over 25 years, primarily with the City of Toronto, most recently as Deputy City Manager. In that role he was responsible for a capital and operating budget of $2.2 billion and over 10,000 employees with management oversight responsibility for water, solid waste management, fire services, city planning, emergency management, waterfront development, engineering, major capital infrastructure projects and the city's development application process. Prior to that, he served in increasingly senior roles for Solid Waste Management and Licensing and Standards. He is known for promoting collaboration and innovation across municipal government with emphasis on sound fiscal and organizational management practices and citizen-focused municipal services.

[kph06]

Allnovascotia ran an article last night saying that the old DQ on Spring Garden will be turned into an Eastlink store as they are getting into the celllphone business, no word on what renovations will be done.

[Northend Guy]

Originally Posted by kph06

Allnovascotia ran an article last night saying that the old DQ on Spring Garden will be turned into an Eastlink store as they are getting into the celllphone business, no word on what renovations will be done.

If that is the case, I suspect that there would need to be some fairly significant overhaul happen. I have a hard time believing that a business offering a technology product would be marketing out of a decrepit old building that looks as though it could be used as a dumping ground for rotary phones. Sounds encouraging - at least that corner has the potential to be cleaned up - although it would be nice to see something more substantial go there.

[JustinMacD]

Originally Posted by Northend Guy

If that is the case, I suspect that there would need to be some fairly significant overhaul happen. I have a hard time believing that a business offering a technology product would be marketing out of a decrepit old building that looks as though it could be used as a dumping ground for rotary phones. Sounds encouraging - at least that corner has the potential to be cleaned up - although it would be nice to see something more substantial go there.

Would've been way nicer to see some high-end retail go there.

[City_of_Lakes]

don't know where to ask this probably stupid question. what's going up at martello & college?

[someone123]

Originally Posted by City_of_Lakes

don't know where to ask this probably stupid question. what's going up at martello & college?

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=181446

[planarchy]

Some updated Google Earth imagery today from Fall 2010. You can see the Oval under construction among other things

[1ajs]

quite the tunel their building

[fenwick16]

1ajs, this looks like the system that was completed a couple of years ago. If it is, then it cost about $330 million and has been successful in cleaning up the Halifax Harbour, although there was one big hiccup. During a storm and power outage, the main treatment facility on the Halifax side filled with raw sewerage (I think even the control room was full of raw sewerage). However, that has been rectified and it is back in service, with some improvements.

[kph06]

QEH is coming down. (photo's by me)