[Halifax] Nova Scotia Power HQ | ? fl | ? m | Completed

[Jonovision]

A very nice development for the waterfront if you ask me. Construction is slated for the fall! It seems that WZMH Architects are very popular.


Pedestrians walk past the old Nova Scotia Power station on Lower Water Street in Halifax on Thursday. Below is a sketch of the planned changes. (PETER PARSONS / Staff)



NOVA SCOTIA Power Inc. plans to put new life into an old building.

Rob Bennett, president and CEO, said Thursday that the utility will move its corporate headquarters to the former power plant it owns on Lower Water Street in downtown Halifax.

NSP will invest $50 million to $60 million to transform the concrete building into an environmentally sustainable facility.

"We’re thinking outside the box by aiming for a facility that uses state-of-the-art practices incorporating energy-efficient design, construction and building operation," Mr. Bennett told a morning news conference. "But we’re staying inside the box for construction, building no higher, no wider, no longer than the existing structure."

The utility’s corporate offices now occupy 110,000 square feet in Scotia Square, under a lease that will expire in 2011. The new facility will offer about 500 employees the same space, and there will be another 15,000 to 50,000 square feet to lease out and help defray costs.

Various options were considered for new facilities, Mr. Bennett said.

"We compared staying in our existing space or developing other green-field office space within HRM," he said. "This is the lowest cost option for our company and by virtue of that the lowest cost for our customers."

Mr. Bennett couldn’t say what the final cost would be, compared to other options.

The new building will be ready for staff in early 2011.

Nova Scotia Power owns both the power generation plant and the land. The company’s history on the site goes back more than 100 years.

The utility has applied to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board for a 12.1 per cent power rate increase for residential customers, but Mr. Bennett said the cost of the new structure has no connection to the increase being sought.

"The increase that been requested is related primarily to escalating world prices for coal and oil, natural gas and fossil fuels we burn in our plants to make electricity for Nova Scotians," he said.

But customers will get tapped for the cost of the new building.

"When the project is developed it will need to be included in rates, but what’s important about that is it will be less of a rate impact than all of the other alternatives that we considered," Mr. Bennett said.

The new facility, which will conform with HRM’s future vision for the downtown core, will incorporate many environmental features, he said. These include using harbour water for heating and cooling, atriums that provide natural light and an energy-efficient facade.

Lead architect on the project is WZMH Architects of Toronto, and other companies involved are all based in Halifax, including Kassner Goodspeed Architects, Fowler, Bauld & Mitchell, BMR Structural Engineering, M&R Engineering and Design 360, all of Halifax.

The company will soon file a building permit application with Halifax Regional Municipality and a capital work order with the provincial review board, which must approve the project. On-site work will begin this fall.

( tpeters@herald.ca)

[sdm]

Approved? I would think it should be considered pending as URB still needs to give it the ok.

[Dmajackson]

Looks good to me. Anything is better than that old concrete building. I wonder if they're going to get rid of the little art place next door?

[Jonovision]

I put it as approved because it does not need to go for a public hearing and they have already said they would start construction in the fall.

[someone123]

They are looking for 2011 occupancy so I could see this moving ahead fairly quickly. I don't expect that the HRM approval would be a problem. No idea about the URB.

The current building will lose a lot of its starkness, which in a way is kind of charming. The scale and lines of the concrete structure are interesting and will be totally eliminated judging by the renderings. Of course, I think this is all outweighed by the fact that the old power plant contributes very little activity while taking up a very prominent site.

It's nice to see what looks like some kind of patio on the waterfront side of the building. The whole thing needs to be opened up somewhat. Not sure how extra commercial space leased out to retailers or restaurants would fit into their plan and their attempt to get approval from the URB.

[Phalanx]

There was also this

in the Metro today.


Definitely an improvement over what's already there, I'm just not happy about having to pay for it... twice (rate increase to pay for this? Isn't that what they're supposed to do with the profits they're making from the previous rate increases?)

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Phalanx

Definitely an improvement over what's already there, I'm just not happy about having to pay for it... twice (rate increase to pay for this? Isn't that what they're supposed to do with the profits they're making from the previous rate increases?)

That story is completely misleading. You're already paying for their accommodation in Scotia Square and elsewhere. This project is supposed to be the best business case opportunity they have as compared to continuing to lease or building elsewhere. It is not like they get free rent if they didn't do this.

Here's a rendering from allnovascotia.com that looks like they drew it on the back of a napkin...

[BravoZulu]

I think the point that seems to be being overlooked is that NSPI is a monopoly and as such cannot charge more without requesting a rate increase and having it approved.

The same thing happens in every business, for example your mechanic renovates his garage, he can increase his hourly rate to help pay for it if he wants. It's the same situation except if you don't like it you can find another mechanic.

Bottom line NSPI has to apply for a rate increase if it's not justified it won't be approved

[reddog794]

Which I'm cool with, but what Phalanx was pointing out, was that they are operating in the black. If they are turning a profit, and expand on they're home base, where is the justification for higher rates? It's not like they're going to not make money. Who else are NSer's going to buy power from?

[BravoZulu]

Without seeing financial statements it is hard to make a determination regarding a rate increase. Yes it has been reported that they are operating in the black, but they are in the business of making money, so perhaps their profit margin is not at the level they want it to be due to fuel costs etc, so they apply for a rate increase to increase profits, which has to be approved by the URB (because we don't have the option to buy power elsewhere) if they deem it justified.

Seems to me that if the URB approves a rate increase then we need to trust that they (having all the relavant info in front of them) agree that it is necessary.

and IMHO if they said we want a rate increase "to pay for a new building" the URB wouldn't take too long to refuse it.

[BravoZulu]

Hey, does anyone know if the parking lot to the north of the lot between the power station and bishops is owned by NSPI? I would assume it is, but looking at the NS property assessment website they are two different parcels of land.

I'm just wondering if that will be redevelopped as part of this proposal. I seem to remember some talk of a park there, but that might have just been rumour. Anyway, just curious, any insight would be appreciated.

Cheers

BZ

[sdm]

Originally Posted by BravoZulu

Hey, does anyone know if the parking lot to the north of the lot between the power station and bishops is owned by NSPI? I would assume it is, but looking at the NS property assessment website they are two different parcels of land.

I'm just wondering if that will be redevelopped as part of this proposal. I seem to remember some talk of a park there, but that might have just been rumour. Anyway, just curious, any insight would be appreciated.

Cheers

BZ

My understanding this is Waterfront Development Corp land.

[BravoZulu]

Thanks sdm, I guess that would explain why they are listed as two parcels of land then. Too bad I can't see who the owner is on that website without a password, must be public record somewhere though. I'll keep looking

[sdm]

Power move:
NSP plans to spend $58.2m on new waterfront offices
By JUDY MYRDEN Business Reporter
Thu. Sep 4 - 5:17 AM



An artist’s view of the planned new Nova Scotia Power offices on the waterfront. Georges Island is in the backgound.





Nova Scotia Power wants to spend $58.2 million to turn an old power generating station on the Halifax waterfront into its new corporate offices.

The privately owned utility says the multimillion-dollar renovation of the abandoned building would be in the "best interests" of its 470,000 customers.

Consumer advocate John Merrick called it "bad timing" on Nova Scotia Power’s part to announce it wants to spend tens of millions of dollars on new headquarters at the same time it is asking the Utility and Review Board for permission to raise residential power rates by 12 per cent next year.

He said most customers may find the request for an increase hard to swallow while the power company is recording record profits.

"It raises the question whether this is an appropriate time to build new headquarters," said Mr. Merrick, who represents Nova Scotia Power’s 440,000 residential customers across the province.

The review board is to begin hearing NSP’s application for a rate increase on Sept. 15. The hike, if approved, would be the fifth in seven years.

Nova Scotia Power Inc. says in documents filed with the government regulator that it would cost less to renovate the old power station than to continue to rent corporate office space.

The proposed $58.2-million renovation is "$5 million less than the second-lowest-cost alternative," building new offices outside the downtown core, the company wrote in 38 pages of evidence.

"The Water Street renovation is the lowest-cost option for NSPI customers," the documents say. "The expenditure rehabilitates a decommissioned NSPI facility in the downtown core of the province’s capital city and improves the esthetics of utility infrastructure located at this site."

The other option Nova Scotia Power considered was to stay at its current location in Barrington Tower at Scotia Square, where it has rented space since 1971. Details of how much it would cost to stay there were blacked out on the documents, but NSP said it would be more expensive to continue to rent than to renovate the Water Street building. The Barrington Tower lease expires in March 2011.

The Water Street building would be renovated to include six floors of office space and meeting rooms, and it would be home to about 400 employees. Until recently, the old power station housed Electropolis Studios, one of Halifax’s premier film production houses. Electropolis moved to a Sackville Street location after failing to reach a deal with NSP last year to stay on Water Street.

The review board also must approve the renovation proposal and Nova Scotia Power is asking for a "timely" decision so construction could begin in January if it gets the green light.

( jmyrden@herald.ca)

[worldlyhaligonian]

January

[Jonovision]

What about January?

[Spitfire75]

Here's the pic from that article.

[Takeo]

Actually... Geroge's Island really is that close.

[Dmajackson]

Other than the unrealistically close George's Island that rendering looks pretty cool.

It looks like they are doing the same thing with the street as Salter Street is, turning it into a brick-layed pedestrian oriented street.

Does anyone know what the white bloch is on the bottom right corner at the foot of the building?

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Bedford_DJ

Does anyone know what the white bloch is on the bottom right corner at the foot of the building?

Given what looks like a large roll-up door at the end of it, I would guess it's visitor parking and access to enclosed parking.