800 Granville Street | 137.5m | 42, 38 fl | Proposed

[officedweller]

One other thing is that having the podium rooftop railing (and pixel baord) come right to the edge of the facades makes it look like facadism
(even though it's not). They should setback that railing from the tops and cornices of the heritage facades.
Mimicking the curved shopfronts of the Commodore on the new part reduces the uniqueness of the commodore facade.

Originally Posted by rofina

Credit to our friend Kenneth Chan over at DailyHive.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/800-...-redevelopment

[rofina]

The more I look at this the more I like it.

Its very big city and "mature."

I think the massing above can improve a little, its somewhat imposing.

But I wish a very similar version of this would be built.

Granville is in desperate need of a revitalization, between this and the Rec Room it would be a good start.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by rofina

The more I look at this the more I like it.

Its very big city and "mature."*

I think the massing above can improve a little, its somewhat imposing.

But I wish a very similar version of this would be built.

Granville is in desperate need of a revitalization,*between this and the Rec Room it would be a good start.

** Yes ! These very two things went through my mind when I first saw it.

[EastVanMark]

"Incredibly ambitious."- Those are dirty words in Vancouver.

More likely to pass if its a lot more plain and boring. Maybe add some seafoam green windows to really make sure it passes.

[djh]

The important thing for me is that the design rationale ticks all of the right boxes. Revitalising the street, adding retail and office and foot traffic and stimulus, preserving and expanding important cultural and historical venues, heritage preservation, blah blah blah. Fantastic level of thought. Mega-projects that include these aspects definitely pander to the better angels of the voting council, and so they should.
It would be fantastic if, now the project is public and (possibly) getting general support, that the landlord holding-out on selling, on the corner, will succumb to logic and let their site be added to the whole-block redevelopment.

This could be similar to how the Trocadero renovation in Trafalgar Square, or the Times Square reno in NYC revived those once-declining hubs.

I think the architectural details - the layout, massing, shape, and actual final skin, are far from complete and definitely need improvement. But the basic idea - staggered offices with large patio areas facing into the sun - will work really well.

[svlt]

Wow I absolutely love this for that area. Big and bold. This is what the Granville strip badly needs!

[officedweller]

I think Seymour is a pedestrian route from Downtown South to the CBD as people probably avoid the seedy aspects of Granville, and the traffic lights may be better timed for pedestrians than Granville. However, those rush hour pedestrians are not likely to support retail.

Ha! That Red Room nightclub used to be called SYSTEMS in the 1980s.

[dreambrother808]

Originally Posted by officedweller

I think Seymour is a pedestrian route from Downtown South to the CBD as people probably avoid the seedy aspects of Granville, and the traffic lights may be better timed for pedestrians than Granville. However, those rush hour pedestrians are not likely to support retail.

Ha! That Red Room nightclub used to be called SYSTEMS in the 1980s.

I spend a lot time on Seymour and pedestrian traffic is always a trickle.

[officedweller]

Yeah, not enough to support retail, but of the morning routes I take in between Smithe and Robson, more pedestrians on Seymour than Hamilton, Homer or Richards. ie I walk past maybe 6 people versus 1 or 2 people.

[s211]

Originally Posted by officedweller

I think Seymour is a pedestrian route from Downtown South to the CBD as people probably avoid the seedy aspects of Granville

Yup.

[TwoFace]

800 and 900 Block of Seymour could use some injection of greenery, like Richards got.

[LeftCoaster]

This project is wonderful. Just what downtown/Granville needs. P+W really did a bang up job here, hopefully it stays true to this design as it moves through the entitlement process.

[SpongeG]

how does it get built? it looks complicated, like do they have to gut the buildings and the commodore?

[officedweller]

One of the stories suggested a bridge structure to span over the Commordore Ballroom.
Some of the others will probably be gutted.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Makes sense. We want to keep the streetfronts, but everything save the Ballroom is disposable.

[SpongeG]

okay. Will be interesting to watch it go up if it does, lets hope it does.

[Prometheus]

I love Bonnis' response to the inevitable naysayers of this project and progress in Vancouver:

Bonnis adds that the proposal is “immediate, pandemic-proof stimulus” to the downtown Vancouver economy, at a time when it’s desperately needed, particularly on Granville Street, which has experienced a dramatic decline in perceived safety and cleanliness.

To naysayers and anyone who thinks the proposal is too ambitious, Bonnis had this to say:

“The naysayers need to step aside and acknowledge that it is a lack of vision and leadership that has brought about the failure of Granville Street – where people are stabbed, killed, and attacked by machetes,” says Bonnis, referencing several recent, high-profile public safety incidents in the entertainment district.

“Any resistance to change and acceptance of the status quo only amplifies and exacerbates the abysmal decline of the street,” he adds. “We have the ambition to build a better city and a stronger community, driven by an expansion of arts and cultural uses, whilst preserving and adapting heritage assets,” adds Bonnis.

“It should be applauded, encouraged and fully supported. Vancouverites deserve this, and opposition to these aspirations and ambitions lack logic and simple, old-fashioned common sense. Everything we’ve done is about community building — we’ve spent thousands of hours walking the street. There’s never been a greater urgency to have something on Granville Street that has some gravitas,” says Bonnis.

Source: https://www.urbanyvr.com/transformat...le-and-robson/

[scryer]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

I love Bonnis' response to the inevitable naysayers of this project and progress in Vancouver:



Source: https://www.urbanyvr.com/transformat...le-and-robson/

I'm gonna have to save that one... it is indeed great.

[svlt]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

I love Bonnis' response to the inevitable naysayers of this project and progress in Vancouver:



Source: https://www.urbanyvr.com/transformat...le-and-robson/

impressed and applauding the developer for having the cajones to say it like it is

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

I love Bonnis' response to the inevitable naysayers of this project and progress in Vancouver:



Source: https://www.urbanyvr.com/transformat...le-and-robson/

Fantastic!

This project will defiantly help the area, but the city also really needs to get its act together policy wise to further revitalize / improve Granville and other areas of downtown.