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

[naota2018]

1111 ALBERNI STREET

[naota2018]

most of Westbank's completed projects shows very high strata fee. The reason for the high strata fee is nothing more than the maintenance budget and high insurance costs.

[Klazu]

Pretty shoddy job with public spaces and shame about issues with the exterior. Not sure how well the building will hold up in our weather.

How are the units themselves in terms of defiances? The few Westback buildings I gave seen (Woodwards and Telus Garden) have extremely poor building materials.

[rofina]

Is none of that grounds for a class action by the Strata Corp or an owners group?

That is not acceptable for what's considered a luxury product.

You're getting a Lada expecting and having paid for a Tesla.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by rofina

Is none of that grounds for a class action by the Strata Corp or an owners group?

That is not acceptable for what's considered a luxury product.

You're getting a Lada expecting and having paid for a Tesla.

I suspect that's the result of years of BC Liberal governments that are backed by developers. There shouldn't be that much latitude between what you think you're buying and what is delivered.

[Klazu]

Originally Posted by rofina

You're getting a Lada expecting and having paid for a Tesla.

That is actually more apt than you think! Teslas are similarly totally overpriced and full of manufacturing problems due to their piss-poor quality control. I couldn't have thought of a better example, so kudos to you.

[madog222]

Originally Posted by rofina

You're getting a Lada expecting and having paid for a Tesla.

https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/3148...used-to-find-wood-bracing-car-components

[spacebjorn]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Pretty shoddy job with public spaces and shame about issues with the exterior. Not sure how well the building will hold up in our weather.

How are the units themselves in terms of defiances? The few Westback buildings I gave seen (Woodwards and Telus Garden) have extremely poor building materials.

x2.

Well, judging by those common area deficiencies, I wouldn't be surprised at all if the individual unit are experiencing similar predicaments.

I really feel for the unsuspecting buyers who've bought into the marketing and believed they were getting something that rivals the quality and class of residential units in The Pacific (maybe judge once completed), Harbour green, Jameson House, etc.

Albeit no residence is perfect and it can happen with any developers but Westbank is by far the most 'all bark, no bite' product on the market. They will flaunt with those exciting exterior designs along with the environmental, tree-hugging philosophy's that embodies the City's ethos but consistently lags behind every developer in terms of practicality and livability. I've never heard of any renters/buyers who's lived in any of those Westbank-projects say good things - only complaints.

The city is part of the issue really, they've consistently given free reign to Westbank on approving edgy design proposals that helps to lure buyers (the part where the Telus Garden overhangs onto the sidewalk would never be approved due to safety reasons unless for some personal relationships with the board. ) while enabling Westbank to continue to operate by cutting corners and sell sub-quality products which conversely sets poor standards for many developers to follow and for many years to come.

The buyers will always take the hit, and that's why we're seeing the issues surface now.

[dreambrother808]

Originally Posted by zahav

Although deficiencies in a new build are normal, so many of these are inexcusable for a high end building. Let's hope they step up and take care of all of these, I certinly would be one of those residents pointing it out. I live in a 1993-built building, and it is so well taken care of I can barely think of anything I would point as a deficiency or in need of repair, even at this age.

I live in a brand new co-op building with no apparent deficiencies. This is atrocious for what owners have paid.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by dreambrother808

I live in a brand new co-op building with no apparent deficiencies. This is atrocious for what owners have paid.

Give it time! Everything is built like crap today. Gotta remember it's the grunts on the ground that determine this stuff.

[rofina]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Give it time! Everything is built like crap today. Gotta remember it's the grunts on the ground that determine this stuff.

That's fair. But this is horrid management from top to bottom.

You don't just "build' things today.

You have;

- Architects - International - Design Concept
- Consulting Architect - Local code knowledge
- Interior Designers
- Consultants
a. Mech
b. Elec
c. Seismic
d. Code
e. Structural
- Project Managers
- Site Managers
- Sub-Trade Project Manager
- Sub-Trade Foreman
- Worker actually doing the work.

That means about 5-6 layers of management signed off and thought the work was done to an appropriate level.

That's literally a system failure. In fact, that's the definition of a system failing if this was signed off on along the way.

This should be trending with Westbanks name allover it and Ingels on the hashtag too.

No one should want to be associated with something like this.

It would be a failure if done by a fly by night residential contractor. But for this to be the finish on a Starchitect tower, world know tower, built by "Canadas luxury developer."

Its actually embarrassing.

[bb1510]

Visited the complex recently, things like the elevator floor has been rectified (albeit haphazardly) with a runner inside.

Lobby has artwork but frame photographs which don't have the original feeling of the proposed, large format artwork

Terrazzo floor is really unfortunate - they seem to have coated it with an epoxy which gives it an "orange peel" look which should have been in a honed finish

The overall feeling of the complex including corridors and spaces give it a feeling of a purpose built upper market/luxury rental tower rather than a purpose built tower for sale

A point to the OP about what was proposed and what was delivered; change works are common and what is shown in renders does not equate what the final product is

[Cypherus]

I live in Ultra tower in Surrey and it was castigated in the News outlets because of apparent structural deficiencies for wind load and earthquake loading due to the engineer using the 2010 national code instead of using the BC 2010 code. But it was deemed safe upon further review by independent third parties - much safer than all condos in Vancouver and Surrey built before it. Of course, local News was silent on the new determination made, because it was not headline inducing. This made me believe in the idea of fake news because, on the other hand, you have obvious gross negligence in a downtown Vancouver tower that the media is suddenly quiet about. God forbid if Chelsea Handler who praises Vancouver, or the Daily Hive Vancouver get wind of it...

[rofina]

Originally Posted by Cypherus

I live in Ultra tower in Surrey and it was castigated in the News outlets because of apparent structural deficiencies for wind load and earthquake loading due to the engineer using the 2010 national code instead of using the BC 2010 code. But it was deemed safe upon further review by independent third parties - much safer than all condos in Vancouver and Surrey built before it. Of course, local News was silent on the new determination made, because it was not headline inducing. This made me believe in the idea of fake news because, on the other hand, you have obvious gross negligence in a downtown Vancouver tower that the media is suddenly quiet about. God forbid if Chelsea Handler who praises Vancouver, or the Daily Hive Vancouver get wind of it...

Westbank has a long running reputation of shoddy work.

There should be an expose on how horrendous their work actually is.

Vancouver definitely has an inability to discuss its problems, and use inordinate amount of money, time and effort to develop and defend an image of something were clearly not.

This is wanting the North Shore views from the postcards. And getting the DTES.

Its quintessential Vancouverism.

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by Cypherus

I live in Ultra tower in Surrey and it was castigated in the News outlets because of apparent structural deficiencies for wind load and earthquake loading due to the engineer using the 2010 national code instead of using the BC 2010 code. But it was deemed safe upon further review by independent third parties - much safer than all condos in Vancouver and Surrey built before it. Of course, local News was silent on the new determination made, because it was not headline inducing. This made me believe in the idea of fake news because, on the other hand, you have obvious gross negligence in a downtown Vancouver tower that the media is suddenly quiet about. God forbid if Chelsea Handler who praises Vancouver, or the Daily Hive Vancouver get wind of it...

Sloppy / rushed trades cracking lobby tile and a structural engineer signing off on something wrong (though maybe technically safe) and losing their jobs are 2 very different things.

[jlousa]

My personal opinion is that Westbank was better served when they used to contract out the construction aspect of their projects to the likes of Ledcor/ITC etc. Bringing it inhouse certainly has it's perks but you are left shouldering all the blame for deficiencies. Perhaps seeking occupancy a few months later would've gone a long way to address a few of the issues presented, fine balancing act when you have owners vying to get in but work still to be done. I'm confident most of the teething pains will get sorted out and as a city we are left with a gorgeous building.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by Cypherus

I live in Ultra tower in Surrey and it was castigated in the News outlets because of apparent structural deficiencies for wind load and earthquake loading due to the engineer using the 2010 national code instead of using the BC 2010 code. But it was deemed safe upon further review by independent third parties - much safer than all condos in Vancouver and Surrey built before it. Of course, local News was silent on the new determination made, because it was not headline inducing. This made me believe in the idea of fake news because, on the other hand, you have obvious gross negligence in a downtown Vancouver tower that the media is suddenly quiet about. God forbid if Chelsea Handler who praises Vancouver, or the Daily Hive Vancouver get wind of it...

It's funny that you are crying out about fake news and then you're going to tell us Ultra is somehow more safe than all condos in Vancouver and Surrey. Most of the news stories just said what the ruling was. The guy signed off on the wrong code and used less conservative requirements from the wrong code. They renamed the engineering firm to Kor Structural.

[rofina]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

It's funny that you are crying out about fake news and then you're going to tell us Ultra is somehow more safe than all condos in Vancouver and Surrey. Most of the news stories just said what the ruling was. The guy signed off on the wrong code and used less conservative requirements from the wrong code. They renamed the engineering firm to Kor Structural.

The whole Ultra thing was a joke anyway.

The old national code is fine. We overbuild like crazy here. We have 100 year old brick buildings still standing with mortar that can be scraped out with a bare finger.

There are more immediate concerns on our housing plate than overbuilding for seismic event that may or may not happen in the next hundred years.

[Klazu]

The same slide deck is gaining attention on Reddit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/lyqm7z/vancouver_house_that_big_twisty_building_by_the/

"Ok, I have a few hilarious stories about this buildings atrocious state. But we will start with my favourite one.

The stairwells up from the parkades open into the stairwells, but do not open the other way, back into the parkades.

And since the building does not hire enough security for the area, what keeps happening is that druggies come into the parkade, go into the stairwell, go down to the lowest floor they can reach, and do their drugs somewhere nice and warm and dry.

And then, once they have finished their high/taken a dump/had sex with the prostitute they hired they go to leave the stairwell... and can't. Now you have a rapidly coming down Druggie + friend trapped in an enclosed space unable to get out running up and down the stairs trying to find the one working exit running into people.

What a well designed building..."

[officedweller]

That's typical to prevent access to the garage and break-ins to vehicles.
I suppose it's an issue because of easy access to the stairs through the commercial levels of parking?