Vancouver Convention Centre Expansion Project | Completed

[raggedy13]

In comparison to the scale of the convention centre, the marina/seaplane terminal will hardly be noticeable even with its miniscule "ancillary buildings". The only thing that may be taken away from is the view from inside the convention centre (which few of us will ever see again), and even still, tourists LOVE watching the seaplanes takeoff and land so it may only just add to the whole experience. I'd also agree with jlousa that it will only add to pedestrian traffic in the area. There are always people walking to and along the seaplane terminal docks... like all the people walking down to the floatplanes in this pic of mine from February:

[vanman]

In comparison to the scale of the convention centre, the marina/seaplane terminal will hardly be noticeable even with its miniscule "ancillary buildings". The only thing that may be taken away from is the view from inside the convention centre (which few of us will ever see again), and even still, tourists LOVE watching the seaplanes takeoff and land so it may only just add to the whole experience. I'd also agree with jlousa that it will only add to pedestrian traffic in the area. There are always people walking to and along the seaplane terminal docks... like all the people walking down to the floatplanes in this pic of mine from February:

Yeah I agree. I dont think the marina/terminal is as big of a deal as some people here are making it out to be.

[Hed Kandi]

..

[Delirium]

Originally Posted by vanman

Yeah I agree. I dont think the marina/terminal is as big of a deal as some people here are making it out to be.

agreed. burrard inlet is a working harbour. we should celebrate that and not try to tame it. also, getting a little tired of people throwing up a picture of hong kong or some other city and crying that we should do what they did.
we're not those cities. can't find another convention centre with a marina out front? OH well. i guess we'll be the first.

[TwoFace]

The marina is a good thing, living in CH I know that the big private Yachts flock here every summer and leave a lot of cash behind, plus are a wonder to look at.
Currently, the CH Marina doesn’t have the capacity to take all the visiting traffic, so the new Marina will be a welcome addition.
Moving the seaplanes a bit to the east is also a good thing, as their terminal access will be a lot more professional than a temporary trailer on blocks. It’s all-good.
And who cares about Hong Kong or Sydney.

[mr.x]

Bah, you people are awful.

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by EdinVan

1.) The cruisehips at Canada place do not block the views of the building, especially since they are not there permanently.

2.) Canada Place IS supposed to be the iconic building because it has more architectural merit than the mediocre Convention Centre. As someone in a recent Vancouver Sun piece wrote, you won't be seeing the new building on postcards anytime soon.

I'm confused, if the new Convention Centre is the mediocre architectural building you claim it is (I do agree here I find it quite mediocre considering its prominence on the waterfront) why would you care if views of it are blocked or cluttered. Shouldn't this new clutter just avert eyes from the bland design of the new CC?

[djmk]

Originally Posted by EdinVan

The objection isn't so much the view per se, but the distraction of a busy marina (which will include several hideous ancillary buildings). It's going to add too much clutter.

As for foot traffic, I'm puzzled. Exactly how many people use float planes and boats? I don't see all that much foot traffic where the boats and planes are currently located. How will moving everything to the north of the convention centre change this?

well, since you asked

In 2007 the airport handled 63,731 aircraft movements the 33rd busiest in Canada. It is also the 8th busiest aerodrome in BC and the busiest water aerodrome in Canada. Itinerant aircraft movements (from one airport to another) for the aerodrome were 63,677 while local movements were 36

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouv..._Water_Airport

63,731 aircraft movements. wow. who knew? that's like 175 a day? that can't be right.

[jlousa]

That would be just over 80 return flights a day, over the course of 12hours it's about ~7 flights leaving every hour sounds right to me.

[EdinVan]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

thats because most of the post cards on the rack are lucky if they have General Motors place on them yet

seriously - seen some really old postcards out there - shameful really

Yes, I'll give you that.

[EdinVan]

Originally Posted by raggedy13

In comparison to the scale of the convention centre, the marina/seaplane terminal will hardly be noticeable

At first I thought that, too, but now I'm not so sure. We really won't know for sure until it's built. But if it does turn out to detract from the surroundings, there's really no go back; it's permament (well, as permament as floating buildings can be). I'm all for change, all for experimentation, all for increasing foot traffic, etc, etc. But when mistakes are made in this city, and there have been many, they're with us forever (pending an earthquake).

[EdinVan]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

I'm confused, if the new Convention Centre is the mediocre architectural building you claim it is (I do agree here I find it quite mediocre considering its prominence on the waterfront) why would you care if views of it are blocked or cluttered. Shouldn't this new clutter just avert eyes from the bland design of the new CC?

Let's just put it this way: if there were a choice between mediocre and cluttered, I'd take mediocre. Less is more.

[EdinVan]

Originally Posted by djmk

well, since you asked



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouv..._Water_Airport

63,731 aircraft movements. wow. who knew? that's like 175 a day? that can't be right.

Thank you for the information. Despite this, I still don't see much foot traffic around the docks, except maybe on beautiful weekends. Then again, hailing from a bigger eastern city, I have a different idea of what constitutes foot traffic.

[EdinVan]

Originally Posted by jlousa

That would be just over 80 return flights a day, over the course of 12hours it's about ~7 flights leaving every hour sounds right to me.

But what is the average number of people on these flights? And how long do they linger in the area before departure and after arrival?

On second reading of that page, I see that the terminal does not handle flights with more than 15 passengers. Assuming that there is a full load of passengers on each flight, that's about 80-100 people milling around that area per hour, at best. That doesn't sound like much foot traffic to me. But like I said, I'm from a bigger city, so perhaps this is significant for Vancouver.

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by djmk

well, since you asked



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouv..._Water_Airport

63,731 aircraft movements. wow. who knew? that's like 175 a day? that can't be right.

The foot traffic likely wouldn't be seen on the main seawall. If you look at renderings or pics, there's two levels....the pictures i posted a few days ago show the convention centre seawall level, and then just a few feet below is a separate walkway right to the edge of the water for the marina and seaplanes.

[EdinVan]

Originally Posted by Delirium

also, getting a little tired of people throwing up a picture of hong kong or some other city and crying that we should do what they did.

If you're tired, then take a nap. If someone takes the time to find a picture of something to substantiate their argument, whether or not the argument holds water, then they should be commended for that, not insulted.

And regarding the comment about people wanting to tame the harbour... I don't see how anyone has suggested it be tamed. I, for one, would like to see it even busier. The concern is mostly about the -location- of key elements of the harbour.

[Locked In]

Jimby posted a great picture of the Convention Centre and surrounding buildings in the "Post some pictures of your city!" thread.



I don't think I'm going to mind the look of a marina and float plane airport at the base of the Convention Centre at all. Its north face will continue to soar above the boats, planes and small floating buildings there, so it shouldn't take anything away from how 'dramatic' it looks from the water. I really like this building, but it's a bit sterile at sea level - I'll take the look of a bustling marina any day over concrete piles. Plus the retail in the area will benefit from the increased pedestrian activity, even if it's just a little.

Also, the more activity on the harbour (and the seawall) the better as far as I'm concerned. While the VEC expansion is obviously a fantastic asset for Vancouver, it devotes a huge amount of waterfront space to what are primarily inward focused events for visitors to the city. Any efforts that can be made to bring the public (sort-of, in this case) and locals to the surrounding waterfront should be encouraged in my opinion.

Also, for those of you who hadn't noticed the (soon to disappear) window washing crane on top of the Shangri-la, there it is.

[Hed Kandi]

..

[Delirium]

i love the cc from this angle;


photo by vancouverconvention on flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/vancouv...on/3425079468/

[Ant]

I really love the finished product. I went down there last week and was in awe of the scale up close.

I have to say though, the seawall could use some potted plants or some greenery. I saw some in the courtyard on the west side, but none down on the wrap-around pathway; it felt a little sterile.