The Ultimate Vancouver Rumour Thread!

[Klazu]

What? Are you saying there isn't enough reward in internet fame?

[jlousa]

I'm sitting on a rumour but can't give out details.
Nothing earth shattering but a sizeable for the area commercial development. That is all, and poking me won't get me to spill the beans.

[Klazu]

Tease and hype is what this thread is famous for rather than actual rumours, but we all still love it!

[jollyburger]

Are these renderings new for 1188 West Georgia? By MCMP







https://www.wigwamvisual.com/projects/1188-west-georgia/

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

that looks like it is creating a pretty narrow sidewalk. i have trouble believing the CoV will approve that.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

that looks like it is creating a pretty narrow sidewalk. i have trouble believing the CoV will approve that.

I assume they will just maintain the current sidewalk width where there currently are planters. That entire stretch to Shangri-la is pretty much the same.

[bluefox]

It's definitely a good start, but hopefully the tower is also somehow reclad or spruced up. Seems wasteful to put a bunch of effort into a retail podium and leave the tower untouched.

[logan5]

Originally Posted by bluefox

It's definitely a good start, but hopefully the tower is also somehow reclad or spruced up. Seems wasteful to put a bunch of effort into a retail podium and leave the tower untouched.

I would be perfectly fine with all buildings that have retail at street level following this formula. When you are street level, you simply don't notice a building, or can't even see the building further than a few stories up. I would rather see all the budget on architecture concentrated at street level. This would make streets far more walk-able as the better architecture would attract a much wider range of businesses, and consequently, more people.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by bluefox

It's definitely a good start, but hopefully the tower is also somehow reclad or spruced up. Seems wasteful to put a bunch of effort into a retail podium and leave the tower untouched.

Seems more likely that they would tear it down than spend money on recladding it.

[dleung]

Ugh, the building is fine and doesn't need to be neutered with a fucking podium. Imagine doing this to the macmillan bloedel building...

Just switch out the brown glass on the tower, open up the opaque portions on the Alberni side, put in a better glass canopy that highlights the individual window bays, and stick one of those 6-storey boutique retail buildings from Omotesando in the gap next to Coastal church.

[cov]

a ground floor retail podium will better activate the streetscape. That mini-park on the west side is also poorly used. A patio bar is more than welcomed.

[dleung]

I'm not saying don't have retail... a podium this shallow is basically a formal gesture suggesting that the tower shouldn't come down to the ground for whatever reason. You can have retail within the tower footprint... not stealing an extra metre from a potentially decent depth sidewalk won't make or break the retail functionality when there r tower columns right behind the new windows.

[cov]

Originally Posted by dleung

I'm not saying don't have retail... a podium this shallow is basically a formal gesture suggesting that the tower shouldn't come down to the ground for whatever reason. You can have retail within the tower footprint... not stealing an extra metre from a potentially decent depth sidewalk won't make or break the retail functionality when there r tower columns right behind the new windows.

maybe the property owner feels it's better to have a spacious ground floor to accommodate both the tower lobby and retail.

[Klazu]

There is a difference in elevation between Alberni and West Georgia but I guess that can be handled inside stores, if facing both sides.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by dleung

Ugh, the building is fine and doesn't need to be neutered with a fucking podium. Imagine doing this to the macmillan bloedel building...

Just switch out the brown glass on the tower, open up the opaque portions on the Alberni side, put in a better glass canopy that highlights the individual window bays, and stick one of those 6-storey boutique retail buildings from Omotesando in the gap next to Coastal church.

Agreed.
The building looks fine and retail should be within the original facade.
That retail looks too tacked on, and that sidewalk is way too narrow.
The retail units do not relate to the grid on the tower at all. If the retail is expanded outwards, the window height should be the same level as the bute window and could be done using precast columns creating tall window bays of the same grid width (or double width) creating a formalist line of tall columns on a new protruding facade.
A protruding retail extension should also replicate the chamfer on the tower corner to bring that down to grade, even if offset.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Agreed.
The building looks fine and retail should be within the original facade.
That retail looks too tacked on, and that sidewalk is way too narrow.
The retail units do not relate to the grid on the tower at all. If the retail is expanded outwards, the window height should be the same level as the bute window and could be done using precast columns creating tall window bays of the same grid width (or double width) creating a formalist line of tall columns on a new protruding facade.
A protruding retail extension should also replicate the chamfer on the tower corner to bring that down to grade, even if offset.

Well the retail units are sort of enlarged versions of the grid pattern on the rest of the tower. Sure they are cubes but still..

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Well the retail units are sort of enlarged versions of the grid pattern on the rest of the tower. Sure they are cubes but still..

It just takes some thought from the architects...
That window bay on Bute is 3 grid cubes wide.
The Alberni facade is 9 grid cubes wide within the chamfered corners.
They could easily add an extension the full width (including chamfers) so they move the chamfers to the south at grade and have window bays that are 3 grid cubes wide (like on Bute) between the chamfers using precast columns that match the tower.
For the infill of the plaza, continue the extension past a "V" formed by a matching chamfer on the retail pavilion. That 'V" also provides the retail with more exposure.
The retail extension should also be one storey taller for proportions (with the impacted office windows looking down into the retail stores,
like how the new entrance to Pacific Centre sits in front of some 701 West Georgia office windows, which now look into that atrium instead of onto an open plaza).

That would mesh with the building's architecture.

[LeftCoaster]

I do agree that retail is the right thing to do here, it will continue the Alberni strip and allow for a more than ~1 block retail run that will then end appropriately with the beginning of the residential portion of the street. It could even be turned up onto Robson to make a loop.

I do also agree that this design does not match the tower in an appropriate fashion and needs to be better integrated while still providing high quality functional retail space. With that said, this is likely a very early iteration so I wouldn't get too worried about the design until it is proposed formally to the City.

[Feathered Friend]

- Source Google Earth

It seems there’s something interesting planned for the offices at 725 Seymour, but as these enquiries are rarely made public, this screenshot is our only clue. In fact, we only discovered it thanks to the online format Vancouver’s advisory bodies have adopted.

https://twitter.com/City_Duo/status/1379928232229625858?s=20

[jollyburger]

Typo in the tweet: 525 Seymour

But it's heritage so doesn't that limit the "interesting" aspect of this property? Aquilini owns it.

In December:

FURTHER THAT the Vancouver Heritage Commission request that the Statements of
Significance for the following buildings be referred back to the consultants for revisions:
 317 Prior Street – David Main Residence
 525 Seymour Street – Yorkshire Building
 535 Seymour Street – Georgian Building
 526 Granville Street – Leckie Block

https://vancouver.ca/docs/council/vher20201207min.pdf