[Halifax] The Trillium l 65 m l 19 fl l Completed

[CorbeauNoir]

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

Those parking lots nearby the Trillium site are absolutely urban environment/pop. density killers. Those lots should be all undergrounded on multiple levels (net much more spots) and residential should be built, in approximate scale to Park Vic or the Trillium height wise. That way it could support both the parking needs of the hospital and new development... plus it would create a situation where nobody needs a car!!!

One thing Halifax really has going for it is that there are many examples of large potential development sites... if done in a non-suburban, high density model, this city could change significantly if we hit some sort of critical mass.

Halifax reminds me a lot of the Eau Claire area in Calgary 15-odd years ago. I remember as a kid a huge chunk of that area was either parking lots or just vacant grass plots. Of course now buildings have sprouted up in all of those lots now.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by ZET

I expect in five years or so there will be an announcement for a new 'VG', to be built on the QE high school grounds

There isn't enough land there to replace all the infrastructure of the VG.

[musicman]

There is talk about most of the VG infrastructure moving over to the QE site... You have to remember that there are whole wings of the VG buildings that are not being used due to "issues" There was talk a while back about going up not out with the VG replacement and there is a building accross the street to would put it "in scale" with the neighbourhood.

[RyeJay]

More of my pics, taken yesterday.

[JET]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

There isn't enough land there to replace all the infrastructure of the VG.

The Infirmary site could accommodate all the inpatient needs. A lot of the VG site is clinics/offices, which could be moved to most locations; eg all the moves to Bayers Road. The Dixon bldg, Mackenzie, would no doubt stay put, with maybe something to replace the Centennial/Victoria buildings.

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by RyeJay

More of my pics, taken yesterday.

Thanks for posting your pictures. This looks great!

[beyeas]

Originally Posted by JET

The Infirmary site could accommodate all the inpatient needs. A lot of the VG site is clinics/offices, which could be moved to most locations; eg all the moves to Bayers Road. The Dixon bldg, Mackenzie, would no doubt stay put, with maybe something to replace the Centennial/Victoria buildings.

It is certainly in the CDHA master plan to expand the HI site onto the QEH land down the road (as is rather obvious by how the new emerg/trauma centre basically wraps around the QEH. Mackenzie etc will stay as is. The main question which I don't think has been decided for 100% by management/government is whether any expansion at the HI will be for expanding the existing tertiary/emerg care, or whether it will take over some of the day-surgery, out-patient chemo etc clinics.

Personally I would like to see it all consolidated into one site, but there are two issues with that
One (which I think is bogus) is that, even with hospitals, there will be resistance from the Save the Everything groups if there is a structure built on the QEH site period, little less one that is 8 or so stories.
The second is that there has even just very recently been significant money poured into infrastructure at the Victoria/Centennial sites, and it will be a long time before it makes any sense to "move" that infrastructure. I am not talking about money spent to bandaid the building, I am talking about real investments in health infrastructure. As an example, the new cyclotron for the PET scanner just went in last year in the basement, and both the equipment and renos cost many many millions, not to mention the fact that you don't just pick up a cyclotron and move it to another building with ease.

From everything I have heard from CDHA executive, we are looking at least a decade out before anything is done with the VG site.

[Dmajackson]

Projected completion date for this project has been pushed back to November 1st (2011).

Source: www.allnovascotia.com; Developers V CRA (08-03-2011)

[Waye Mason]

Originally Posted by beyeas

From everything I have heard from CDHA executive, we are looking at least a decade out before anything is done with the VG site.

I heard the same. They apparently can go up on the new Emergency wing, and that is 10-15 years out, and then the QEH site would be developed after that, if needed.

15 years from now the average age of the boomers will be 80, so I think alot of pressure will be off the system at that point...

[JustinMacD]

Any rumors on what stores will be at the bottom of the Trillium?

[icetea93]

Originally Posted by JustinMacD

Any rumors on what stores will be at the bottom of the Trillium?

I was wondering that myself. I could see a Lacoste store fitting nicely there or some other upscale store. (I can see the croc logo fitting nicely on the building ) Maybe even the Apple Store that is long over-due in Halifax...although they usually open in malls.

[-Harlington-]

Look around the entrence at the bottom floor and try to look inside the building, it looks to me that there is an escalator maybe a mall




Is there any plans for a small mall of some sort in this project ??

[halifaxboyns]

I really hope there isn't a small mall proposed for this and I don't remember seeing it on the plans that were included in the DA.

Enclosed malls (in the downtown) are really not good. They take the foot traffic off the street and force them into the mall - then they don't get to all parts of the street and the storefront retail suffers. That's part of the reason why Yonge Street died and how Yonge/Dundas square came to be. When the Eaton mall was built; it sucked all the traffic off the street and the local businesses suffered. So then a bunch of not so nice types of uses (body rubs, sex shops, etc.) ended up going in because the land got cheap. When someone died in one of these businesses, that's when the city stepped in, expropriated the land and setup Yonge/Dundas square.

We've got a consultant doing work for us out here who is from Toronto and he knows a lot of the history - I find it fascinating. The buildings in Y/D square are purpose built to require the design they have, with big signs. Anyway, I'm getting off my point which is that enclosed malls in downtown settings aren't good for the pedestrian environment.

[alps]

They did a good job of trying to make the Eaton Centre more outwards-facing over the years by adding second entrances to shops so they also open to the street, but the back hallways and emergency exits still make for some blank wall along Yonge.

I read this book ages ago but I recall it criticizing the same effect in Halifax with the opening of Scotia Square, Maritime Mall, Park Lane, Spring Garden Place, etc. Had some interesting maps comparing the locations/density of shopping between decades.

The Trillium ground floor plan didn't show any mall and I think that corner entrance was for the condos.

[someone123]

I think the Trillium has office space on its second floor for doctors' offices and the like. If there is an escalator that might be why.

[halifaxboyns]

The author of that book is a prof out here at the U of C. She's also on the City's urban design review panel. I'm not going to say any more about that.

I suspect someone123 is right about the escolators. I suspect its for the office level - a sort of grand entrance into the area and the building.

Many of these malls (over the years) have attempted to try to soften the hard edges, but some of the designs just don't lend to being able to do that. Scotia square in particular is an example where the hard edge on Barrington Street really can't be softened - you'd be looking at service corridors.

Adding more shops facing the street has helped in many circumstances, but many retail stores don't like having multiple entrances because then it becomes a staffing issue to prevent shop lifting. You need more staff because you now have two points of exit where people could bolt from.

[-Harlington-]

The office idea that Someone was saying made sence i went by this today.

it does look like a mall in the render though.

but the retail part of this project should be one of the best parts for sure .

[Jonovision]

I'm willing to bet the escalators will never exist. The person who made the rending just needed to show something inside, so instead of rendering the interior they just took some stock photography of the interior of a mall and used it. If there were to be escalators you would already see them being installed.

[halifaxboyns]

Just noticed on MLS that Caldwell Banker has put up for sale 15 units in the Trillium. Sounds like they scored a whole bunch and are now putting them on the market. 2 bedrooms starting at $525k - wow, lets get three!

[HRM]

They have been on mls for quite some time. Check viewpoint.ca for exact number of days.

WF mentioned these units would be going to mls in an interview some time ago. Check out the trillium web site. There is definitely a pattern to the unsold units. Middle back especially - these ones had balconies in the DA but were built without balconies. Sliders instead. If you look closely at photos you'll notice the floor heights differ between the lower section and upper section which makes the windows about a foot taller part way up the building. One of the odd looking features of this building.