General Vancouver Updates - Page 233

Klazu · #1 Posted **Mar 3, 2016, 10:49 PM**

That East Wing building certainly belongs to the category "what were they thinking???". Why on Earth does it have so massive structure? It looks like some utility building or an overground bunker.

It's so ugly that I have to say that I have never even noticed it before, although I ride the bikelane by it often. Good riddance.

WarrenC12 · #2 Posted **Mar 3, 2016, 10:50 PM**

Definitely a cold war-era expansion. Good riddance. I wonder what will replace it.

csbvan · #3 Posted **Mar 3, 2016, 10:52 PM**

I noticed how they were talking about a City Hall "campus" master plan. I am guessing that this could be a big transformation?

Klazu · #4 Posted **Mar 3, 2016, 11:03 PM**

Whatever will replace it, should be clad in nothing but gray spandrel on all sides. Let the City Hall people marvel their creation from close distance...

Vin · #5 Posted **Mar 4, 2016, 12:07 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klazu

Whatever will replace it, should be clad in nothing but gray spandrel on all sides. Let the City Hall people marvel their creation from close distance...

Wonder if they can do better than Surrey's City Hall, which has a really awesome atrium and plaza.

officedweller · #6 Posted **Mar 4, 2016, 10:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klazu

Whatever will replace it, should be clad in nothing but gray spandrel on all sides. Let the City Hall people marvel their creation from close distance...

Yeah -

I actually think the vertical slit windows on the East Wing went well with the vertical elements on City Hall.

Whatever gets built will probably include the City-owned block to the north.
A tower could be sited outside of view cones at the corner of Broadway & Yukon.
And the complex would have access to the Broadway-City Hall Canada Line Station from the east.

urbancanadian · #7 Posted **Mar 4, 2016, 11:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by officedweller

Whatever gets built will probably include the City-owned block to the north.
A tower could be sited outside of view cones at the corner of Broadway & Yukon.
And the complex would have access to the Broadway-City Hall Canada Line Station from the east.

Forgot they own the block to the north. Do they own the entire block (Broadway-10th/Cambie-Yukon)? I would be ok with some residential on that block.

SFUVancouver · #8 Posted **Mar 4, 2016, 12:11 AM**

I worked in the East wing for a summer and found it an interesting, if somewhat dysfunctional building. Its very long shallow floor plate meant that a lot of people got windows (myself included, which was almost unheard of for a grad student intern), but the windows themselves are not very large.

Klazu · #9 Posted **Mar 4, 2016, 12:14 AM**

It doesn't look like a building that can collapse in an earthquake. In fact, it looks like it will be the last building to stand in this city upon The Big One taking place. It looks so massive and strong. Like a flak tower.

Marshal · #10 Posted **Mar 4, 2016, 3:22 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klazu

It doesn't look like a building that can collapse in an earthquake. In fact, it looks like it will be the last building to stand in this city upon The Big One taking place. It looks so massive and strong. Like a flak tower.

I am in and out of that building all the time. This is just an educated guess: it is a very strong building, provided the loads are pushing down upon it. You could probably put a cruise ship on top of it. However, shake it, put loads pushing horizontally, and even worse, back and forth like an earthquake, and this thing would come down with ease. The lateral resistance is not enough, and the detailing in the concrete (this is a rumour from staff) is not strong enough (not enough rebar/not the right shapes in the columns) to hold the column tops to the slabs. Which would probably be moot because the slightness of the columns compared to the mass of the overall means the columns' concrete would fail throughout anyway.

urbancanadian · #11 Posted **Mar 4, 2016, 7:46 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by csbvan

I noticed how they were talking about a City Hall "campus" master plan. I am guessing that this could be a big transformation?

From what I remember, the City wants to have the relocated employees return to the main City Hall campus eventually. But that will need to be in a new building so they were looking at options that included partnering with the private sector. I really, really hope that we don't see residential built on that site.

The article makes it sound like something pretty significant is in the works (ie. more than just the site of the building being demolished). I hope they can keep the green space north of the main tower somehow.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

I worked in the East wing for a summer and found it an interesting, if somewhat dysfunctional building. Its very long shallow floor plate meant that a lot of people got windows (myself included, which was almost unheard of for a grad student intern), but the windows themselves are not very large.

In high school I had a work experience placement at the main HSBC office on Georgia. One of the regular employees was away that week so I got a corner cubicle overlooking a big chunk of downtown. The view was amazing, but unfortunately the job was by far the most boring thing I've ever done...

jbrizzy · #12 Posted **Mar 4, 2016, 1:30 AM**

I posted the development application board for the ~2800 block of Kent/Marine Dr probably about a year ago. I can't remember what exactly it was but I think it involved two short towers. Anyways, over the last 3-4 weeks they've cleared the site and have been excavating.

Here's what it looked like before:

https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.2062892,-...YuYVDsTuFBuw25Lbu-kiA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

They're also moving on the property at Kent and Jellicoe that had its board go up around the same time.

urbancanadian · #13 Posted **Mar 4, 2016, 8:08 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbrizzy

I posted the development application board for the ~2800 block of Kent/Marine Dr probably about a year ago. I can't remember what exactly it was but I think it involved two short towers. Anyways, over the last 3-4 weeks they've cleared the site and have been excavating.

Thanks for the pic! I've been looking on the city's website for updates on this, but they took down the development application page for the project. The plan was for two 12-storey towers with separate townhomes on the southern half of the site - similar to the adjacent development to the west. It was supposed to be one large non-market rental project. The address was/is 2750 SE Marine Drive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbrizzy

They're also moving on the property at Kent and Jellicoe that had its board go up around the same time.

This one also disappeared from the City's website. It was to be a rental project with mostly townhomes. Address was/is 2900 East Kent Avenue South. If anyone has up to date info on these I would appreciate it!

officedweller · #14 Posted **Mar 4, 2016, 11:48 PM**

Yeah, the entire block.

It would be stupid of them to build any residential on the City-owned site, as I'd expect them to need it in future for further office expansion.