[Halifax] Nova Centre | 65-58-58 m | 16-15-14 fl | Completed

[Phalanx]

Originally Posted by Hali87

I've seen a few comments about the "coloured glass trend continuing", from the renderings though it looks like most of the building will be clad in uniform blue-tinted glass? Can anyone explain what the excitement is about?

The main convention level is supposedly going to be done in a vivid blue tint. They mentioned at the meeting that it came out lighter in the renderings than intended. This is why if you look at the sketch-style rendering, the colour of the main convention floor stands out from the towers/lower levels.

Someone also said something about using different shades of blue, but I don't remember if that was just a suggestion, or something they were looking at doing.

Did they ever answer the question about whether or not it was going to be connected to the Link pedway/tunnel system?

[teddifax]

Originally Posted by Phalanx

The main convention level is supposedly going to be done in a vivid blue tint. They mentioned at the meeting that it came out lighter in the renderings than intended. This is why if you look at the sketch-style rendering, the colour of the main convention floor stands out from the towers/lower levels.

Someone also said something about using different shades of blue, but I don't remember if that was just a suggestion, or something they were looking at doing.

Did they ever answer the question about whether or not it was going to be connected to the Link pedway/tunnel system?

I was forgetting about the pedway/tunnel system. It is amazing how an important part of how downtown currently connects can be forgotten! I hope this is looked into! I hope all future developments must commit to connecting to this system as a condition of their development.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by halifaxboyns

The bridge commission rep was saying that they wanted to the convention here but the current centre didn't have the space. They specifically booked because Nova had more room.

There are two things I liked about his comment: First it stuck it to the STV crowd outright.

That is good to hear. It was unfortunate that so many STV comments were parroted back unquestioningly by the media. They made it sound like the new convention centre will be a white elephant when in reality the old one is already turning away business. The Nova Centre is not a guaranteed cash cow but it was not portrayed accurately.

Originally Posted by Phalanx

The main convention level is supposedly going to be done in a vivid blue tint. They mentioned at the meeting that it came out lighter in the renderings than intended. This is why if you look at the sketch-style rendering, the colour of the main convention floor stands out from the towers/lower levels.

I guess it is hard to say exactly what it will look like, but this plan doesn't sound very good to me. The bright balconies of the Vic work well because they are unusual and small accent pieces. Blue might not be so great since there's already a lot of it around, and a huge window covered in an artificial looking colour might not be great either. Admittedly it is probably not of the same quality that the Nova Centre will be, but one mall in my neighbourhood has blue tinted skylights and they look really goofy. I wonder if they put them in to give the illusion of clear blue skies during Vancouver's long, grey winters.

[fenwick16]

I thought the following piece by Roger Taylor contained some good points - http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/22...tre-would-bring-thousands-downtown-daily

TAYLOR: Nova Centre would bring thousands downtown daily

December 7, 2012 - 9:26pm By ROGER TAYLOR Business Columnist


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While the value of building the new Nova Centre complex, where the newspaper building once stood, still has its doubters, it is estimated that even during the least amount of activity at the centre, about 3,000 people will be working, living in or visiting the complex.

Add to that the prospect of conventions coming to the new convention centre, which is part of the Nova Centre complex, and it has been estimated that 7,000 to 8,000 people will be brought to the downtown.

Immediately, even for those who are most critical of the project, it becomes clear that Nova Centre will play a major role in the redevelopment of downtown Halifax, once the centre is completed in late 2015.
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While he’s not directly involved, Ramia says he’s convinced the new centre will be successful. People from other parts of the country have been telling him that Halifax residents may not fully realize how special Nova Scotia is as a place to visit.

Ramia believes the convention business still provides a viable opportunity for a place like Halifax, which is just a short plane ride from several large population centres and in a unique setting to attact new visitors to the province.

“It is cheaper (to host a convention in Halifax) from a cost point of view; it is very close to 150 million people within two hours away. It is a city that’s on the water. It has so much to offer and it is completely different from a Toronto or a Montreal or a New York or a Boston. It has something special to offer. I think that puts us in a class by ourselves,” he says.
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[someone123]

Originally Posted by teddifax

I was forgetting about the pedway/tunnel system. It is amazing how an important part of how downtown currently connects can be forgotten! I hope this is looked into! I hope all future developments must commit to connecting to this system as a condition of their development.

I have mixed feelings about the pedways. They take a lot of life off of the streets and they have a negative impact on some streetscapes downtown. I also think that a big part of the rationale for having them is simply that we have a lot of ineptly-designed and poorly-maintained outdoor pedestrian routes downtown; Cogswell is a prime example.

I bet that the covered area by the Nova Centre will be pretty comfortable year-round on all but the coldest days. A lot of other outdoor areas could be like that too with features like glass awnings and heated sidewalks that melt snow and ice.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

I thought the following piece by Roger Taylor contained some good points - http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/22...tre-would-bring-thousands-downtown-daily

Okay, this is my last bit of spam in this thread for a while:

Ramia's comment about Halifax being a good place to visit is an important one. The Argyle Street are is great, the waterfront is great, and Barrington could be great. In many other cities, the convention centres are isolated and unfriendly and in a lot of cases even the downtown cores are pretty generic. The Nova Centre looks like it will be well-integrated into the core and there will be tons of hotel, dining, and entertainment options for visitors. Lots of people can easily fly to Halifax (major airport with pre-clearance close to major North American cities). Halifax already has a great reputation in the rest of Canada, and if Americans realize that it is a good place to visit and host conferences it will get lots of business.

[worldlyhaligonian]

Originally Posted by someone123

Okay, this is my last bit of spam in this thread for a while:

Ramia's comment about Halifax being a good place to visit is an important one. The Argyle Street are is great, the waterfront is great, and Barrington could be great. In many other cities, the convention centres are isolated and unfriendly and in a lot of cases even the downtown cores are pretty generic. The Nova Centre looks like it will be well-integrated into the core and there will be tons of hotel, dining, and entertainment options for visitors. Lots of people can easily fly to Halifax (major airport with pre-clearance close to major North American cities). Halifax already has a great reputation in the rest of Canada, and if Americans realize that it is a good place to visit and host conferences it will get lots of business.

So important. The problem is Halifax doesn't know how to market itself and then there are a bunch of pessimistic people creating this culture of defeat.

The HT, STV, and all those folks have held us back for too long. They are the problem. They are the ones that say everything is impossible.

Things are possible... we just need to have the infrastructure and the mentality.

[ILoveHalifax]

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

So important. The problem is Halifax doesn't know how to market itself and then there are a bunch of pessimistic people creating this culture of defeat.

The HT, STV, and all those folks have held us back for too long. They are the problem. They are the ones that say everything is impossible.

Things are possible... we just need to have the infrastructure and the mentality.

I think the local media is very much to blame for the city being held back by all the naysayers.
It is just too easy to call up the same old people for a negative story rather than seek out others with a more positive point of view. Not just television and print but talk radio seems to encourage the same.
I would wish that talk radio find replacement hosts with a future in mind rather than encouraging the negativity of the last few decades.

[worldlyhaligonian]

The media is absurd. Honestly, there needs to be a mandate of optimism. If somebody doesn't have something relevant to contribute, they shouldn't get airtime.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by ILoveHalifax

I think the local media is very much to blame for the city being held back by all the naysayers.
It is just too easy to call up the same old people for a negative story rather than seek out others with a more positive point of view. Not just television and print but talk radio seems to encourage the same.
I would wish that talk radio find replacement hosts with a future in mind rather than encouraging the negativity of the last few decades.

Indeed. The media love negative stories because the media is basically lazy and negative stories are much easier to write - you just play back whatever the criticism happens to be and presto, you have a story. Otherwise you would have to undertake research and analysis on your own, so this way is much easier. A prime example of this style is Paul Withers of CBC, who has a negative spin to virtually every story he files, which is matched by his delivery and tone.

Your comment about talk radio is especially interesting. I have taken to listening to the Rogers news station in town because CBC Radio One has driven me away with the utterly stale Information Morning and the absolutely horrid Mainstreet in the afternoons. But it is a challenge because Rogers airs Jordi Morgan in the mornings and that program is essentially the Jamie Baillie/Stephen McNeil show - it is so bad that the NDP govt members will not appear on it. Add to that multiple appearances by Kevin Lacey of the so-called Canadian Taxpayers Federation, a bunch of extreme right-wingers who do not want govt spending any money on anything, and you have a pretty toxic mix. That really isn't a surprise because Morgan is an old Reform Party insider, but it is really negative and slanted against anything the govt does. Then in the afternoon you have Rick Howe, who is just the opposite, but who is equally negative because he finds every self-proclaimed victim and lefty loon and gives them air time. So there you hear the likes of Tamara Lorincz decrying any progress we make in this town, with Rick always chiming in about how the govt needs to do more. But extreme opinions on either side are what make talk radio run, so I guess it should be no surprise.

[RyeJay]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Indeed. The media love negative stories because the media is basically lazy and negative stories are much easier to write - you just play back whatever the criticism happens to be and presto, you have a story. Otherwise you would have to undertake research and analysis on your own, so this way is much easier. A prime example of this style is Paul Withers of CBC, who has a negative spin to virtually every story he files, which is matched by his delivery and tone.

Easy? I'm not so sure. Your negativity seems to take a lot of effort...

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by RyeJay

Easy? I'm not so sure. Your negativity seems to take a lot of effort...

I am negative about things that deserve it, like you. It takes a lot of research and work to evaluate some of the foolish things that get floated in the public eye, although in your case it was easy to assess you for what you are.

[RyeJay]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I am negative about things that deserve it, like you. It takes a lot of research and work to evaluate some of the foolish things that get floated in the public eye, although in your case it was easy to assess you for what you are.

You're negative about, like, virtually everything apparently.

And what is your assessment of me? I suspect your journalism skills are much lazier than the people in the media you criticise -- people who just so happen to not share your ideology.

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by someone123

I have mixed feelings about the pedways. They take a lot of life off of the streets and they have a negative impact on some streetscapes downtown. I also think that a big part of the rationale for having them is simply that we have a lot of ineptly-designed and poorly-maintained outdoor pedestrian routes downtown; Cogswell is a prime example.

I bet that the covered area by the Nova Centre will be pretty comfortable year-round on all but the coldest days. A lot of other outdoor areas could be like that too with features like glass awnings and heated sidewalks that melt snow and ice.

I think pedways are a bad bad idea.

[Phalanx]

Originally Posted by eastcoastal

I think pedways are a bad bad idea.

The nearest connection point is a tunnel, so I doubt it would be a pedway, even if it is connected.

Speaking as someone who actually uses the Link, I find them convenient.

[FuzzyWuz]

Did anyone see Peggy Cameron's latest rant in the Coast? It's time to say out loud that she is either a liar or an idiot. She stated that the government money was 375m. She stated that the Nova Center goes against HRMbD. She's saying it will need LUB amendments and public hearings and there's still a chance to vote it down. The only explanation I see is that she is deliberately aiming to lie to the public.

[halifaxboyns]

I read her comments and I'm not loosing sleep over it. The version of HbD that is on HRM's website doesn't include the appendix which 7 (15A) refers too, but I'm sure that there is something that states on the drawings and that a final design is subject to change, etc.

As usual, it's a classic example of a group attempting to interpret rules/regulations which they had no help in creating for their benefit. HRM staff are the keeper of the plan (with decisions by council) and if their interpretation is that it meets the Bylaw or intent of the drawing and council support that, then so be it.

At worst, even if it does require a plan amendment - I think the writing is on the wall as to what they will be doing. I can see the vote now, 15 in favor and 1 against (and I'm sure we all know what Councillor that will be).

[teddifax]

I have posted this on the Build your centre site as well.
There is something I have been meaning to ask. Is there a possibility within the design of the Nova Ctr to be able to expand within the confines of the building, taking other space within the complex if needed for future expansion?

[halifaxboyns]

I would think that if the 'convention centre' needed to be expanded, that it would simply start gobbling up some retail/back of house space...?

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by teddifax

I have posted this on the Build your centre site as well.
There is something I have been meaning to ask. Is there a possibility within the design of the Nova Ctr to be able to expand within the confines of the building, taking other space within the complex if needed for future expansion?

Hopefully it will be built with expansion in mind. I keep thinking that the Nova Centre convention centre might be successful beyond anyone's dreams.

I don't know if updated floor plans have been released, but floor plans were released for the original design. Here are the original floorplans from October, 2010 - https://conventioncentreinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/WTCC-II-Bid-Summary.pdf