UBC/UEL Updates Discussion

[easy as pie]

thanks for the update.

bookstore update could definitely use at least another 4-5 stories. honestly, considering how ubc is unbound by city planning rules, one would think the administration would be running full throttle to develop in such a way as to make the uni sustainable when all the saleable land runs out.

[BodomReaper]

Some pics of "Ponderosa Commons" taken on the 16th by me.

East building:




West building:




The development permit sign for phase 2 is up:

[osirisboy]

Love your update!!! Thanks. Interesting that they are proposing a grocery store in phase 2

[BodomReaper]

Originally Posted by osirisboy

Love your update!!! Thanks. Interesting that they are proposing a grocery store in phase 2

A major complaint of many dorm-dwellers is that the closest grocery store is the Save-On-Foods in Wesbrook Village, which can be a 20/25 minute walk, and is bloody expensive. Wouldn't be too surprised if this one turns out to be a No Frills to cater to them.

[officedweller]

From the VIA architecture website - is this a new bus loop scheme?

http://www.via-architecture.com/project/ubc-gage-study/


http://www.via-architecture.com/project/ubc-gage-study/


http://www.via-architecture.com/project/ubc-gage-study/


http://www.via-architecture.com/project/ubc-gage-study/

[SFUVancouver]

I really wish we had a commitment that the UBC Line would be built. There is so much campus planning under way at UBC, not to mention construction, and it is frustrating that it is occurring without incorporating a SkyTrain Station -even if it's not built within the decade.

Thanks for the recent updates.

[BodomReaper]

Some phone pics of the Ponderosa complex from today:

[officedweller]

Thnaks!

Huge panes of glass!

[SFUVancouver]

It's a good looking building. Thanks for the photos. Precast concrete panels are an uncommon sight in Vancouver -yet nearly every building seems to use them in Toronto. Any notion of why they don't see much use?

[BodomReaper]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

It's a good looking building. Thanks for the photos. Precast concrete panels are an uncommon sight in Vancouver -yet nearly every building seems to use them in Toronto. Any notion of why they don't see much use?

I have no idea why they aren't widespread, but I'm hoping that our developers will soon start to figure out that they can use them instead of spandrel panels to comply with the new glass coverage restrictions!

[djh]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

It's a good looking building. Thanks for the photos. Precast concrete panels are an uncommon sight in Vancouver -yet nearly every building seems to use them in Toronto. Any notion of why they don't see much use?

At a guess, wouldn't it be cheaper to transport aggregate from Granville Island and add city-supplied water (and other ingredients) on-site, than to drive cast concrete panels from a plant outside of the city? Less risk of damage in transit? Less insurance costs? Easier to make minor adjustments?

[officedweller]

The comparison is for the final finshed surface, and cast-in-place concrete isn't a current exterior finish.

My guess is that City Hall likes the "light and reflective" properties of spandrel glass over concrete panels.
And of course, from the developers perspective, concrete panels would clearly highlight the ad hoc array of windows and solid surface on their buildings.

[officedweller]

From the Courier - 2nd open house TONIGHT.

http://www.vancourier.com/news/Devel...930/story.html

https://www.placespeak.com/topic/508...-uel-block-f/#

Developing Story: Musqueam hold second open house for proposed development on University Endowment Lands

By Naoibh O’Connor, Staff Writer
February 5, 2013

The second of three planned open houses regarding the Musqueam Indian Band’s proposal to develop a 22-acre parcel on University Endowment Lands goes ahead Feb. 6 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the University Golf Club, 5185 University Blvd.

The band wants to develop land known as Block F between University Boulevard and Acadia Road, which was returned to it by the provincial government under a 2008 reconciliation agreement.

...

A minimum of three acres is reserved as park space on the property.

“One of the things we’re exploring is, depending on the form of development, are there opportunities for increase that amount of park space,” Easton said.

A Courier story published in December indicated the band intended to submit a rezoning application that would allow for 10- to 12-storey residential buildings, but Easton said the band is now looking at buildings ranging from townhouses to 16 to 22 storeys “similar to what UBC has developed.”

Easton added that it’s too early to say how many residential buildings could be included in the project, while 30,000 square feet of retail and a 100- to a 120-room hotel are possibilities.

Conceptual drawings will be on display at Wednesday’s open house and feedback from the first open house will be shared. A summary of results from the first open house can also be found at placespeak.com/UELBlockF.

“We are presenting more of our design objectives for how the site could be developed in the future and then we’ve got a couple of development concepts at a very early stage, but [we’re] trying to gain people’s preferences on, for example, park space — where it should be, how it’s configured, where the commercial village should be located — and trying to pull these together into a very early concept for development,” Easton said.

If rezoning is approved, the project will be developed over a 10- to 13-year period.

“So you won’t see development happen all at once,” Easton said. “It will respond to the market. We’re looking at starting construction on the earliest buildings probably in 2014 at this point. It’s just completely dependent on the market going forward beyond that.”

Meanwhile, Easton acknowledges some people will oppose any kind of development on the property.

Read more: http://www.vancourier.com/business/R...#ixzz2KA6OC3Ik

[officedweller]

Glotman-Simpson's website has some pics of the new Pharmaceutical Sciences Building:

http://www.glotmansimpson.com/Featur...tical-Sciences


http://www.glotmansimpson.com/Featur...tical-Sciences


http://www.glotmansimpson.com/Featur...tical-Sciences


http://www.glotmansimpson.com/Featur...tical-Sciences

[Jebby]

^^ that is pretty spectacular

[BodomReaper]

I actually wandered around the Pharma building a couple of weeks ago (sorry, I thought that there were already pics of it here!); it's definitely one of the more interesting buildings on a campus that can feel like a collection of mediocre office buildings at times. My impression is that it was designed to be the antithesis to the Life Sciences Building across the street - as shown below, Life Sciences has 2 exceptionally bright, open, airy 5-story atriums decked out in nothing but the brightest, warmest materials. By contrast, the Pharmaceutical Building's main common space on the first 1.5 floors makes extensive use of BLACK surfaces and unpolished concrete, and is much more segmented. Maybe it wasn't intentional, but I thought it was a nice contrast

Life Sciences atrium, thanks to Flickr user just_jeanette

[dreambrother808]

U of T has that Foster-designed Pharma building. Perhaps UBC is trying to compete with that.

[BIMBAM]

The new Pharm building has a striking design, but there are many instances where they chose form over function. The purpose seems more to impress outsiders and doners than to necessarilly be the best pharmacy building it can be. As a pharmacy student myself, I can tell you that their special green heating system that can't be turned on unless neptune aligns with mars or something has been the source of much discomfort as we've been freezing all winter, and all those big glass floor to ceiling windows don't make the situation any better. There's also woefully little study space, and what there is has no tables and is arranged in an anti-scoial way so that no one can look at each other, so it can't be used for socializing, group work, actual serious studying, or even quiet reflection as it's all in open hallways rather than dedicated work areas. The new building meant they increased the intake to 1000 undergrads but they needed more room in the building for a pharmacy museum no one visits so our student lounge is actually smaller than it was, our lockers are so tiny they're a joke, and they made everything so high tech that it's constantly breaking and maintenance must be a fortune. I mean, come on, do water fountains really need to run on censors? It's gorgeous, but archiects need to put more thought into the practicalities of a building like this or bold design will continue to be looked at with a bit of suspicion.

[Millennium2002]

It looks nice, but that's a good critical second opinion on the building's functions. Perhaps they'll improve that as time goes on with more furniture and stuff.

As for the Block F development, I seem to prefer option 1 due to the fact that it doesn't create too many intersections...

[LotusLand]

Great look at UBC in the Future:

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2013/02/u...ransformation/

And photos of the original UBC proposal:

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2013/02/r...he-ubc-campus/