Downtown Vancouver Updates

[rofina]

I don't care if this alley fails - but I think its important the city recognises value in activating alley ways.

They can be so much more useful and nice.

Melbourne did a great job of this, as do many Asian cities. Markets get set up, food carts, hole in the wall coffee and treat vendors.

They can be made fantastic.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by logan5

The architect presentation board says the addition must be distinguishable from the heritage structure. Why?

The intent is to show a noticeable difference between the older building, and the new. There are a few examples where that wasn't attempted with heritage retention and addition, but generally it's true. (for example, Garage on Water Street, also designed by Acton Ostry, has a very similar design for the vertical addition, but I think that was because of the structural issues of adding to a 1930's poured-in-place concrete heritage structure.

I don't see that this proposal is dramatically different from the IBI/Carscadden 564 Beatty example, or the Yaletown Brewpub that Gower Yeung Associates designed with two extra floors that used cor-ten steel as cladding on the addition. The architects say that "the design of the three-storey addition draws a clear distinction between what is historic and what is new, while being compatible with — and preserving the character of — the historic building." They also say that "As with the historic building, horizontal bands of opaque wall alternate with glazed openings to delineate the floor levels. The windows of the addition are expressed as a continuous ribbon, referencing the horizontality of the historic building without mimicking the rhythm of its punched openings. The height of the ribbon glazing corresponds to the height of the individual windows on the main floor of the historic building; similarly, the height of the new addition’s bands of opaque wall are proportional with the height of the opaque wall above the windows of the historic building.

Floor to ceiling glazing comprises the perimeter of the recessed connecting level above the roofline of the historic building, diminishing its visual presence. The opaque wall areas of the two-storey volume above will be clad in a panel system having a colour value similar to that of the historic brick masonry. While the colour will be complimentary, the panel cladding is a clearly modern, manufactured construction material and will distinguish itself from the masonry by virtue of its overall lightness, smoother finish and simpler articulation. The cladding of the addition will not compete for visual interest with the heavy, highly textured and variegated brick masonry of the historic building. The structure of the addition will span the width of the historic building to minimize impact on the existing heavy timber columns and beams." [source].

It will be interesting to see if the UDP disagree with the approach, or the details of how it has been designed.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Vin

That City initiated alley/lane behind the Orpheum; just one short word I need to say:

FAIL!!!

The article says it's a Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (DVBIA) project - not City initiated. FAIL!

[Vin]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

Fail in what way?

Do you ever see anyone hang out there as per the renderings?

Originally Posted by Changing City

The article says it's a Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (DVBIA) project - not City initiated. FAIL!

The City initiated this funding scheme for projects they approve. DVBIA is also part of Vancouver. I bet the CoV never maintains it and lets in rot into its present state: FAIL!

Originally Posted by rofina

I don't care if this alley fails - but I think its important the city recognises value in activating alley ways.

They can be so much more useful and nice.

Melbourne did a great job of this, as do many Asian cities. Markets get set up, food carts, hole in the wall coffee and treat vendors.

They can be made fantastic.

Half-hearted projects like this is just a way to waste taxpayer's money, that's all. In Melbourne and Asia, they go all out, and that's why they are successful.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by bc2mb

some clearer pics of the Yaletown addition:

This is totally horrible: FAIL!

[scryer]

Originally Posted by rofina

I don't care if this alley fails - but I think its important the city recognises value in activating alley ways.

They can be so much more useful and nice.

Melbourne did a great job of this, as do many Asian cities. Markets get set up, food carts, hole in the wall coffee and treat vendors.

They can be made fantastic.

Exactly. I am super glad that significant attention is now being paid to the alleyways. One of my favourite coffee stops was a hole in a wall, in Sydney.

As for the Yaletown addition.... it's potential is wasted. I really don't mind the colour scheme (and do I spy wood?) but it should've been either a taller, skinny wood-based condo or it should have been a taller wood structured office building (charging lower rents). If that was too much to read, read this: it should have been taller.

[GenWhy?]

From the City of Vancouver website:
"Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) are specially funded business districts. The districts are managed by non-profit groups of property owners and business tenants whose goal is to promote and improve their business district. Vancouver has 22 BIAs.
BIAs are active in their communities, promoting business, tourism, safety, and street beautification."

Isn't the alley nor finished until some time in August? Alley-Oop is routinely programmed, and I imagine this one will be too. Those behind Ackery Alley are More Awesome Now (includes folks from the Downtown Business Improvement Association and HCMA Architecture & Design) and they did a kickstarter funding campaign. All three alley redesigns in the downtown area received a grant from the City. Not sure how much or the process but I assume they applied for one like anyone else. Alley-Oop is well maintained and well used.
Funding for BIAs comes from a special property tax. Each commercial property within the boundary is taxed in proportion to its total taxable value. This means that if a property owner owns one percent of the total taxable value, their share will be one percent of the BIA budget. In most lease agreements, property owners pass this cost on to the business tenants.
BIA funds are used to hire staff and run BIA activities."

[logan5]

The artwork in the alley is nice'n all, but how are you going to activate that alley way if there's no retail space? Some lights and sounds just isn't gonna do it. I hope to see this kind of creativity in the proposed pedestrian lanes in NEFC, where there will be retail spaces.

The lanes in Melbourne are great urban spaces, so I can understand the city's desire to activate alley-ways.

[Chikinlittle]

Originally Posted by logan5

The artwork in the alley is nice'n all, but how are you going to activate that alley way if there's no retail space? Some lights and sounds just isn't gonna do it. I hope to see this kind of creativity in the proposed pedestrian lanes in NEFC, where there will be retail spaces.

The lanes in Melbourne are great urban spaces, so I can understand the city's desire to activate alley-ways.

Exactly. Paint and decoration isn't activation. It's lipstick.

There are so many alleys in this city that would make great places to be genuinely activated, with entrances that could be used for retail frontages onto spaces that could be divided off and repurposed from the current layout of what's there now.

[csbvan]

I'm guessing that there is an attempt to first make alleys welcoming, interesting spaces so that people will be used to alleys as public space. First get buy in, then it will be easier to truly activate the laneways with retail, etc. It seems to be working, Alley Oop is packed with people taking pictures every time I walk past it.

[mcminsen]

Originally Posted by mcminsen

July 3 '18, my pic

Update from today...



July 23 '18, my pic

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by Changing City

The intent is to show a noticeable difference between the older building, and the new.

...

It will be interesting to see if the UDP disagree with the approach, or the details of how it has been designed.

The Beatty St. project has a deeper recess at the transition than this project.
On this one, the addition just seems to rise from the heritage building,
rather than being a "block" perched atop a plinth atop the heritage building.

The other problem I think arises from the short nature of the heritage building.

It's only 2 storeys and doesn't have its own rhythm, especially on the Homer side,
where the entrance eats up some of the façade.
Because of that short scale, the upper addition needs to be even lighter in appearance
to not overshadow or visually dominate the heritage component.

The banding on the addition does the opposite - the banding creates a visual focus/unity
for the upper addition that diverts attention away from the heritage base and
becomes the dominant feature of the building (apart from looking 1970s).

The addition has 3 stripes of banding .
The heritage building only has 2 stripes of brick banding above the windows.
... because of that extra band on the addition, the addition dominates over the heritage building.
(if you eliminate the top band on the addition, and the proportions look better)

564 Beatty is 3 storeys perched over 3 storeys. That's balanced visually.
The Homer project also has 2 storeys perched over 2 storeys, so it should be balanced too,
but doesn't quite seem to make it.

I think they need to do something to reduce the dominance of the new addition.
Maybe removing one band from the addition, or providing a setback from Homer St.
for the entire addition, lighter materials, etc. or introducing some asymmetry.

Originally Posted by Feathered Friend

https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2018/0...ption-follows/

Compare:


http://sixty7architectureroad.ca/201...-carousel-7522

An older version of the 564 Beatty project is shown here.
Would something like this be better?


http://omicronaec.com/omicron-projec...-beatty-street

[Feathered Friend]

Dressing up Granville Street’s Office District – A Model of Things to Come?

524 – 526 Granville Street
This is something Darren and I don’t see very often. Not only does it show what appears to be a significant addition to a 108 year old heritage building on Granville Street, it also looks like it may still be in the early stages of design. While no rezoning or development application has been submitted, and, as far as we know, there hasn’t been a pre-application open house, together we have managed to figure out some details about this project.

https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2018/0...hings-to-come/

[LeftCoaster]

Nice find. I saw that in P+Ws office last week, wasn't sure if it was for Vancouver or not. If in fact you guys got the address correct that would be a great addition!

I do notice it appears to cantilever out over the heritage building, over the sidewalk. I doubt the city would be on board for that so there's likely a lot of change to come.

[osirisboy]

They let Telus cantilever over the sidewalk

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by osirisboy

They let Telus cantilever over the sidewalk

I think it's now "written" that will never happen again. People I know who work / have worked on that with Henriquez said that was a one-off for the City. It would be a matter of finding the document that supports that, getting the details on it.

[LeftCoaster]

Yes city staff have not been pleased with how that has turned out and told the industry that is NOT a precedent.

I think the intrusion of a foot or two above sidewalks is not a big deal but I do agree with the city that the less we have jarring intrusions into the existing public realm the better.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

Yes city staff have not been pleased with how that has turned out and told the industry that is NOT a precedent.

I think the intrusion of a foot or two above sidewalks is not a big deal but I do agree with the city that the less we have jarring intrusions into the existing public realm the better.

That's interesting. It's a really awesome view from that box up and down the street.

[officedweller]

Nice find, thanks.
I wonder if SFU might be involved (adjacent transfer of density from the old BMO building for SFU purposes?)

[mcminsen]

Originally Posted by Feathered Friend

https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2018/0...hings-to-come/

I was by there today so I took some pics.



July 25 '18, my pics