Telus Garden | 135m, 88m | 46fl res, 22fl office | 928,000sqft | Completed

[officedweller]

Ultimately the "activation" of a laneway will depend on the built form lining it. If the buildings along it were not designed to open onto it in any meaningful way (a 10 foot window or door along a whole block doesn't do it), then just let sleeping dogs lie and call it an alley.

Not even square inch of surface in a City needs to be friendly and inviting, not every blank wall needs to be painted with a mural.
If it's clean and not lined with drug users, that's pretty good.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by mcminsen

Most of the lanterns in the alley have been removed, at least on the south end.



Nov.25 '19, my pic

They've been off for a while, maybe they need to be repaired.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by Vin

What about these?:

https://www.google.ca/maps/@-37.8169...7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.ca/maps/@-37.8167...7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.ca/maps/@-37.8174...7i13312!8i6656

Aren't they all so boring and dark from all the shadowing?

the Telus laneway wasn't designed with cafe spaces, unfortunately. I have been in all those Melbourne laneways, no one really cares about the shadows lol.

It needs something, doesn't have to be graffiti. That's too Toronto.

[jollyburger]

Isn't someone still opening a wine bar in the alley?

[Metro-One]

The problem with these alleys is they are just that, alleys.

Where are the little hole in the wall pubs and restaurants? That is what brings life and character to an alley way.

For fuck sakes don’t have to go all the way to Japan to see how it’s done, even Nelson has a few decent examples / more animated alleys than Vancouver.

[MIPS]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Where are the little hole in the wall pubs and restaurants? That is what brings life and character to an alley way.

For fuck sakes don’t have to go all the way to Japan to see how it’s done, even Nelson has a few decent examples / more animated alleys than Vancouver.

I'd love for more stuff like this...


MIPS

...or even a less "busy" example with sub-500 square foot fronts established in the surrounding buildings, but the main issue is that City, WorkSafe and Provincial codes and bylaws prohibit such clustering of businesses.
I've seen a few instances around here try and pop up over the years but they always fail due to the high operating cost enforced by said established regulations, or the neighborhoods don't want alleyways turning into the stuff you see closer to the DTES.


CBC

They wanted to make an alley more than a place where you found dumpsters, a loading dock and a few backdoors but refused to make it less sterilized and hope "if you build it, they will come".

[jollyburger]

I think the lanterns are back and now two glass panels are broken on the West Georgia side.

[officedweller]

I also noticed that a couple of the lanterns are a deep red (as opposed to the original pastel colours). Not sure how new that is.

[officedweller]

Crane was in use again Friday, Dec 13th.
Pic by me:

[officedweller]

Pic by me today.

Design it so you can't get into work on snow days - genius!!
Also note stantions blocking off the larger glass floor to the east.

[rofina]

That's painfully stupid. Looks great in the summer tho! Were like Cali, right? Right?

I wonder how quickly all those seals will deteriorate and let water in with the amount of salt being used on there regularly.

[officedweller]

I'm wondering if water will penetrate the 2 cracked panels and expand when frozen.
Same for the cracked panel on the Robson sidewalk.

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Pic by me today.

Design it so you can't get into work on snow days - genius!!
Also note stantions blocking off the larger glass floor to the east.

why cant they use the elevator? just because of the glass or?

[mcminsen]

The library roof has been closed off, too. I went up there on Sunday to get some pics but all access points to the roof decks were closed due to "weather".

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by mcminsen

The library roof has been closed off, too. I went up there on Sunday to get some pics but all access points to the roof decks were closed due to "weather".

in all fairness, it would be windy up there and probably quite cold and icy/slippery. i doubt they want to deal with salting, shoveling, etc. plus the salt on the roof over time could cause problems i imagine.

[whatnext]

An't it grand living in a strata that caters to investor-owners. Guess we know whose insurance rates are going to spike.


Drugs worth several millions of dollars on the street were seized by Vancouver police from a suite in one of the city’s tony downtown condo towers.

Early on Saturday, Feb. 15, neighbours in the Telus Garden residential tower were disturbed by sounds and water coming from a suite at 777 Richards St.

Sgt. Aaron Roed, media relations officer for the Vancouver Police Department, said Wednesday that paramedics and police responded to check on the well-being of the occupants after receiving a 911 call at 4:27 a.m.

“Two males were located inside with medical distress and were treated by paramedics at the scene,” he said at a news conference Wednesday. “They did require further medical treatment and were transported to a local area hospital.”

When police arrived, he said they noticed a large amount of cash, as well as what appeared to be illegal narcotics around the suite. Police obtained a search warrant and found multiple bricks of suspected cocaine, $200,000 in cash, about three gallons of an unknown liquid and several ounces of a substance believed to be MDMA, also known as ecstasy....

....The police seizure took place in the 53-floor residential tower that is part of Telus Garden, a $750-million development designed by Henriquez Partners Architects. One of the penthouses in the building is currently listed for sale at $12.8 million.

Sarah Lutz, property manager for the tower, said she wouldn’t comment about what happened early Saturday.

“I’m not saying that the incident isn’t significant or serious,” she said. “I’m saying that I’m not giving you any details about what transpired in the building.”

https://vancouversun.com/news/vancou...-tony-highrise

[Vin]

Originally Posted by whatnext

An't it grand living in a strata that caters to investor-owners. Guess we know whose insurance rates are going to spike.


Drugs worth several millions of dollars on the street were seized by Vancouver police from a suite in one of the city’s tony downtown condo towers.

Early on Saturday, Feb. 15, neighbours in the Telus Garden residential tower were disturbed by sounds and water coming from a suite at 777 Richards St.

Sgt. Aaron Roed, media relations officer for the Vancouver Police Department, said Wednesday that paramedics and police responded to check on the well-being of the occupants after receiving a 911 call at 4:27 a.m.

“Two males were located inside with medical distress and were treated by paramedics at the scene,” he said at a news conference Wednesday. “They did require further medical treatment and were transported to a local area hospital.”

When police arrived, he said they noticed a large amount of cash, as well as what appeared to be illegal narcotics around the suite. Police obtained a search warrant and found multiple bricks of suspected cocaine, $200,000 in cash, about three gallons of an unknown liquid and several ounces of a substance believed to be MDMA, also known as ecstasy....

....The police seizure took place in the 53-floor residential tower that is part of Telus Garden, a $750-million development designed by Henriquez Partners Architects. One of the penthouses in the building is currently listed for sale at $12.8 million.

Sarah Lutz, property manager for the tower, said she wouldn’t comment about what happened early Saturday.

“I’m not saying that the incident isn’t significant or serious,” she said. “I’m saying that I’m not giving you any details about what transpired in the building.”

https://vancouversun.com/news/vancou...-tony-highrise

And a couple of days before that, another drug seizure near Yaletown on Seymour.

Fact is, our loose drug laws have encouraged criminals to be more brazen these days. We need stiffer sentences and enforcement to deal with drug crimes. And no, drug use isn't something that society should readily dismiss and tolerate. Drug crimes should all be equivalent to manslaughter.


Yaletown Drug Seizure:

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/vancouver-poli...ondo-1.4814406
VANCOUVER -- Vancouver police detectives executed a search warrant at a Yaletown condo Sunday.

The warrant conducted at a suite at 1255 Seymour St. was in relation to a drug investigation, a police spokeswoman said. Officers were supported by Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services and a hazmat team because of the possibility that fentanyl – a powerful synthetic opioid – could be present.

“Vancouver Fire Rescue Services as well as a Hazmat team are onsite so the search can be processed in a safe manner for police and the public,” Cst. Tania Visitin said in a statement to CTV News.

[officedweller]

Crane was in use again today loading stuff up:

Pic by me:

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

The problem with these alleys is they are just that, alleys.

Where are the little hole in the wall pubs and restaurants? That is what brings life and character to an alley way.

For fuck sakes don’t have to go all the way to Japan to see how it’s done, even Nelson has a few decent examples / more animated alleys than Vancouver.

Perhaps due to history, I don't know to say for sure, but in Vancouver, and in much of Canada, there seems to be a Scottish utilitarian, Presbyterian austerity in the culture.
Doing it up more festivally, making it inviting for café life and more street life and night life would possible have been designed into it in another city / country if that were a goal.
This does not necessairily represent a fault, but is just an attitude manifesting itself in the design. This is not intended as a snobbish criticism, but more as an observation.
Anyway, Melbourne seems to stand out for its lanes and alleys. Maybe that's related to their history, too. Others could elaborate on that. Vancouver could adopt more of that, perhaps.

[whatnext]

Telus Garden in the news again for the wrong reasons. This is why condo living is the worst kind of living. You make the biggest purchase of your life on a "home" and the guy above rents his unit out for an illicit nightclub.

COVID-19: Vancouver man fined $2,500 for makeshift nightclub out of condo
VPD has received four complaints this month about social gatherings inside the apartment
Author of the article: Scott Brown
Publishing date: Jan 26, 2021

Vancouver police say a party host was fined nearly $2,500 on Saturday for operating a makeshift nightclub out of a downtown apartment.

A woman, who had been invited to the home, called police after she encountered around 100 people partying inside a penthouse suite at Telus Gardens at 777 Richards St.

When police showed up at the penthouse unit, they encountered a doorman outside the suite who was wearing a protective vest, carrying a counting device, and holding several denominations of money.

The doorman was issued two tickets under the Emergency Program Act — a $2,300 fine for hosting a gathering and a $230 fine for failing to wear masks — for violating B.C.’s COVID-19 restrictions. His name was not released.

“So far this month, VPD has received four complaints about social gatherings inside the apartment. Investigators believe the owner has been using the residence to host large parties,” Vancouver police said in a statement...

...The actual owner of the penthouse unit is a man named Mohammad Movassaghi, a former wealth adviser, who according to B.C. Assessment property records purchased the 1,800-square-foot, three-bedroom unit less than two months ago for just under $3 million.

When reached by phone on Monday, Movassaghi denied hosting any parties at his home....

https://vancouversun.com/news/covid-...b-out-of-condo