Telus Garden | 135m, 88m | 46fl res, 22fl office | 928,000sqft | Completed

[mcminsen]

Originally Posted by mcminsen

Now those frame things have appeared on Robson Street near the alley. I wonder where they're going to be installed and what they're for.



May 4 '16, my pics

Mystery partly solved. Those frame things are going in the paving at one of the entrances on Robson Street. Maybe they will light up from underneath?



May7 '16, my pics

[Prometheus]

Interesting.

Thanks for the update.

[officedweller]

Thanks.

I can see maintenance being expensive.

[bc2mb]

I thought they might be set in some special paving stones.. say marble or something similar at the entrance.

[officedweller]

Just thought of something...

The steel strips on those frames - if left exposed - could be a slipping hazard
the same way the Canada Line grates or the steel access hatches in the sidewalks are
(and have to be painted periodically with rubbery paint).

[Calgarian]

I wonder if these are to have access to something under that part of the sidewalk. They look like some pavers or something will just be set into the spaces there.

[officedweller]

I idea is probably like the glass block tiles that used to line the older parts of downtown.
There were rooms called "areaways" under the sidewalk and the glass block provided light
(i.e. rumoured (or actual?) opium and gambling dens in Chinatown).

This may be a recreation of that effect with lighting under a glass sidewalk (come to think of it, just like the plaza side on Georgia)

I think there's also a recreation of it on Beatty in Crosstown (not sure if it lights up though).

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by officedweller

I idea is probably like the glass block tiles that used to line the older parts of downtown.
There were rooms called "areaways" under the sidewalk and the glass block provided light
(i.e. rumoured (or actual?) opium and gambling dens in Chinatown).

This may be a recreation of that effect with lighting under a glass sidewalk (come to think of it, just like the plaza side on Georgia)

I think there's also a recreation of it on Beatty in Crosstown (not sure if it lights up though).

Really good explation on it here with a list and photos of all the areaways in Vancouver:

https://vanalogue.wordpress.com/2016/04/14/sidewalk-prisms-of-vancouver/

And why are they purple

The reason original sidewalk prisms are purple is that manganese was added to the glass in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. When exposed to UV light or sunlight, the manganese turned purple or amethyst over time. The amount of manganese added determined how deep a purple colour the glass would turn.

[Vancouver_Highrise]

My work has light up LED screens outside the entrance. They always have issues with programming them..

It might be something like this?

https://www.google.ca/search?q=skwachays...cQ_AUIBigB&dpr=1#imgrc=oGN6vB0dt8BxAM%3A

[mcminsen]

Jan.31 '16, my pic



April 28 '16, my pic



May 9 '16, my pic

[LeftCoaster]

Looks like they are planning on adding a second skin to the old facade along Seymour. Was walking by checking out the site and noticed all of the anchors being added:

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by s211

I've seen modelling that doesn't have the grey facade shown a few posts back. Instead, there was an arty glass face with either leaves or some animal. I can't recall exactly. Maybe I will need to go by the CBRE office in MNP again and check, because that's where I saw a model in their lobby with an art facade indicated.

Hmm - second skin artsy glass façade?

Hopefully they clean up the old curtain wall before adding the second skin.
Seems odd that the brackets pierce some of the existing spandrel panels, whereas other panels have been removed.

[trofirhen]

I hope the 'second skin' is sleeker than what is there now. The whole thing is 1950s utilitarian-ugly. And that industrial blue ... yeck.

[s211]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Hmm - second skin artsy glass façade?

Hopefully they clean up the old curtain wall before adding the second skin.
Seems odd that the brackets pierce some of the existing spandrel panels, whereas other panels have been removed.

All spandrel at the mounting points was removed, mounts were installed and they're now in the process of replacing the spandrel.

[mcminsen]

The frame things at the Robson entrance had some concrete poured under them and they're not floating like they were before. I'll be watching them closely to see if they install any lights.



May 10 '16, my pics

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by s211

All spandrel at the mounting points was removed, mounts were installed and they're now in the process of replacing the spandrel.

Thanks!
Sounds good to me, as that'll retain some colour on the facade, versus bland gray (but curious as to the art glass façade).

************

I wonder if mice or rats will crawl up from the sewer under the sidewalk frame?

[LeftCoaster]

Looks similar to the glass on the ribcage on Georgia. Pixelated leaves and stuff.

I took a pic of the mounting brackets the other day. I posted with google but it doesn't seem to have worked so here it is on imgur:

[officedweller]

The green background should contrast well with the art glass design, but I wonder about how it will look in front of the vision glass on the 1st/original skin.

[mcminsen]

May 11 '16, my pics

[officedweller]

WTF?
There's a ~4ft tall concrete wall/beam/slab combo behind each spandrel panel?
(i.e. not just a floor slab)