The Exchange | 115.7m | 31fl, 13fl | 400,000sqft. | Completed

[Graham_Yvr]

Originally Posted by Mininari

Yikes. I have not been following this story close enough.
I say let this one die... try again in 10 years.

AGREED! This is ghastly!

[East Van]

This sure turned out to be an ugly waste of 'height'. The look of the tower is severely dated before it gets built. To the resident whiners at Jameson, fack off!

How big is the floor plate ??

[itinerant]

I think this is actually a vast improvement over the original design, and I'm much more excited about this one! The overhang and top-heavy features that some of you are complaining about actually seems like something I would like to see accentuated even more. The symmetry on the Old Stock Exchange facade looks great from Howe Street side, and the way it meets the street is quite sophisticated.

I'd like to see another daytime rendering showing the effect of the glass. The one we see looking up from Howe Street shows a favourable view with plenty of symmetry, but would like to see from Pender side also.

Looking at the project site at http://www.theexchangebuilding.ca/, I do think a pure hexagon floorplate would have been a better solution to address the Jameson proxmity issues. It would have been so much better than taking out a notch in that corner, and could have turned a problem into an opportunity for a clever response. Although... I am not certain the floor plans shown on the site are correct, since they seem at odds with what I see in the renders.

My only other criticism so far, is that I might think it would be better if it had been taller and/or narrower from the Howe Street (main) side.

Its a serious-minded building and I think that is a good thing.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by phesto

I really don't get the angled facade on the Pender St. side...is this to mimic the setback on Jameson side?

It looks like Gugger was trying really hard to avoid a box, but would've been better suited with a simple, clean box. The angled cut back on the Jameson side is fine since nobody will see the building from that angle.

The angle on the Pender side was there in the original design too - not sure why - maybe to provide a better view from the offices?

Agreed that a clean simple box would have looked better. Or even an art deco reference by having a larger lower floorplate and then stepping back the tower, rather than overhanging.

If they are hoping to design a "contorted" tower, then make it even more contorted than just a couple of overhangs on just one side.
Maybe they did the overhang to avoid "copying" Telus with the protruding box?

Another nighttime pics from the website - looks like there is a garden atrium on the Pender side:


http://www.theexchangebuilding.ca

[queetz@home]

Oh dear lord!!! All this because of some rich b*tch and people like her living in the Jaimeson??? Goodness gracious, those people have no business living in the business district with that kind of attitude, and now look what they have done to our beautiful proposed office tower!

I too am no longer sad that this project is dead. Yes, maybe 10 years from now, a new design will come up when it is time to build another set of office towers in downtown Vancouver...

[Millennium2002]

... ehh?

I agree that the original design was the best, and that this current iteration looks too top-heavy.

However, I think it'll look more elegant if they just adjusted the proportions of the overhang like this:



Credits to CTV for the base image. I just edited it to illustrate a different take. No firm technical specs e.g. # of floors per overhang is implied in this photo.

Or even better, take these proportions as a base and make the overhang flat-slanted or smoothly curved...

In any case, it's not a write-off... yet. There's room for improvement, as they say.

[trofirhen]

Doesn't one rule of aesthetics state that a tower should be stepped BACK, if it's going to be stepped at all ... and not OVERHANG like this piece of ugly trash?

And what about the colour? Another grey-black charcoal materpiece to illuminate they grey Vancouver sky? Freak it!! I'm so disgusted and angry ... I hope there'll be a massive public outcry against this,against the fat-cat residents who comandeered it, the weak-kneed civic government that caved into it, and the awkward boxy design, complete with the nice dark drab colour scheme

[Canadian Mind]

Honestly if they just removed the kick-out portions, increased the height to make up for the square footage, and gave it a decent crown (preferably something that tapers in and is lit), it wouldn't be so bad.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by Canadian Mind

Honestly if they just removed the kick-out portions, increased the height to make up for the square footage, and gave it a decent crown (preferably something that tapers in and is lit), it wouldn't be so bad.

That's true, in fact!! But given that this is Vancouver, the question is ..... will they? Would they?

[ckkelley]

Dear god.

[logan5]

The rendering is a little vague, but it looks a lot like Oceanic Plaza at 1066 W. Hastings. That building is quietly one of the nicest looking buildings in Vancouver.

This Credit Suisse proposal will surely be superior to 99% of the condo towers that dominate our skyline, so I hope it is quite prominent.

[officedweller]

I think the curtainwall will most resemble the Howe & Cordova corner of PWC Place tower at Granville Square.
It's the massing that is incredibly awkward.

[Cypherus]

Even if the Jamieson residents were the catalyst for the redesign, there is no excuse for the architect to come up with travesty instead.

[officedweller]

True - it really shows a lack of imagination.

I'd rather see protruding boxes like warts all over the facade than just a couple of overhangs.

[EdinVan]

Originally Posted by Architype

The design is very restrained, understated, which admirably puts more focus on the older building.

I agree. I quite like it. Reminds me a bit of the CBS Building.

[CBeats]

This is laughably unattractive.

[EastVanMark]

just shocking...went from a unique, interesting design to the typical "Vancouver Special" style of highrise office tower construction. The first version outclasses this drek version by 100X. The only missing now is the green glass and converting most of the tower to condos and the typical Vancouver ugly trifecta will be complete Epic Fail!!

[dleung]

I like top-heavy designs, 1400 Howe is one of them. This one is retardation on full throttle.

Originally Posted by Architype

The design is very restrained, understated, which admirably puts more focus on the older building. That, however, may not be enough in this case as it feels like it's lacking something, perhaps a sense of personality and greater identity.

Yes, very "admirable". They've "succeeded" in creating a bland building. Are you our Caltrane now?

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by EastVanMark

just shocking...went from a unique, interesting design to the typical "Vancouver Special" style of highrise office tower construction. The first version outclasses this drek version by 100X. The only missing now is the green glass and converting most of the tower to condos and the typical Vancouver ugly trifecta will be complete Epic Fail!!

I agree totally with everything you say!! But aren't we forgtting something? It would not be Politically Correct not to cater to the desires of residents (even downtown residents), if we didn't bow to their wants, instead of downtown Vancouver and the CBD itself. And this is Vancouver, Canada, so we MUST be politically correct, even if it means taking a snazzy design for all to appreciate it, and trashing it for the domestic comfort of a favored few, so now, now .....

[Redkey]

What the hell happened to the old design?