Concord Quantum Park (Molson Brewery Site) | ? | ? | Proposed

[officedweller]

Concord Pacific's redevelopment of the Molson Brewery site on Burrard St. in Vnacouver.


https://youtu.be/asWMfcLtuMQ

Originally Posted by zivan56

Here is a video on their site with more details: link

Booklet: link

From the booklet:


https://quantumpark.ca/QPBooklet.pdf


https://quantumpark.ca/QPBooklet.pdf


https://quantumpark.ca/QPBooklet.pdf


https://quantumpark.ca/QPBooklet.pdf


https://quantumpark.ca/QPBooklet.pdf


https://quantumpark.ca/QPBooklet.pdf


https://quantumpark.ca/QPBooklet.pdf

[spacebjorn]

Thanks for sharing!

[Klazu]

Well, those aerials are misleading to say the least, leaving entirely out the First Nations megaproject.

That area will be super packed. Not sure how all those people can move around without the streetcar connection...

[djh]

I don't want to start this thread out with giant Negative Ninny vibes, but I feel this is all going to be Value Engineered down to a very basic version of this vision.

The concept seems overly pretentious, the classic stuff that architects say when pitching their ideas. But in reality, when a developer has to get their head around building the nooks and crannies and flourishes...reality bites and it's just too expensive to make.

Unless they're getting a starchitect to lead this project (in which case expect the unit costs to be stratospheric), I'm pretty sure all of the things that make this project look interesting and attractive (subjectivity notwithstanding) will gradually be faded out.

[officedweller]

Add to that that Concord doesn't generally like building office space.
This would not age well as a strata office project.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by Klazu

That area will be so packed. Not sure how all those people can move around with the streetcar connection...

IIRC the streetcar's going to be on Pennyfarthing. Pedestrian flow should be fine.

Hmm, think they could build an underground station under Molson and divert the branch to York?

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Add to that that Concord doesn't generally like building office space.
This would not age well as a strata office project.

The specifications only refers to 300,000 sq. ft. of office, and only ground floor retail - but 3,000 residential units. It's a proposal that basically ignores the zoning, the statements made by Councils (before the current one), and the existing policy context. The office looks to be over three floors, with everything else residential. The City would have to ask, and get permission from Metro Vancouver to change the employment zoning, as it's one of the few places in the city that residential uses aren't allowed because of the Regional Plan, which is an ODP. It's not impossible that would happen, but it's an extra hurdle.

Concord are now in a face-off with the City on three pieces of valuable, and expensive real estate. There's their NEFC sites - which still haven't been rezoned, St Paul's, and this site. One scenario would be that they might try to negotiate a package that delivers the City's expectations for CACs for all three sites in the form of non-market housing, perhaps on just one of the sites.

I would imagine that'll take a while, especially as there's no City Manager at present, and the pandemic must affect how those sorts of discussions can take place. Given the City's history with Concord, and the developer's reluctance to develop any non-market housing (or office space) I would imagine the requirement would be for Concord to actually build and deliver the City's piece of the project - not just allocate a bit of land and see the site sit for the next 20 years. That's easier to do when the project is like the Pinnacle tower, where the public benefit is in the podium. It's possible to tie the delivery of the benefit to issuing the Occupancy Permit for the market buildings, so the City actually gets their piece at the same time. No non-market housing - no occupancy of the market buildings.

[csbvan]

Originally Posted by djh

I don't want to start this thread out with giant Negative Ninny vibes, but I feel this is all going to be Value Engineered down to a very basic version of this vision.

The concept seems overly pretentious, the classic stuff that architects say when pitching their ideas. But in reality, when a developer has to get their head around building the nooks and crannies and flourishes...reality bites and it's just too expensive to make.

Unless they're getting a starchitect to lead this project (in which case expect the unit costs to be stratospheric), I'm pretty sure all of the things that make this project look interesting and attractive (subjectivity notwithstanding) will gradually be faded out.

Overly pretentious? Certainly you aren't referring to the phrase: "design informed by the space time continuum"?

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by csbvan

Overly pretentious? Certainly you aren't referring to the phrase: "design informed by the space time continuum"?

I mean,......

....they're not necessarily wrong.

It's just an unbearably over-stuffy and excruciatingly high-falutin' way of putting it, and one that probably makes every Nuclear physicist and astrophysicist roll their eyes so hard into......well,..... the next dimension.

Plus, it also probably doesn't help that they don't exactly seem to know what the hell they're talking about (or at least the correct terminology to use).

The write-up refers to Einstein using General Relativity to formulate and propose the concept of wormholes. He didn't. Two other scientists had already proposed the potential of their existence before him and as early as 2 decades prior to him ( Karl Schwarzschild and Ludwig Flam. But no one knows about them because,......well......Einstein).

Einstein merely demonstrated their consistency with General Relativity and being who he is, it's no surprise that most people associate it with him instead. Because,...Einstein.

And then to top it off they conflate General Relativity with Quantum Mechanics, which is....um...kinda special.

It's the sort of description that relies on the kind of gimmick like throwing the word "Quantum" in front of every other word and hope that the reader will be none the wiser (which in most cases is true, I guess), and make yourself sound smart as a bonus.

And then by extension and double bonus (read: Profit! $$$), anyone buying (or leasing) into the project in turn feels smarter themselves because it's in some way connected to "Einstein" and to "Quantum" ...something or another.

It's just a fact.
Science!

/s

[jollyburger]

This is the firm of a German mall that has some similarities in the design mentioned earlier today.

https://fuksas.com/

[Migrant_Coconut]

Don't forget Marina Bay Mall and Changi Airport - there's a good chance that the architects simply ripped off whatever they discovered while on vacation.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Don't forget Marina Bay Mall and Changi Airport - there's a good chance that the architects simply ripped off whatever they discovered while on vacation.

True but it seems like way too involved and extensive to just be a vacation inspiration.
They also make you login to view the booklet now.

[s211]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Concord Pacific's redevelopment of the Molson Brewery site on Burrard St. in Vnacouver.



https://quantumpark.ca/QPBooklet.pdf

The architect should know better than to suggest that any site in the city would get commercial branding that prominent, considering how anti-commercial the city's response is elsewhere.

[phesto]

Originally Posted by djh

I don't want to start this thread out with giant Negative Ninny vibes, but I feel this is all going to be Value Engineered down to a very basic version of this vision.

Trying to think of a project that Concord didn't value engineer and actually executed the architectural concept....maybe the Erickson? Can't think of another.

[SFUVancouver]

Originally Posted by Changing City

The specifications only refers to 300,000 sq. ft. of office, and only ground floor retail - but 3,000 residential units. It's a proposal that basically ignores the zoning, the statements made by Councils (before the current one), and the existing policy context. The office looks to be over three floors, with everything else residential. The City would have to ask, and get permission from Metro Vancouver to change the employment zoning, as it's one of the few places in the city that residential uses aren't allowed because of the Regional Plan, which is an ODP. It's not impossible that would happen, but it's an extra hurdle.

Concord are now in a face-off with the City on three pieces of valuable, and expensive real estate. There's their NEFC sites - which still haven't been rezoned, St Paul's, and this site. One scenario would be that they might try to negotiate a package that delivers the City's expectations for CACs for all three sites in the form of non-market housing, perhaps on just one of the sites.

I would imagine that'll take a while, especially as there's no City Manager at present, and the pandemic must affect how those sorts of discussions can take place. Given the City's history with Concord, and the developer's reluctance to develop any non-market housing (or office space) I would imagine the requirement would be for Concord to actually build and deliver the City's piece of the project - not just allocate a bit of land and see the site sit for the next 20 years. That's easier to do when the project is like the Pinnacle tower, where the public benefit is in the podium. It's possible to tie the delivery of the benefit to issuing the Occupancy Permit for the market buildings, so the City actually gets their piece at the same time. No non-market housing - no occupancy of the market buildings.

Great comment and food for thought. I think the current (or at least recent) market appetite for office space could tip Concord towards actually embracing this program element for the project. Some sort of super-CAC package combining multiple rezonings is an interesting concept, and not impossible if it yields a potentially unprecedented CAC package. Were that the case, I would imagine that Concord would aim to pile all the non-market housing onto the Molson Brewery site, allowing it to be all-market for the St. Paul's and NEFC sites.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by djh

I don't want to start this thread out with giant Negative Ninny vibes, but I feel this is all going to be Value Engineered down to a very basic version of this vision.

The concept seems overly pretentious, the classic stuff that architects say when pitching their ideas. But in reality, when a developer has to get their head around building the nooks and crannies and flourishes...reality bites and it's just too expensive to make.

Unless they're getting a starchitect to lead this project (in which case expect the unit costs to be stratospheric), I'm pretty sure all of the things that make this project look interesting and attractive (subjectivity notwithstanding) will gradually be faded out.

Yep, everyone should remember their first vision for the Concord Pacific lands, lagoons and all.

[dreambrother808]

This is luxury car row so that branding and retail could connect to some deep pockets in that regard.

[Vin]

I see they are finally realizing the importance of a mall or retail plaza. My wish is at least coming true although this is not happening downtown.

Overseas trips are starting to open the eyes of some designers to a world of possibilities.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by dreambrother808

This is luxury car row so that branding and retail could connect to some deep pockets in that regard.

Maybe it'll become an auto-mall?

[jollyburger]

More likely it will be branding for the tenants of the offices.