[St. John's] The Official Project Thread - Page 451

Architype · #**9001** Posted **Aug 14, 2013, 5:57 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by niccanning

I'm desperate to see how the Steele Hotel on Water St. will turn out.

Same here. I assumed it would be built out of steel frame (a.k.a. the steel hotel), but I see it's concrete !

BTW, great close up photos SHH !

mrjanejacobs · #**9002** Posted **Aug 14, 2013, 5:39 PM**

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2013/08/13/toronto-heritage-buildings.html

This article published today in CBC Toronto might be interesting to forumers about a new trend of preserved historicism in condo high-rises in downtown Toronto.

mrjanejacobs · #**9003** Posted **Aug 14, 2013, 5:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

August 11, 2013

PF Chang's and Legros & Motti:

Sorry fellas for being so critical about this project. I still don't like the idea of having such large competitors downtown for commercial activity but the building is quite nice and does a lot for the street level experience of Harbour Drive!

SignalHillHiker · #**9004** Posted **Aug 14, 2013, 5:50 PM**

I understand your concern, and I hope it doesn't result of any downtown restaurants shutting their doors. I'm still hoping that this will serve an audience that simply wasn't coming downtown to eat. Most residents of the Metro, I think, class it up with a trip to the Keg every now and again - but I bet a lot more will do the same thing, and come downtown, if there's something just as accessible but more affordable.

And I'm excited for Legros & Motti since it's apparently a local one-off anyway. I think once we have office works in 351 and Fortis, we'll be able to easily support these new restaurants without having any huge impact on the existing ones downtown. Fingers crossed, at least. The key will have to be continued growth.

Architype · #**9005** Posted **Aug 14, 2013, 6:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrjanejacobs

Sorry fellas for being so critical about this project. I still don't like the idea of having such large competitors downtown for commercial activity but the building is quite nice and does a lot for the street level experience of Harbour Drive!

I think it is a fair aspect of capitalist society to introduce more competition, although I am also in favour of more local ownership. My primary reservation about this development is that it blocks the historically notable Murray Premises from view across the harbour.

Perhaps this is the type of development that also needs to go on the other side of Harbour Drive, in the area behind the Fortis properties:

http://goo.gl/maps/x1xQX

PoscStudent · #**9006** Posted **Aug 14, 2013, 6:28 PM**

Pinnacle Condominium LUAR. http://www.stjohns.ca/sites/default/files/CSJ_FileUpload/Planning/21-47%20Lemarchant%20Road_0.pdf

SignalHillHiker · #**9007** Posted **Aug 14, 2013, 6:33 PM**

What an awful re-design.

I was so thrilled about the previous one.

Architype · #**9008** Posted **Aug 14, 2013, 6:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

What an awful re-design.

I was so thrilled about the previous one.

Agreed, and why is it so grey? It looks like the back end of a hospital, an old hospital at that. However, it is relatively urban, and it could be worse!

SignalHillHiker · #**9009** Posted **Aug 14, 2013, 6:41 PM**

Yeah, it's still fine. It's just... unremarkable now.

Marty_Mcfly · #**9010** Posted **Aug 14, 2013, 6:48 PM**

Please don't tell me that's a redesign of the LeMarchant condos that are in the first post of this thread.

Architype · #**9011** Posted **Aug 14, 2013, 6:51 PM**

This is the website of the firm that designed it, I'm betting you won't see this one on their website:

http://openarchitects.ca/

Architype · #**9012** Posted **Aug 14, 2013, 7:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marty_Mcfly

Please don't tell me that's a redesign of the LeMarchant condos that are in the first post of this thread.

Yes it is, and I must say I also like the welfare ghetto panache. I hope it looks nice in person, the cladding will at least be brick, and not vinyl.

SignalHillHiker · #**9013** Posted **Aug 14, 2013, 7:25 PM**

Copes noticed the LUAR may pre-date the better design. We'll just have to confirm which is the more recent.

cam477 · #**9014** Posted **Aug 14, 2013, 7:54 PM**

I’m not crazy about the potential redesign. But, I have to say the things I liked about this project are still present. I love that it is built right to the sidewalk - I think that will give the whole area a more urban feel. I also just generally like that this is dense infill into an area that has a ton of potential.

I liked the old design more as I feel it looked more modern. However, I still have hope for this design. I like to see black and some darker colours used as we don’t have much of that in our city.

On a bright note – This LAUR is a year old, but so far they have stayed relatively on schedule with the demolition and site prep. So there is hope that this project could actually be built in a sensible time frame.

Horsell · #**9015** Posted **Aug 14, 2013, 9:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrjanejacobs

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2013/08/13/toronto-heritage-buildings.html

This article published today in CBC Toronto might be interesting to forumers about a new trend of preserved historicism in condo high-rises in downtown Toronto.

Good article, too bad we don’t do more of that here, I could think of a few places where it might be a good thing to do.

The bottom line of course is “the bottom line”, it is expensive to take the care and time to preserve the old, but some find a way.

I was in Montreal and Halifax earlier this year and saw at least three (that I can remember) such undertakings in their down towns

Architype · #**9016** Posted **Aug 14, 2013, 9:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

Copes noticed the LUAR may pre-date the better design. We'll just have to confirm which is the more recent.

The original one on the 1st page is from 2012 (08-05-12), this latest one is dated May 2013, but was there another version in between?

Architype · #**9017** Posted **Aug 14, 2013, 10:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrjanejacobs

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2013/08/13/toronto-heritage-buildings.html

This article published today in CBC Toronto might be interesting to forumers about a new trend of preserved historicism in condo high-rises in downtown Toronto.

I had hoped they might try something like that in St. John's too, maybe one day.

In Vancouver, the old 11 story Stock Exchange Building (1929) is being saved, I believe, in it's entirety, while a new 31 story office tower (The Exchange/Credit Suisse Tower) is being built beside and on top of it. I don't particularly like the new design but do like the heritage conservation aspect; here's the thread, website, an article, and a video:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=194094&page=19
http://www.theexchangebuilding.ca/
http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2013/02/credit-suisse-vancouver-office-tower-gets-revised-look/
Video: http://www.theexchangebuilding.ca/video/Flythru.mp4

Copes · #**9018** Posted **Aug 15, 2013, 12:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by PoscStudent

Pinnacle Condominium LUAR. http://www.stjohns.ca/sites/default/files/CSJ_FileUpload/Planning/21-47%20Lemarchant%20Road_0.pdf

As mentioned, this LUAR is older than the renderings we've seen more recently, so hopefully those have been updated.

As for the Toronto video, I love it. Would certainly like to see more. We have a few projects like that in the city. The Belevedere Orphanage redevelopment comes to mind.

jeddy1989 · #**9019** Posted **Aug 15, 2013, 12:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Copes

As mentioned, this LUAR is older than the renderings we've seen more recently, so hopefully those have been updated.

As for the Toronto video, I love it. Would certainly like to see more. We have a few projects like that in the city. The Belevedere Orphanage redevelopment comes to mind.

yeah, we've been doing this for years.. even some old churches downtown have been re-purposed in to condos and offices...
I guess if people are referring to the keeping of the facade while building behind it like that block in Halifax, yeah we don't have much of that but I don't see a need to if we can reuse the whole building as is (like the guy in the video said is the ideal situation) however I think the historic areas of downtown are being very nicely preserved and it's a practice we already do. As copes pointed out we have some mixing of the preservation and adding modern aspects to projects like the Belevedere Orphanage.

Edit: Even the old general hospital off Forest road went through this repurpose instead of being torn down and had an extension added along with pretty much a whole neighborhood lol

Architype · #**9020** Posted **Aug 15, 2013, 5:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Copes

As mentioned, this LUAR is older than the renderings we've seen more recently, so hopefully those have been updated.

As for the Toronto video, I love it. Would certainly like to see more. We have a few projects like that in the city. The Belevedere Orphanage redevelopment comes to mind.

There was this rendering, posted May 18, 2013 -
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?p=6132437

Quote:

Originally Posted by ed0797

There she is! Found her in the Home Buyers guide this morning. I can't wait for this to get started and get rid of that empty parking lot!

The LUAR you are looking at now is also from May 2013, the date is actually written on the drawings. . .

Quote:

Land Use Assessment Report
Proposed Residential Apartments for 21-47 LeMarchant Road. The Pinnacle Condominiums.
Prepared for the City of St. John’s
Prepared by Open Architects Inc. Project 82-01, May 2013

. . .although the memorandum at the top is from July 2012 - http://www.stjohns.ca/sites/default/files/CSJ_FileUpload/Planning/21-47%20Lemarchant%20Road_0.pdf

Anyway, it's not a bad project, I think it is absolutely appropriate in terms of typology, but could use some brightening up. My impression is that they took some visual cues from St. Clare's hospital which is nearby.