Downtown Vancouver Updates - Page 574

spm2013 · #**11461** Posted **Nov 1, 2014, 6:50 PM**

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officedweller · #**11462** Posted **Nov 1, 2014, 10:25 PM**

Work being done on the roof of BC Hydro.

Pic by me today:

officedweller · #**11463** Posted **Nov 1, 2014, 10:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MIPS

I think the idea of boxy steel and concrete slabs is a thing of the past here. Glass and thin metal structures look "modern" (and it's much cheaper to build) I guess but it's really tacky in a lot of applications.
I'm also still in the dark on why they moved the lobby entrance from the middle of the building to the corner. What happened there besides reorganizing a few ground level suites?

I don't think it's necessarily "tacky" -
I think it's because there's a disconnect between the "weight" or "solidness" of the materials in the "old" and the "new".

In order to stand next to a big concrete column, I think you'd either need to be deferential (invisible) - like at the MacBlo Building, or you need a massive steel I-beam or canopy that looks really solid to hold its own - like the canopy at Scotia Plaza in Toronto.

What we see at 200 Granville are standard sized prongs for the awning and aluminum cladding (i.e. a veneer) that you'd see on a 2 storey retail store. It isn't proportional for a 25 storey tower.

Another example of poorly proportioned awnings are along Georgia St. at the Library Square office tower.

I also find it odd that they moved the lobby to the prime window wall with a harbour view. You'd think that would make prime retail lease space for a restaurant spilling onto the plaza.

EdinVan · #**11464** Posted **Nov 2, 2014, 2:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by spm2013

Okay, the 200 Granville lobby renovations.

I mentioned how the lighting used is pretty shabby. But the more irritating part of the facade is the lousy job whoever installed the panels did in aligning the gaps in the panels. If it's impossible to do then just make them larger panels with less gaps please.

Credit: Me

Another quality job by Cadillac Fairview.

officedweller · #**11465** Posted **Nov 7, 2014, 10:43 PM**

Christ Church Cathedral to get a spire - with dichroic glass...

Quote:

Christ Church Cathedral gets its welcoming light
The downtown church has selected the designer for a new bell spire expected to ring in Christmas 2015.

Vancouver Sun
November 6, 2014

THE PROJECT

An art glass image of windswept candlelight will wrap Christ Church Cathedral's new bell spire. The image will wrap the top 18 metres of the proposed 30-metre-tall spire. The artist, Sarah Hall, described the spire as "literally a lighthouse" connected to the port city of Vancouver, highlighting the cathedral's role as a guide to the parish and the community.

THE ARTIST

Hall, based in Toronto, is an internationally recognized glass artist who specializes in large scale installations for places of worship. Other works include the Light of the World and Mysteries of Light windows in Holy Name Catholic Church in Vancouver. She has received numerous awards, including American Institute of Architects awards for the Lux Nova wind tower, a solar glass installation at Regent College on the UBC campus, and Lux Gloria windows

THE DESIGN

In Hall's design - called Welcoming Light - the spire becomes a meeting place of land, sea, sky and bells. Hall plans to use special types of glass - opal, transparent and dichroic - to create a "lively, shimmering surface on the spire, like light on water." As the cathedral explained in a news release, dichroic glass contains multiple micro levels of metals that split light and transmit differing and complementary colours on the light spectrum. As viewers change their angle of vision, the effect is that the colours change. That effect is present even on overcast and rainy days.

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http://www.vancouversun.com/Christ+Church+Cathedral+gets+welcoming+light/10358068/story.html

spm2013 · #**11466** Posted **Nov 7, 2014, 10:53 PM**

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jsbertram · #**11467** Posted **Nov 7, 2014, 11:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by spm2013

Okay, the 200 Granville lobby renovations.

I mentioned how the lighting used is pretty shabby. But the more irritating part of the facade is the lousy job whoever installed the panels did in aligning the gaps in the panels. If it's impossible to do then just make them larger panels with less gaps please.

Credit: Me

I guess we should be thankful they narrowed the shades of grey down to two from 50.

jlousa · #**11468** Posted **Nov 11, 2014, 3:28 AM**

Looks like Caddillac Fairview will be moving forward with 601 W Cordova

This is going to the Development permit back in Mar of next year, no need for rezoning so that speeds things up. Believe B+H Architects are behind the design.
A
601 West Cordova Street DE418532

To construct a 26-storey office tower with one level of underground loading with vehicular access from the lane.
The off-site parking are situated on 4 separate off-site locations:
200 Granville Street, 250 Howe Street, 200 Burrard Street, and 900 Canada Place

The offsite parking locations are also going to the DPB in order to alter their parking requirements to facilitate the new office tower.

Leftcoaster, you want to weigh in and add anything on this one?

Prometheus · #**11469** Posted **Nov 11, 2014, 4:30 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlousa

Looks like Caddillac Fairview will be moving forward with 601 W Cordova

This is going to the Development permit back in Mar of next year, no need for rezoning so that speeds things up. Believe B+H Architects are behind the design.
A
601 West Cordova Street DE418532

To construct a 26-storey office tower with one level of underground loading with vehicular access from the lane.
The off-site parking are situated on 4 separate off-site locations:
200 Granville Street, 250 Howe Street, 200 Burrard Street, and 900 Canada Place

The offsite parking locations are also going to the DPB in order to alter their parking requirements to facilitate the new office tower.

Leftcoaster, you want to weigh in and add anything on this one?

Thanks for the information. This is the "origami" building which sought input from the Gastown Heritage Committee and was reported to have a planned height of around 125 metres?

All we need to hear about next is 320 Granville and that block will be complete.

jlousa · #**11470** Posted **Nov 11, 2014, 4:44 AM**

The block will be far from complete even if 320 W Hastings goes ahead.

spm2013 · #**11471** Posted **Nov 11, 2014, 5:23 AM**

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Prometheus · #**11472** Posted **Nov 11, 2014, 5:42 AM**

I was just referring to the parking lots and parkades fronting Cordova between Richards and Granville, not the future transportation hub north of Waterfront Station.

But I must ask the same question I asked in the wake of the rumour that 601 West Hastings is going ahead on spec: what about all the recent dire warnings about a rapidly rising vacancy rate and an excess of space being created by the office projects already underway?

Klazu · #**11473** Posted **Nov 11, 2014, 5:59 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by spm2013

All this to look forward to

Credit: http://cityhallwatch.files.wordpress.com...k-601-w-cordova-vhc-13-jan-2013-c031.pdf

What are those numbers? Floors? Quite dissapointing if so.

Otherwise I like the vision.

spm2013 · #**11474** Posted **Nov 11, 2014, 6:58 AM**

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urbancanadian · #**11475** Posted **Nov 11, 2014, 8:47 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlousa

Looks like Caddillac Fairview will be moving forward with 601 W Cordova... Believe B+H Architects are behind the design.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prometheus

Thanks for the information. This is the "origami" building which sought input from the Gastown Heritage Committee and was reported to have a planned height of around 125 metres?

I've been really looking forward to this project, but I thought CF had brought in Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill to design this one? Or am I just imagining things?

Vin · #**11476** Posted **Nov 11, 2014, 3:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by spm2013

Building height in storeys above street level.

Reason:

Not again!

An 80 storey tower high above everyone else at this location would be ideal. Imagine a top viewing gallery: should have way better views of the mountains (and more) than QE Park.

osirisboy · #**11477** Posted **Nov 11, 2014, 3:59 PM**

Where exactly is this 601 cordova tower going to be?

The view cones are stupid! You can view the mountains from countless locations such as looking north on any downtown street. It makes absolutely no sense that we limit growth so some arbitrary point can have some dinky little view of a mountain

Henbo · #**11478** Posted **Nov 11, 2014, 4:09 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by urbancanadian

I've been really looking forward to this project, but I thought CF had brought in Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill to design this one? Or am I just imagining things?

Could it be possible for this to be an other proposal? A different one then the origami building?

This 26 storey tower is within zoning, and one of the sites of the transit hub was planned for 26 storeys? Plus I think the Oragami building was supposed to take up the 11 or 6 storey site?

This could all be wrong, but I just like to speculate

spm2013 · #**11479** Posted **Nov 11, 2014, 5:48 PM**

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spm2013 · #**11480** Posted **Nov 11, 2014, 8:40 PM**

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