Downtown Vancouver Updates

[dleung]

So when will we see renders for 320 Granville? We're getting a lot of 400-footers lately... on top of the many that we have already. I hope there's still room for more 500-footers.

[Canadian Mind]

Originally Posted by jlousa

The SE corner of the lot is a surface parking lot, looking at the dimensions it would be large enough to build a midrise on but obviously it would need to tie in not just to the Victoria block but the other two neighbours as well. I think it would be possible to do so w/o losing the integrity of the existing buildings as is so often the case on some projects.

Would a midrise maximise the available density of all the sites combined?

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by dleung

So when will we see renders for 320 Granville? We're getting a lot of 400-footers lately... on top of the many that we have already. I hope there's still room for more 500-footers.

Amen and Amen

[SpongeG]

so much changing downtown but my battery ran out and i could only get two pics by the time i get a walkabout again it will all be different or gone again - damn this ever changing city haha

the back of that building on cordova as seen from hastings


pic by me

new chronic tacos in gastown

pic by me

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by g-money

We've known about this upcoming project since October. Glad to see they've added two floors.

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=146079&page=19

Thanks for the reminder.

WRT the futuristic building at 333 Seymour, it was built at a time when Hastings was the main business street, so that's where the plaza was located - it would have been nice if the sitings were reversed and the plaza was across from the station with the tower on Hastings..

As for a connection from 320 Granville to the Canada Line Waterfront Station, we looked at the axionometrics a few pages back in the thread and it seems unlikely given the geometry.

***

I recall that James Schouw was going redevelop that parcel at Drake & Homeer (to complete his block) - but with the failure of the other projects, who knows?

[Hot Rod]

can Vancouver please take a look at the view cones again? I think there should be a segment of downtown, say the Financial District area, that is exempt from the viewcone policy as long as the towers are architecturally significant following some school of architecture.

Other cities around the world have mountain settings and skyscrapers (even supertalls) are done tastefully so that there is a blend. To restrict downtown for the sake of being able to see the complete northshore view from City Hall is just a ridiculous restriction that is holding Vancouver back from being more of a national/world player.

Im not saying throw up a ridiculous tower like Seattle's Columbia Center (950 feet on a 400+ foot hill), but I am saying a tower like Washington Mutual and Two Union Square would do WONDERS for Vancouver's downtown in both height, office space, and skyline view. Those towers are only about ~150 feet taller than Shangri Li, that's not that much difference; particularly if located Hong Kong style (ala, on/near the waterfront) and if you consider RBC vs. Shangri La is 200 feet.

I think a couple of 800-986 foot office and/or mixed use office/residential towers TASTEFULLY done should be encouraged, and if 986 would give canada its first/only supertall.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Hot Rod

can Vancouver please take a look at the view cones again? I think there should be a segment of downtown, say the Financial District area, that is exempt from the viewcone policy as long as the towers are architecturally significant following some school of architecture.

Other cities around the world have mountain settings and skyscrapers (even supertalls) are done tastefully so that there is a blend. To restrict downtown for the sake of being able to see the complete northshore view from City Hall is just a ridiculous restriction that is holding Vancouver back from being more of a national/world player..

You honestly think removing the view cones is going to catapult Vancouver up the world stage?

[hollywoodnorth]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

pic by me

thanks for the pic! I need to scope it out.

looks like that's the 4th location for them in Vancouver now ...

http://www.chronictacos.ca/

with 4 more BC locations in the works.

[red-paladin]

While I don't agree with every viewcone and nuance, I agree with many people that the overall polices have had a major role in downtown being as great as it is.

And as for the 'We need taller buldings to get into the big leagues!' Sorry but that is laughably stupid. Some of the world class cities in Europe and Japan have buildings with comparable heights, and there are plenty of cities in the middle east, China, east Asia that have giant towers and it hasn't helped them at all in regard to being 'World Class'

A city cold be world class and have every building 3 stories, it doesn't need 400m towers. As Dubai has shown, you can built a whole bunch of giant towers and assume that will make your city world glass when in reality they'll be empty.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by red-paladin

While I don't agree with every viewcone and nuance, I agree with many people that the overall polices have had a major role in downtown being as great as it is.

And as for the 'We need taller buldings to get into the big leagues!' Sorry but that is laughably stupid. Some of the world class cities in Europe and Japan have buildings with comparable heights, and there are plenty of cities in the middle east, China, east Asia that have giant towers and it hasn't helped them at all in regard to being 'World Class'

A city cold be world class and have every building 3 stories, it doesn't need 400m towers. As Dubai has shown, you can built a whole bunch of giant towers and assume that will make your city world glass when in reality they'll be empty.

Absolutely!! Most European cities are low-rise, with perhaps a few very tall new buildings sprinkled into an adjacent business district. Paris itself is a great example

[red-paladin]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

Absolutely!! Most European cities are low-rise, with perhaps a few very tall new buildings sprinkled into an adjacent business district. Paris itself is a great example

Yeah, Paris and London were 'world class' and 'global cities' before skyscrapers existed. If you're not world class without them, they are not going to get you there in and of themselves. In my personal opinion, Vancouver is 'world class'. It may not be a 'global city' but that is because it's not a city of 8+ million people with a continent-dominating financial centre. Even population alone doesn't make you world class or a global city as there are tons of large cities in the world and they don't all automatically get on the list with Tokyo, New York, London and Paris.

[Conrad]

We are NOT world class. Just because a bunch of wealthy foreigners are stashing their money here does not make it so. We don't have the culture, we don't have the history, we don't have dozens of things that truly make a world class city. One day maybe, but not yet.

[Jebby]

Originally Posted by Conrad

We are NOT world class. Just because a bunch of wealthy foreigners are stashing their money here does not make it so. We don't have the culture, we don't have the history, we don't have dozens of things that truly make a world class city. One day maybe, but not yet.

Well said. Vancouver is no where near world class.

[Hed Kandi]

..

[trofirhen]

Sorry Red. Usually I agree right-on with your posts, but I have to join the chorus denying Vancouver world class status.

Yes, it's beautiful, both in location, and in much of the architecture - or at least the classic views of the city like the west end from Locarno Beach, downtown viewed from the upper levels, the already-snazzy existing buildings, the variety of restaurants, having hosted several major world events (1976 UN Habitat Conference, 1985 Commonwealth Conference, Expo 86, The Clinton-Yeltsin summit in the early 90s, and of course the 2010 OG)

But that has caused, if anything, the city to boom mostly as an investment haven, but has not contributed to the larger-scale cultural aspects of the city. The VSO nearly went under once, I don't know how good the Vancouver Opera is, but I doubt it will ever match Seattle's. There is the Museum of Anthropolgy, and several other historic and anthropological attractions, but culturally, the city is (or seems) fairly uninspired (yes, I know there is a lot of small theatre groups and such, but they don't fill the bill for a world class city; Edmonton has more, or as much of that as we do.)

Economically, although Vancouver is an important port of call known all over the world, it simply has, IMO, not achieved the "critical mass" necessary to dynamize it into the world class club.

Perhaps in 10 or 15 years, Vancouver will have outgrown its Presbyterian past and be a truly world class town.
But it'll need a bit more time, and a more diverse and influential economy.

I think it is, as Two Neurons once put it a "second-tier" city; a very nice one, but still second-tier.

[s211]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

But that has caused, if anything, the city to boom mostly as an investment haven, but has not contributed to the larger-scale cultural aspects of the city. The VSO nearly went under once, I don't know how good the Vancouver Opera is, but I doubt it will ever match Seattle's. There is the Museum of Anthropolgy, and several other historic and anthropological attractions, but culturally, the city is (or seems) fairly uninspired (yes, I know there is a lot of small theatre groups and such, but they don't fill the bill for a world class city; Edmonton has more, or as much of that as we do.)

The Opera here doesn't just suck, it SUCKS. The upcoming season's crap, especially the remounting of that ponderous aboriginal-themed Magic Flute, that they only put on a few years ago. That's enough for us to give up very primo season tickets to the Vancouver Opera.

Seattle thumps Vancouver, and even Calgary's doing more exciting things.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by s211

The Opera here doesn't just suck, it SUCKS. The upcoming season's crap, especially the remounting of that ponderous aboriginal-themed Magic Flute, that they only put on a few years ago. That's enough for us to give up very primo season tickets to the Vancouver Opera.

Seattle thumps Vancouver, and even Calgary's doing more exciting things.

Yep. That sounds like Vancouver all right. The pathetic lack of classical cultural underpinnings, as you mention, is one of the reasons it flunks the World Class test (abysmally)

[Hot Rod]

Originally Posted by whatnext

You honestly think removing the view cones is going to catapult Vancouver up the world stage?

Well, considering this is a skyscraper page and Vancouver already is on the world stage and that I suggested removing a few view cones to encourage CBD expansion, I'd think so. ... What do you not get from that very easy logical connection??

Good God some of you Vancouver people are so ungreatful - To those of you complaining, I think you should get out of Vancouver a bit more then maybe you'll appreciate what you have. If it is really that bad, then do something to make it better than just sitting around complaining or sulking.

I can speak from the USA point of view, when I have visitors come to Seattle - they ALWAYS inquire about going to Vancouver for the true urban and international experience.

I say, be happy your city is that ultra-pretty girl that everybody wants to sleep with but not many get the chance. Must be nice to live in such a perfect city, to sit around wishing you had other cities' problems so you can feel more 'world class'.

[cornholio]

I am for maintaining the view cones, they simply allow for a better view for the majority of people. If someone wants to build a 500m tower they can do so, in Surrey, or somewhere else in the region. I love the fact that you can see the mountains, once you lose the views you will never get them back, highrises are nice but they are still highrises and they can never replicate the mountains. Go to any big city with thousands of highrises and no mountain backdrop and you will quickly realize the beauty of Vancouvers view cones and the mountain backdrop. And then there are the other points that people like Jlousa mentioned and that is the side benefits of allowing more light to hit our streets and such.

[dleung]

If I were to support removing a couple of view cones (should also add a few more IMO), it would have nothing to do with densification, as the city proper has tons of land for that. And this world-class talk is embarrassing.