[Halifax] RBC Waterside Centre | 37 m | 9 fl | Completed - Page 64

someone123 · #**1261** Posted **Jul 4, 2012, 5:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by haligonia

The TD expansion will look great from that angle.

It will look a lot nicer when it has windows facing out to the water, and it will be somewhat more visible when it gets a few extra floors. It would have been a lot more interesting at 28 storeys or so but the ramparts rule does not permit that much height.

Halifax isn't getting any large office towers but it's nice to see "fixes" to some existing buildings like TD and the old power plant. It's interesting how much of an impact these changes have. I can imagine people in the future looking back at photos from 2004 or so and being surprised at how sparse and shabby the city looked.

SekishikiMeikaiHa · #**1262** Posted **Jul 10, 2012, 6:24 PM**

Starting to build up:

someone123 · #**1263** Posted **Jul 10, 2012, 6:33 PM**

Nice photo. The people in this one really give it a sense of scale.

fenwick16 · #**1264** Posted **Jul 14, 2012, 12:01 PM**

There are many new pictures posted on the RBC Waterside Centre website showing the progression of the construction work - http://www.facebook.com/pages/RBC-Waterside-Centre/108681372508949?sk=photos

Here they are working on the underground parking.

SekishikiMeikaiHa · #**1265** Posted **Jul 18, 2012, 5:31 AM**

Supplementing the facebook pictures:

SekishikiMeikaiHa · #**1266** Posted **Jul 23, 2012, 5:10 AM**

Making progress:

SekishikiMeikaiHa · #**1267** Posted **Jul 28, 2012, 5:09 AM**

Weekly update:

fenwick16 · #**1268** Posted **Jul 28, 2012, 7:07 AM**

Thank you for all of your pictures, SekishikiMeikaiHa. Pictures are great for all of us who no longer live in the Halifax area (and it makes this forum so much more interesting). You really got in close for these pictures.

The Armour Group is making great progress on the RBC Waterside project. It will be interesting to see if the facade of the historic buildings will be anchored to the new structure as it advances to the top of the old buildings. If so, then maybe the sidewalk bracing will be removed within the next couple of months. (or I wonder if will that be one of the last steps in about a year's time?)

Wigglez · #**1269** Posted **Jul 28, 2012, 8:21 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenwick16

Thank you for all of your pictures, SekishikiMeikaiHa. Pictures are great for all of us who no longer live in the Halifax area (and it makes this forum so much more interesting). You really got in close for these pictures.

Not just those who no longer live in Halifax but also those who have never lived there but really like the city and love to watch it grow!

worldlyhaligonian · #**1270** Posted **Jul 29, 2012, 4:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wigglez

Not just those who no longer live in Halifax but also those who have never lived there but really like the city and love to watch it grow!

Thanks, I regularly look at Winnipeg, Regina, Calgary, and other cities out west.

Toronto has the craziest growth though, I cannot get over how many buildings have gone up in the past few years.

Canada is quickly urbanizing.

RyeJay · #**1271** Posted **Jul 30, 2012, 12:04 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

Thanks, I regularly look at Winnipeg, Regina, Calgary, and other cities out west.

Toronto has the craziest growth though, I cannot get over how many buildings have gone up in the past few years.

Canada is quickly urbanizing.

Yes, most of Canada is urbanising. Our cities are increasing density, in most regions -- and in terms of Canadians across the entire nation, we are urbanising in our choices of residence. There is a steady migration of canucks from rural Canada to urban Canada.

I frequent the other Canadian pages on this forum as well, particularly Toronto. The speedy changes to that city's skyline have been quite remarkable. The urban progress, actually, through most of Central and Western Canada has been extremely promising. I'm absolutely thrilled about what's been done in Calgary!!

I'm hoping more towns and cities in Atlantic Canada renew their efforts toward urbanising. Since the majority of the younger working demographics are seeking urban life, our communities in Atlantic Canada need to think like capitalists and make more of an effort to market our communities to this new labour force.

This is why Halifax's progress is so absolutely refreshing in an Atlantic Canadian context.

someone123 · #**1272** Posted **Jul 30, 2012, 1:45 AM**

It's kind of interesting, because in Western Canada I think there's more appreciation of new growth and development. People living in Calgary (or here in Vancouver) accept that they're in young cities that are expanding dramatically.

Halifax is not growing like Calgary but it's still expanding a lot. It has changed enormously over the last few decades and it might grow faster in the future because of shipbuilding and some larger-scale economic changes. Not every city has grown in wealth and population like that -- some cities like Detroit are shrinking pretty quickly. I think a lot of people in Halifax still have a view of the city based on how it was in 1970 (or even 1870), not what it is today or what it will be in 2040.

It's interesting to note that even when it comes to Toronto or Montreal, the "Canadian metropolis" with first-rate infrastructure on par with major cities in Europe or the US goes back only maybe to the 1960's at most. Before then Canada didn't really have big cities. Toronto and Montreal weren't even as big or wealthy as the Manchesters or Clevelands, let alone London or New York. Today Toronto would be a major city in any country.

If you go down to big American cities it becomes pretty clear that they're falling behind in infrastructure. If you visited New York or Boston in 1910 you'd find start-of-the-art subway systems. San Francisco in the 1970's had BART, and they developed Cal-Train, streetcar lines, etc. Vancouver back then had buses. Today, Vancouver has 3 rapid transit lines and is building #4.

RyeJay · #**1273** Posted **Jul 30, 2012, 10:40 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by someone123

It's kind of interesting, because in Western Canada I think there's more appreciation of new growth and development. People living in Calgary (or here in Vancouver) accept that they're in young cities that are expanding dramatically.

Halifax is not growing like Calgary but it's still expanding a lot. It has changed enormously over the last few decades and it might grow faster in the future because of shipbuilding and some larger-scale economic changes. Not every city has grown in wealth and population like that -- some cities like Detroit are shrinking pretty quickly. I think a lot of people in Halifax still have a view of the city based on how it was in 1970 (or even 1870), not what it is today or what it will be in 2040.

It's interesting to note that even when it comes to Toronto or Montreal, the "Canadian metropolis" with first-rate infrastructure on par with major cities in Europe or the US goes back only maybe to the 1960's at most. Before then Canada didn't really have big cities. Toronto and Montreal weren't even as big or wealthy as the Manchesters or Clevelands, let alone London or New York. Today Toronto would be a major city in any country.

If you go down to big American cities it becomes pretty clear that they're falling behind in infrastructure. If you visited New York or Boston in 1910 you'd find start-of-the-art subway systems. San Francisco in the 1970's had BART, and they developed Cal-Train, streetcar lines, etc. Vancouver back then had buses. Today, Vancouver has 3 rapid transit lines and is building #4.

American cities have two major factors working against them: the first being their sad state of politics, as their congress has created a gridlock against infrastructure investment; the second being how American cities are much more vulnerable to climate change.

When this summer season is all wrapped up, I'm going to be very interested in reading about the total amount of insurance claims and the capital allotted from the feds for disaster relief. Given the increasing economic stresses on rebuilding areas of cities due to tornados and torrential rains, the low-yeilding crop harvests for most of America's agricultural sector, the complete importation of drinking water and waste water convertion for a growing number of cities, the increasing need and rising costs of electricity for staying cool at home and work during these record heat waves, and the people who've lost their homes to fires due to forests that are burning because they are half dead from invasive pinebeetles -- this intensity of disaster events is not something with which Canadian cities have to deal, yet.

Given the Canadian advantages of climate and politics, (at least our Prime Minister doesn't have to deal with a stubborn congress) I expect Toronto to edge out Chicago in a North American ranking of largest cities much sooner than later.