the top is construction, bottom is complete. I walked all over it.
Its above and next to the large Perth Metro Train station which you can see to the right with the perth Bus Depot just to the left. Its got a market place in it and lots of restaurants, a park for kids and plenty of seating etc. You can overlook the train station entrance etc. The roof ribbon is a lighting feature over a large space for seating and watching.
It also helps to connect two parts of the CBD that are cut off from each other by train lines. Northbridge, China town and party area, and theatre, museum and gallery area to the top of the pic and the main CBD is to the bottom.
This new proposal kind of helps connect the lower stadium arena spaces with the street level of downtown with a plaza, which is what reminded me of this place in Perth.
New Office Towers Bring a Creative Energy to BC Place – Promises More than Just Hot Air
720 Beaty
Admittedly, it has taken me longer than normal to write my thoughts about this open house, held in the basement of the Vancouver Public Library’s Central Branch. Which is odd, as the project is certainly important given it proposes to upgrade the facility powering Downtown Vancouver’s thermal energy network. Designed by Bjarke Ingels, the genius behind Vancouver House, the buildings are strikingly beautiful, and this location next to BC Place is perfect for a new office building.
As much as the architecture of the proposal has attracted attention, I want to take a moment to focus on the landscaping, which is really impressive. In hindsight, one the biggest flaws during the renovations to BC Place was that green space was overlooked, disappearing almost completely as the surrounding parcels were developed. Fortunately, like their development at the Oakridge Centre, it seems this developer’s intent is to bring nature back to where it has been lost.
The public realm looks fantastic, with plenty of room dedicated to gardens of growth and renewal, timber benches, and salvage artwork; even on the busiest night this will be an oasis of calm. That is carried forth to the rooftop amenity of the building, where even the most stressed out office worker will have a chance to relax, and even take a run on a rooftop track to see some of the best views of eastern False Creek.
Creative Energy Vancouver Platforms Inc.
Application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity
For Beatty-Expo Plants and Reorganization
February 19, 2019
...
The Proposed Project encompasses the design and construction of the following components:
• The renovation of the existing Creative Energy steam plant (the Beatty Plant) to decommission
equipment which is at end of life, replace certain equipment, and retain equipment with design life
remaining; and
• A new steam plant (the Expo Plant) with two 200,000 pounds per hour steam boilers and related
equipment to be located within BC Place Stadium, including equipment to interconnect the Expo
Plant with the Beatty Plant.
Creative Office Building Wins Over Vancouver’s UDP With Promises Of The World’s Best Sports Bar
720 Beatty Street
Like Hannah’s summary of this office building’s open house, I’m also late in writing my of experience at its Urban Design Panel review. While the official minutes may have been out for some time, they simply don’t capture all the little details that can make these meetings so interesting. For instance, there’s no mention that the applicant team set up their own lighting to better emphasize the model, nor does it reflect the huge entourage that accompanied the presenters.
The reason for this crowd is that Ian Gillespie and Bjarke Ingels, the duo behind the team responsible for Vancouver House, were presenting the project. Naturally, these industry leaders commanded attention, but at times looked frustrated for having to endure the review process. That’s not surprising, as I learned even city staff view this as an urban repair project. The previous city council had actually asked Westbank to purchase the Creative Energy utility to facilitate the transition to a more sustainable fuel source.
Good to see office there instead originally proposed residential.
The only downside is the width (due to view cones) and the loss of the BC Place view from up Georgia.
720 Beatty Street & 701 Expo Boulevard RZ to DP Changes
It's not up on the city's website yet, but here's a set of comparison images showing the changes the office building near BC Place had undergone since it was approved by city council last year.
Urban Design Rebellion! Panellists Defend Creative Office Building From A Chair Gone Rogue
720 Beatty Street & & 701 Expo Boulevard (Development Permit)
Note – As of 4:30pm May 4th, 2021 this application has not been made public on the City of Vancouver’s Shape Your City platform.
Perhaps the most difficult thing about covering these Urban Design Panel meetings is providing an accurate summary of what occurred while maintaining these volunteers’ privacy. Hannah and I respect their sacrifice of time, and it’s horrifying past members have received death threats for supporting 105 Keefer, and hate mail because of one our previous posts. That said, it would be a disservice to pretend that anyone, aside from the landscape architects, took issue with this office building.
City council approved its general size and shape last year (pg 6 & 7), and most who reviewed it then believed it evolved in all the right ways. The Entertainment Pavilion’s rose-gold tinged metal, and highlighting the bridge over the widened breezeway were considered the perfect pairing for these angled, iridescent panels which now act as weather protection. They were pleased to see their advice was incorporated, however, the recommendations reflect a dimmer tone, as they were put forward by a self-described outlier.
This is a way better approach with the curved massings, especially for maximizing sightlines to BC place, compared to what Parc Vancouver did which was basically try to hide the landmark as much as possible with glossy wrap.
Thanks for the pics! I hope you don't mind, I enlarged and cropped the images.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Feathered Friend
It's not up on the city's website yet, but here's a set of comparison images showing the changes the office building near BC Place had undergone since it was approved by city council last year.
Since this appears to be moving forward...DP Board and Westbank's arrangements with Allied, could the tenant be Google as BIG usually does its offices?
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