Vancouver House (1400 Howe St) | 151.5m | 52Fl | Completed

[WarrenC12]

Developers would never make assumptions about the future that make their development look better would they? Then put it in a model...

[SFUVancouver]

On page 67 of the City of Vancouver Transport 2040 plan, in the False Creek Bridges section of Part C, it says the following about the Granville Street Bridge and the potential for improving pedestrian and cycling access to the bridge:

The Granville Bridge sidewalks are narrow and uncomfortable, and inaccessible for many people due to steps at ramp crossings. Motor vehicles travel at high speeds and there are no cycling lanes on the bridge. Off-ramps that were designed to accommodate high speed traffic create additional connectivity challenges at either end of the structure.

Recommendations to improve conditions for walking and/or cycling have been part of previous plans and studies, but the options that were advanced proved too costly to implement. Fortunately, motor vehicle volumes across all three bridges are declining, and it is apparent that underused road space could be used to improve conditions for walking and cycling at a lower cost. The opportunity is particularly striking for the 8-lane Granville Bridge, which was overbuilt in the 1950s to accommodate high speed roads that were never built. The current road network cannot accommodate the amount of traffic that would be required to use all the bridge’s capacity, and per lane motor vehicle volumes are especially low.

Next Steps
This plan identifies the False Creek crossings as significant gaps in the pedestrian network to be addressed, and identifies the Cambie and Granville bridges as early candidates for new all ages and abilities cycling routes. Public consultation and option development will take place in the coming years, with detailed recommendations referred back to Council.

https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/Trans...by_Council.pdf

A rendering of what a mid-bridge pedestrian and bike route on the Granville Street Bridge was included in the consultation materials for the Transport 2040 plan, but no definitive recommendation to pursue this was included in the plan.


Source

So, the idea did not spring out of nowhere for the Vancouver House sales model. But it is also not the plan at this time for the bridge.

[Frankenberries]

It looks like this project is contributing $1million to the pedestrian route on the Granville bridge.

Cash Contribution: Further, the applicant is offering a cash CAC of $4 million, which staff
recommend be allocated towards local and city-wide needs as follows:

• $1 million towards the Granville Bridge Greenway;
• $1 million towards Davie Street Village public realm improvements; and
• $2 million towards the completion of the theatre production space at 162 West 1st
Avenue, the ownership of which is scheduled to be transferred to the City in
September 2013.

http://former.vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/...cuments/p2.pdf

[officedweller]

Thanks for that - I was wondering whether there was a community amenity contribution towards the walkway.

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

So, the idea did not spring out of nowhere for the Vancouver House sales model. But it is also not the plan at this time for the bridge.

See the pedestrian thread for the link to the 2012 RFP for feasibility - Ii hasn't been inactive, just quietly in process.

BTW - in the model pic you can see a pedestrian ramp from one of the podium courtyards to the bridge. It's part of the proposal that pedestrian access be provided up through the courtyards to the bridge. It's not clear if that's to a side sidewalk or middle greenway.

[s211]

Originally Posted by Frankenberries

It looks like this project is contributing $1million to the pedestrian route on the Granville bridge.



http://former.vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/...cuments/p2.pdf

Classic Vision cart-before-the-horse. Secure partial funding for an unapproved project. What if the project doesn't go ahead. Then what happens to the money?

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Thousands Wouldn't

Wrenegade asks the Multi-million dollar question....

Does Gillespie know something we don't? Is the Granville bridge bike lane already a done deal?

The bridge is beautiful but at the end of the day that is two less lanes for cars and buses on the Granville Bridge.

It never ceases to amaze me how much the Vision council is doing to discourage people from outside a 1km radius from coming downtown.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by whatnext

it never ceases to amaze me how much the vision council is doing to discourage people from outside a 1km radius from driving downtown.

ftfy.

[Klazu]

Granville Bridge will surely have excess capacity also after the greenway. Traffic on it is not going to go up much more from the current, since the feeder streets are already at their capacity. So there is really no argument to be made about the bridge's capacity. You guys are bashing Vision just for the fun of it.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Granville Bridge will surely have excess capacity also after the greenway. Traffic on it is not going to go up much more from the current, since the feeder streets are already at their capacity. So there is really no argument to be made about the bridge's capacity. You guys are bashing Vision just for the fun of it.

Presently it is actually very comfy riding in a motor vehicle on the bridge. It should be this way as having ample lanes would help in safety since being on a bridge can be dangerous, and sufficient lanes actually help in case of emergencies (same concept as having emergency lanes by the highway).

Having the bridge's lanes reduced would slow down traffic and possibly cause traffic congestions. This would be made worse during events of accidents, vehicular breakdowns or even bridge maintenance works.

If current bridges do not have congestions, please leave them as they are as future growth downtown and the surroundings would definitely mean an increase in traffic. There would also be more buses as the transit system improves. I rather have the proposed pedestrian lanes reserved for future trams.

Have you noticed that the walkways flanking the bridge are WAY BELOW CAPACITY? Why build a new walkway when so few are actually walking on the bridge? Does that make any sense at all? Currently it is just not wise to kill a golden goose.

[dleung]

Originally Posted by Vin

Presently it is actually very comfy riding in a motor vehicle on the bridge. It should be this way as having ample lanes would help in safety since being on a bridge can be dangerous, and sufficient lanes actually help in case of emergencies (same concept as having emergency lanes by the highway).

Having the bridge's lanes reduced would slow down traffic and possibly cause traffic congestions. This would be made worse during events of accidents, vehicular breakdowns or even bridge maintenance works.

If current bridges do not have congestions, please leave them as they are as future growth downtown and the surroundings would definitely mean an increase in traffic. There would also be more buses as the transit system improves. I rather have the proposed pedestrian lanes reserved for future trams.

Have you noticed that the walkways flanking the bridge are WAY BELOW CAPACITY? Why build a new walkway when so few are actually walking on the bridge? Does that make any sense at all? Currently it is just not wise to kill a golden goose.

More people will walk across the bridge if the route is more pleasant than a unrelenting narrow sidewalk next to whizzing cars where parents have to hold onto their children for dear life, and if there's room for benches, rest areas and shade to slow the pace. The bridge spans 1.3km between the nearest exit points, quite a commitment for pedestrians. A mid-bridge stair/elevator tower connecting to Granville Island will offer more destinations and resulting foot traffic to the greenway.

The downtown peninsula can handle a lot more pedestrians walking or taking transit into it, but not more cars, so extra lane capacity on the bridge is useless. Another idea to add more program to the bridge to increase foot traffic:

http://mg-architecture.ca

[Frankenberries]

For context, this is what the bridge looked like at 5:15 today.



There are several pedestrians using the bridge in spite of the current design. With better pedestrian support there would be a lot more. This doesn't need to become a power stuggle between pedestrians, motorists, and cyclists. The bridge has enough capacity to satisfy all modes of transportation.

[officedweller]

Dramatic pics of the model at Changing City Updates.
Reminds me of the fish scales at Canada House - at Olympic Village.

How is this not going to leak?


http://changingcitybook.com/2014/02/...0-howe-street/


http://changingcitybook.com/2014/02/...0-howe-street/

[NewWester]

Originally Posted by dleung

More people will walk across the bridge if the route is more pleasant than a unrelenting narrow sidewalk next to whizzing cars where parents have to hold onto their children for dear life, and if there's room for benches, rest areas and shade to slow the pace. The bridge spans 1.3km between the nearest exit points, quite a commitment for pedestrians. A mid-bridge stair/elevator tower connecting to Granville Island will offer more destinations and resulting foot traffic to the greenway.

The downtown peninsula can handle a lot more pedestrians walking or taking transit into it, but not more cars, so extra lane capacity on the bridge is useless. Another idea to add more program to the bridge to increase foot traffic:

It would also help connect Granville Island to Downtown so I really hope an elevator/stair is in the longterm plans. I've always found it unnecessarily difficult to get from GI to DT unless you have a car or are willing to pay the kind of steep fair for the little-ferry-things. Also, as cool as the under the bridge concept is, I suspect that it is substantially more expensive to build than a simple raised walkway whether down the median or one shoulder of the bridge.

[Klazu]

Yeah, the greenway should definitely include a stairway/elevator down to Granville Island. Currently the whole place feels like, well, an island when looking from Downtown. I would love to visit Granville Island much more often, but it's too much work to get there with any mean of transportation and the ferry ride is just way too expensive for the 1 minute ride.

I would also think the greenway would make me walk/bike more over Granville Bridge. Currently I don't do it due to bad integration to bikeways at both ends. Burrard Bridge is so much better in that sense, but I think the greenway could really change my thinking. And all that eventhough Granville Bridge would still be a much steeper to cross.

[privatejet]

Westbank updated their corporate website. It was interesting to note that they have a dedicated 12 person sales team in China

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by privatejet

Westbank updated their corporate website. It was interesting to note that they have a dedicated 12 person sales team in China

Well, this is Vancouver, so that's not really all that surprising.

[officedweller]

The "under the bridge" versions of pedestrian walkways are generally avoided because of nighttime safety issues. That was the case with proposed Burrard Bridge improvement options.

[logan5]

Originally Posted by privatejet

Westbank updated their corporate website. It was interesting to note that they have a dedicated 12 person sales team in China

To put that into perspective, how big is the Vancouver sales team?

Since this is a higher end project, I wonder how many of these units will sit empty. Some buildings in Manhatten are more than half empty because of offshore buyers. I don't think Vancouver's numbers are that high, but I imagine there are quite a few non lived units at Shangri-La.

[Delirium]

interesting piece of artwork for under Granville bridge as part of this project -


Photo: http://westbankcorp.com/press/rodney...e#.UxipavldXAQ

A vast, spinning chandelier by renowned Abbotsford-born artist Rodney Graham, will become one of the world's most innovative works of public art when it is installed as part of the Vancouver House development, slated for completion in Vancouver in 2018. Westbank Projects Corporation, the developer, announced the work following its approval by the Public Art Committee of the City of Vancouver.

Concept drawings for the spinning chandelier will be on display and available for public viewing as part of the exhibition, Gesamtkunstwerk (pronounced guess-amt-kunst-verk), meaning “life as a total design” which opens March 22nd in Vancouver, British Columbia. The curated exhibition shows Vancouver's architectural coming-of-age, with the new Vancouver House development model at its centre.

Graham’s spinning chandelier is a large kinetic sculpture in the shape of a giant (4 x 6 metres; 13 x 20 feet) faux-crystal, 18th century candelabra to be installed under the Granville Street Bridge, which serves as an entry to the city’s downtown core. Hanging in the cathedral-like space of the bridge’s northern viaduct, directly over Beach Avenue, the chandelier is conceived to slowly rotate as it ascends. Then, once a day at a fixed time, it will release and spin rapidly, descending back to its starting point, coming to rest halfway to the road below.

The discordant, kinetic wonder will be the centrepiece of multiple artworks set to transform the underbelly of the Granville Bridge, adding an indelible new feature to Vancouver’s civic landscape while introducing a truly provocative new concept for public artwork globally. An unused space is transformed to become captivating and compelling.

[s211]

Originally Posted by Delirium

interesting piece of artwork for under Granville bridge as part of this project -


Photo: http://westbankcorp.com/press/rodney...e#.UxipavldXAQ

I'd be intrigued how they're going to keep crows from nesting in that thing and totally ruining it.