One Wall Centre | 149.8m | 48fl | Completed

[s211]

Originally Posted by EdinVan

Looks nice -- in the sunshine. Show some pictures taken on a typical, cloudy Vancouver day.

I'd take a dark tower on a cloudy day in a NY minute rather than face another seafoam green glass tower in this city.

[spm2013]

Including the one currently being worked on looks like there are only three floors left to convert out.

[Jebby]

I clicked hoping for some new pictures.

[Klazu]

The window changing project is featured on the latest Scaffold & Access Magazine. The story includes some very cool flyover shots of the setup on the roof!

Some interesting stats from the story:
- Additional needs for One Wall included a deck loading of 2,000 lbs. between lifting points that would be safe for use in winds up to 53mph. “It had to be rated for wind speeds of 62mph, and had to have the ability to be raised to the roof level and then be tied off should the winds exceed that.”
- “The clearance between the deck and the glass had to be 8 in., the deck 4 ft. wide, allowing for glass to be rolled around the deck on dollies."
- The team’s end-product was a custom, 4’x400’ long, multi-point suspended work platform that weighed in at 18,368 lbs., with an 8,600 lb. allowance for workers and materials.
- “Not only were we able to achieve the load requirement but by using the three line system we were able to bring the travel speed down to a very safe 2.3 in. per second.”

The project was also recently featured on CBC's The National program.

http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/TV%2BS...ID/2397484460/

[Klazu]

Update from today:







They have almost reached the bottom and only the notch area remains. Once they reach it, the platform will separe into 3 pieces. 2 of the pieces around the building will return to the roof and disassemling them will commence, while the 3rd one around the notched area will continue another 10 floors down. They are currently setting up a timelapse camera to record this happening.





There are two minor details thatthe project doesn't address. Firstly, unlike the hotel floors, all the condo floors have a visible vent which is used for gas fireplace ventilation. These metallic vents will unfortunately be noticable difference for the upper floors vs. the lower floors. In my opinion they could have considered painting them something darker.



On top of thatthere are few older windows at the hotel floors that have broken and been replaced at some point. Unfortunately they are noticable when looking closely at the lower floors. As far as I know, there is no plan to replace these.



As a bonus picture One Wall Centre as seen from Lighthouse Park (West Vancouver) on a warm (and thus blurry) afternoon.

[djh]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Update from today:

As a bonus picture One Wall Centre as seen from Lighthouse Park (West Vancouver) on a warm (and thus blurry) afternoon.

My goodness, what length lens are you using to get that perspective?!
Great final shot!

[Klazu]

Originally Posted by djh

My goodness, what length lens are you using to get that perspective?! Great final shot!

Thanks! I only have a 200mm L-series lens with a 1.4x Extender that I use with my secondary camera that has a APS-C sensor. Altogether that will add up to a 448mm focal length. It's okay, but could definitely be more, which is why I am contemplating some new solution.

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Update from today:

So, you mean those vertical rows of light-coloured rectangles (depicted in the above photo) are permanent?

If so, that sucks. It substantially mitigates the primary aesthetic benefit of the recladding, namely, purity.

[Jebby]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

So, you mean those vertical rows of light-coloured rectangles (depicted in the above photo) are permanent?

If so, that sucks. It substantially mitigates the primary aesthetic benefit of the recladding, namely, purity and sleekness.

Haven't they always been there? And I think you mean horizontal.

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by Jebby

Haven't they always been there? And I think you mean horizontal.

No, I mean the two vertical rows of light-coloured, rectangular vents visible on the top third of the building, as depicted in the photo below.

The vents have always been there, but they didn't seem incongruous before because the glass in which they were set was different from the rest of the building too. But now that the glass in the top section of the building matches the glass in the bottom section of the building, the light-coloured vents (which appear in the top section of the building only) seem incongruous with the rest of the building and introduce a visible impurity in the now coherent glazing.

Originally Posted by Klazu

Update from today:

[Canadian Mind]

Those vents don't seem like a big deal to me... About as incongruous as the wedge on the edge. Honestly due to their consistency they kind of look like they're meant to be there.

[connect2source]

I've been studying the colour match of the new glazing vs. the older ( hotel ) glazing and it really doesn't seem to match all that well, some colleagues of mine have said the same. The new glass seems a lighter and slightly more ( silvery ) blue than the hotel, original glazing. Is this perhaps the age of the original glass, or is a 'perfect' match virtually impossible 13 years later?

[spm2013]

Wall:

The glazing company that sold him the original glass has gone out of business, so he will not be able to get the exact match, but he said it is close enough that the building will look unified, as it was intended to be.

[Klazu]

@Prometheus: I agree that the end result would look better if they would try masking the vents by painting them with some darker color. They can't get rid of them and replace them with glass like on hotel floors, as they are needed for the gas fireplace ventilation.

I sent the project manager an email asking about this, but I doubt painting them being part of the project and so the vents will remain visible. It's not that bad in real life, but surely it would look better if they would be more hidden.

Originally Posted by connect2source

I've been studying the colour match of the new glazing vs. the older ( hotel ) glazing and it really doesn't seem to match all that well, some colleagues of mine have said the same. The new glass seems a lighter and slightly more ( silvery ) blue than the hotel, original glazing. Is this perhaps the age of the original glass, or is a 'perfect' match virtually impossible 13 years later?

It really depends on the light how well the two glazing match. In a bright sunshine the colors are almost identical (like seen in my photos), but on cloudy days the upper part does look lighter color than the lower part. I don't know what it is in the glazing making the difference, but that's how it seems to be. It's still a lot better than the original two-tone glazing, but it's unfortunately not perfect as they could not get the exactly same glass due to original glazing company having gone bankrupt.

[dreambrother808]

The glass is different, yes, and the degree to which that is noticeable varies due to lighting, time of day, viewing angle, etc. However, the tower still appears to be a million times more unified in design than before. The glass is different but similar whereas before the contrast was like night and day. The two-tone will remain but now it will be harmonious.

[Jebby]

The new glass looks a tiny bit lighter but also seems to be less reflective.

It still looks good and a million times better than before. So happy this project went through.

[red-paladin]

Overall, looks great to me. I don't really mind the vents.

[gillty]

The difference in glass, is definitely showing in todays cloudy conditions; still looks great regardless.


Photo by me, moments ago.

[Metro-One]

It is still worlds better than before and looks good.

[EdinVan]

Originally Posted by tGill

The difference in glass, is definitely showing in todays cloudy conditions; still looks great regardless.


Photo by me, moments ago.

That's still a very noticeable difference. You'd think that more thought would've gone into finding better-matching glass, especially considering the time and effort that has gone into this re-cladding project. Quite disappointing.