1592 Barrington | 22 m | 6 fl | Complete

[Duff]

One from today.

[Ziobrop]

Floor was poured today, Looks like 4th floor will be done next week.
Despite the slow start, this is flying up.

from http://cdplus.tumblr.com/

[Jonovision]

Started on the 5th floor.

[mcmcclassic]

I must have been doing a similar walk to you yesterday Jonovision. Here's a slightly different view of this one:

[JET]

Originally Posted by kph06

Making Progress:

looks like the new CD building will have the same issue as the Roy/Johnston, a building to the north with a disappearing window (and an air conditioner).

[ns_kid]

A view from above. Workers are starting to install forms for the top floor of the structure.

[Ziobrop]

nice shot.
ive resorted to standing on top of the Hill



Posted at:http://cdplus.tumblr.com/

[someone123]

Thanks for the updates. The oblique shot looking down is really interesting (and reminds me of SimCity). The relatively narrow and tall shape of this building is nice too. It's something I associate with bigger cities and it provides the best of both worlds, since you get more density but also lots of diversity at street level as you're walking along, unlike some of the bigger condo or office developments with large footprints.

It makes me wish the NFB design were more of an adaptive reuse project with an addition on top and heavier modification to make it look like more of a commercial building. I think the height was out of the question though because that lot falls under a viewplane.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by someone123

Thanks for the updates. The oblique shot looking down is really interesting (and reminds me of SimCity). The relatively narrow and tall shape of this building is nice too. It's something I associate with bigger cities and it provides the best of both worlds, since you get more density but also lots of diversity at street level as you're walking along, unlike some of the bigger condo or office developments with large footprints.

It makes me wish the NFB design were more of an adaptive reuse project with an addition on top and heavier modification to make it look like more of a commercial building. I think the height was out of the question though because that lot falls under a viewplane.

Problem, there's no additional or new "density" coming out of these developments. Other than street level retail, 90% of these developments are going to be office space. no? Who is going to take that up? I think when you go low-scale development like this, and don't do nice residential but instead a lower class of office space (not AAA or whatever), it's going to be difficult to fill. We already have sky high commercial vacancy rates downtown already...

Curse the viewplanes.

[someone123]

I'm not so sure about this. Vacancy rates in downtown Halifax will undoubtedly go up as some of the new construction finishes but they are not really that high (~10%), and high vacancy isn't really bad, low or negative absorption is bad. It's a healthy thing to have some shiny, relatively expensive newer buildings and then lots of space available in cheaper, smaller buildings for startups, nonprofits, and so on. Many of these smaller companies have been displaced by demolition of older office buildings like the Roy or Bank of Canada. Maybe some will be able to move into this building.

Downtown needs residents but it also needs retail space and office space. All of these things add to the vibrancy of the area and complement each other. When I say density I am usually talking about the overall intensity of land use, not just population density.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by someone123

I'm not so sure about this. Vacancy rates in downtown Halifax will undoubtedly go up as some of the new construction finishes but they are not really that high (~10%), and high vacancy isn't really bad, low or negative absorption is bad. It's a healthy thing to have some shiny, relatively expensive newer buildings and then lots of space available in cheaper, smaller buildings for startups, nonprofits, and so on. Many of these smaller companies have been displaced by demolition of older office buildings like the Roy or Bank of Canada. Maybe some will be able to move into this building.

Downtown needs residents but it also needs retail space and office space. All of these things add to the vibrancy of the area and complement each other. When I say density I am usually talking about the overall intensity of land use, not just population density.

You know this stuff better than I; hope you're right, to be sure.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by counterfactual

You know this stuff better than I; hope you're right, to be sure.

Well, I am just an internet commentator, and I'm an occasional visitor to the city now, not a resident. I haven't lived in Halifax since 2007. I thought the downtown looked like it was in the best shape I'd seen in a while, or possibly ever, when I was back in town a few weeks ago though. My experiences when I visit don't seem to match up with the negative press and hand-wringing over the state of the downtown that I sometimes see on here.

One source of confusion with on office vacancies, I think, is that the reporting tends to be done from the perspective of people trying to lease out office space. If you own an existing tower you want zero vacancies and sky-high rents. If you're a business, on the other hand, you want vacancies and cheap rents to give you more options and lower your costs. Neither one of those scenarios is inherently good, they're just good for certain people. For the city as a whole the ideal is a balance, but we don't really hear about that as much.

In the same way there are mixed incentives for housing. Homeowners for example are rewarded when housing prices go up, and they don't care as much if they're a shortage. This is probably part of the reason why STV is not full of a bunch of 20-something renters.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by someone123

Well, I am just an internet commentator, and I'm an occasional visitor to the city now, not a resident. I haven't lived in Halifax since 2007. I thought the downtown looked like it was in the best shape I'd seen in a while, or possibly ever, when I was back in town a few weeks ago though. My experiences when I visit don't seem to match up with the negative press and hand-wringing over the state of the downtown that I sometimes see on here.

One source of confusion with on office vacancies, I think, is that the reporting tends to be done from the perspective of people trying to lease out office space. If you own an existing tower you want zero vacancies and sky-high rents. If you're a business, on the other hand, you want vacancies and cheap rents to give you more options and lower your costs. Neither one of those scenarios is inherently good, they're just good for certain people. For the city as a whole the ideal is a balance, but we don't really hear about that as much.

In the same way there are mixed incentives for housing. Homeowners for example are rewarded when housing prices go up, and they don't care as much if they're a shortage. This is probably part of the reason why STV is not full of a bunch of 20-something renters.

I was away from the city for a number of years, working elsewhere in Canada, and when I returned I also found the city significantly improved and improving.

It seems to me that a lot of those improvements happened not because of, but in spite of, municipal and provincial government and politicians and the most high profile civil society groups (e.g., HTNS, STV, etc).

My frustration-- I can't account for media hand-wringing-- is usually not with the idea things aren't getting better, but rather, how much more things could be improving, with a little better leadership at all levels of government, in the private sector, and in civil society.

That is finally happening; I think Savage is far, far, far, better mayor than this city has probably ever seen; exponentially better than Fitzgerald or the Bedford Doofus Peter Kelly who came after him. And we have a few keen HRM councillors who, more or less, are progressive on these counts. And business and civil society groups have also pushed forward.

[Waye Mason]

Increased commercial in downtown will both lower prices and put pressure on other commercial owners to renovate or replace with residential. Given how much of downtown is crappy 1960s-80s stock this is a good thing. Most of the 40 year old stock is end of life/needs a total recapitalization. I can imagine 2-3 large buildings downtown being gutted to the frame/concrete or being torn down and replaced with residential. Competition is good.

[pblaauw]

Originally Posted by Waye Mason

Increased commercial in downtown will both lower prices and put pressure on other commercial owners to renovate or replace with residential. Given how much of downtown is crappy 1960s-80s stock this is a good thing. Most of the 40 year old stock is end of life/needs a total recapitalization. I can imagine 2-3 large buildings downtown being gutted to the frame/concrete or being torn down and replaced with residential. Competition is good.

My first thought is: What are the owners of the former TexPark site thinking right now?

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Waye Mason

Increased commercial in downtown will both lower prices and put pressure on other commercial owners to renovate or replace with residential. Given how much of downtown is crappy 1960s-80s stock this is a good thing. Most of the 40 year old stock is end of life/needs a total recapitalization. I can imagine 2-3 large buildings downtown being gutted to the frame/concrete or being torn down and replaced with residential. Competition is good.

Excellent. Agreed on all counts. There is a tonne of drab, run down, office space downtown that really deserves re-investment.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by pblaauw

My first thought is: What are the owners of the former TexPark site thinking right now?

They're probably thinking of another hair brained scheme that will be obviously impossible under current HRMxD so they can spend another 10 years pretending they are going to do something with this prime property.

*My* first thought is: What are the HRM staffers and City Councillors who recommended and approved selling this piece of land to these clowns thinking right now?

Had they sold it to Louis Lawen or SouthWest Properties (who both had made bids) we'd probably have a fantastic new development there right now, or soon completed.

Instead it remains an ugly blight:

http://www.halifaxhistory.ca/Texpark.htm

What a disgrace. City should force a buyback, and re-sell, or immediately place a strict deadline on a new development proposal and approval.

[Ziobrop]

Topped out, and the frame for the Curtain Wall is going up.

From http://1592.builthalifax.ca/

[Ziobrop]

anyone know what was being lifted yesterday? by the time i got there, the crane was gone.

Images bellow from

I did catch the elevator arriving. Some assembly required.



Also looks like MEP is going in Nicely - Sprinklers and HVAC ducts look to be in on the upper floors.

[Keith P.]

Amazing that the building was essentially constructed in 4 months. Hopefully Starfish will finish the interiors in a similar fashion and not do what they have done with Espace.

Aside from the epitome of ugliness that is the Khyber, and the bombed-out facade of the Tramway, both of which significantly detract from this section of Barrington, I wish someone would get some muriatic acid and a power washer and clean these soot-stained columns on this building. It just epitomizes the neglect that has afflicted this block, seemingly forever:




If someone could remove Mayor Kelly's ill-designed poster penis from here it would also do a world of good.