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

[retro_orange]

Originally Posted by officedweller

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

It's built like a bomb shelter! I wonder if the interior walls are built as beefy. Depending on how it's built; In an earthquake this would either be incredibly strong and resistant or 'pancake' collapse with only minor lateral force (see the City Hall east annex) However I would guess it's built stronger because of all the utilities and telephone infrastructure inside the building.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by retro_orange

...
However I would guess it's built stronger because of all the utilities and telephone infrastructure inside the building.

Yeah, that's my guess too - but I wonder how many floors of the building have infrastructure / equipment - I would have thought there were offices in that building too (?)

[retro_orange]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Yeah, that's my guess too - but I wonder how many floors of the building have infrastructure / equipment - I would have thought there were offices in that building too (?)

It's hard to say really, unless someone who used to work in the building can recall. What you can see are those vertical vent grills go up the entire building but not very wide. The mirrored coating on the windows makes it hard to tell as well, can you see through the windows at night perhaps? i have never looked.

My guess is also the building has had many equipment refits from technology changes in the almost 60 years it's been there. I for one would love to tour the inside of the building to look at any antiquated technology and random old unused machines or defunct operating rooms. My grandpa had a shoe repair store in kits and his machines that he used were from the 20's and still worked until 2014 when we donated them to a working museum. They were a blast to use.


pic from: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=7438584&postcount=2817

[mcminsen]

Today I was watching them load up the old panels that had been removed.



May 12 '16, my pics

[mcminsen]

Originally Posted by mcminsen

Still a fair amount of balcony railings and glass to be installed on the upper floors of the condo tower.



April 28 '16, my pic

Balcony glass looks to be almost done.



May 12 '16, my pics

[mcminsen]

Originally Posted by mcminsen

The podium roof.


May 6 '16, my pics

May 12 '16, my pics

[WarrenC12]

Any word on move-in notices?

[s211]

I can confirm that the model in CBRE's reception does in fact illustrate an art façade on the entire face of the toll building; greyscale foliage. I can't confirm whether that is what will be installed, or if it was bait/switch.

[Liberator]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Any word on move-in notices?

Still awaiting occupancy permit

5th amendment sent out stating updated completion may be May 12th to end of Jun

[officedweller]

Thanks.

I think there's supposed to be a swimming pool on the podium near the alley side.

Originally Posted by mcminsen

May 12 '16, my pics

[mcminsen]

Robson has a sidewalk again.

I wonder why they couldn't have moved the toilet further west to the other side of the alley. It would have been a bit of expensive work but man, a toilet right in the front of one of the entrances to the building.

May 13 '16, my pics

[mcminsen]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Thanks.

I think there's supposed to be a swimming pool on the podium near the alley side.

Originally Posted by Built Form

All pix by Built Form

The basic design we see today seems to be similar to those pics of the model that Built Form took over four years ago. So yes, the swimming pool should be along the alley side and one level up will be planters with trees which I'm seeing being constructed now.


April 28 '16, my pic


May 12 '16, my pic

[officedweller]

Thanks

The entrance being placed in front of the washroom is ridiculous.

Originally Posted by mcminsen

Robson has a sidewalk again.

I wonder why they couldn't have moved the toilet further west to the other side of the alley. It would have been a bit of expensive work but man, a toilet right in the front of one of the entrances to the building.

May 13 '16, my pics

[mcminsen]

Once I saw they had poured the new sidewalk I gave up hope that they were going to relocate the washroom. It would have been so much better just west of there on the other side of the alley. And oriented lengthwise to the sidewalk so it would interfere less with the flow of foot traffic. I'll bet all the freestanding washrooms like this were required to have their biggest sides facing the foot traffic because that gives maximum exposure for the advertising on the sides.

980 Howe had the washroom by it's building relocated right into the form of their building (see pic below). I'm sure it cost them a bit but it's less ugly and awkward that way. I used the one at Davie/Bute once and I can tell you that they are not the kind of toilet you want to use unless you really really have to. They're like something you'd have in a prison cell and not that clean. And it's impossible to discretely enter or exit one of those. When you push the exit button the door suddenly springs open and it takes just one step to put yourself into the middle of the passing crowd on the sidewalk.

One reason this facility is necessary though is because of the ever present numbers of panhandlers and homeless people that are in the area all day every day.


Public washroom at 980 Howe, April 11 '16, my pic

[Klazu]

Originally Posted by officedweller

The entrance being placed in front of the washroom is ridiculous.

There is no worse place they could have placed that washroom! It is as if they tried their very best to make sure it is right in front of it! Hilariously bad design.

[jollyburger]

Do homeless people actually use them? Seems like they would just go into the Tim Hortons or any other business versus paying to use the washroom.

[mcminsen]

The public washroom at the Telus door is free to use, as are the others like it elsewhere in downtown.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by mcminsen

The public washroom at the Telus door is free to use, as are the others like it elsewhere in downtown.

Thanks, always assumed it was a pay toilet

[Klazu]

Has anyone used one? Are they how gross?

[MIPS]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Has anyone used one? Are they how gross?

The two I know of downtown are either occupied constantly or out of service.
The one next to Main Street - Science World is always apparently open but you can press the damn button all day and the door will never open. I've ended up having to rush down to the bathrooms at Main/Hastings a few times or beg with one of the fast food places up at Commercial Broadway.

Originally Posted by retro_orange

It's built like a bomb shelter! I wonder if the interior walls are built as beefy. Depending on how it's built; In an earthquake this would either be incredibly strong and resistant or 'pancake' collapse with only minor lateral force (see the City Hall east annex) However I would guess it's built stronger because of all the utilities and telephone infrastructure inside the building.

The building used to hold the downtown microwave hub and probably a fair amount of the exchange. BC Tel probably didn't want that going down for anything short of nuclear blast.