Comments for Changing City Updates

Comment on One Pacific – 68 Smithe Street by ChangingCity

ChangingCity — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:31:00 +0000

As far as we know, you’re correct about this building. If you look on the Concord Pacific website you’ll see it’s next to the Cambie ramp and north of Pacific. 47 Nelson, if it’s rezoned, will be on the western side of Cambie. The casino wraps the end of BC Place, and up to now it hasn’t had any residential associated with its development, only hotel space. We haven’t got a post for it yet as we expect a new design if there really is a deal made to build it.

If you Google ’68 Smithe Street’ you’ll see the city report, with a map showing how Terry Fox Way is part of the casino site – the replacement street will line up with Smithe Street. This project has an extraordinarily modest density for this area – only 3.38 FSR (a built area 3.38 times the site area).

Comment on One Pacific – 68 Smithe Street by 10B

10B — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:29:30 +0000

Can you explain exactly how many buildings are going into the two empty parking lots next to BC Place. This one looks like they are ready to break ground and my understanding is that its going on the parking lot that is divided by the cambie bridge and the slip road around BC Place. And that 47 nelson is going on the land to the west of cambie bridge. Where is the casino proposed to go? Is it going above the west airlock and walkway around BC Place? There can’t be enough added parkland and amenities in the area to accommodate all of this.

Comment on 1300 Richards Street by ChangingCity

ChangingCity — Mon, 20 May 2013 05:18:54 +0000

Technically it’s under a viewcone – but you’re correct in saying that’s a limiting factor which means the total height of this building can’t exceed 418 feet, and the rezoning referal report also says 1396 will have a very slim (small floorplate) tower as a result. The viewcones have resulted in some of the most interesting sculpted buildings almost by accident – including Shangri La and the twisting Trump Tower slowly being built on West Georgia.

Comment on 1300 Richards Street by peter b

peter b — Mon, 20 May 2013 04:48:16 +0000

I think most of the 1396 Richards site is over a view cone from a point on south false creek to The Lions — so the tower part of 1396 is limited how far into the block it can extend.

Comment on 855 Granville Street by ChangingCity

ChangingCity — Sun, 19 May 2013 01:46:01 +0000

The cinema was 'lost' when it closed last year. Overall fewer people seem to be going to the movies, especially in older movie complexes like this one, which was reported to make no money. There's a new cinema being built at Marine Landing as we noted here before - and at least the new development seems respectful of the heritage facades.

Comment on New Jubilee House by Blair Smith @agentblair

Blair Smith @agentblair — Fri, 17 May 2013 22:16:29 +0000

This site can only be developed to this height if it is non-market housing. The money only exists if the tower and the land swap across the street is approved. Having attended a public meeting I expect more opposition than normal to these proposals. Time will tell.

Comment on 855 Granville Street by Charles Carroll

Charles Carroll — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:09:19 +0000

This means of course, the loss of the cinema infrastructure that is there. While it would indeed be more beautiful as three buildings, it doesn’t resolve the question about where to put the missing movie screens. One cannot read this proposal without crying for the loss of Vancouver’s cultural amenity space. It would be nice to have a victory or two on this front.

Comment on Central by ChangingCity

ChangingCity — Wed, 15 May 2013 03:36:36 +0000

From the steel being lifted up to the bridge floors, there’s a lot of rebar going into the bridge. The columns also appear to being cast through the added floors, (you can see that on the right of the recent image) so there’s vertical weight distribution from the higher floors as well. These days the seismic engineering is an important part of any design – which isn’t necessarily true of buildings from the 1970s and earlier.

Comment on Central by Hazlit

Hazlit — Wed, 15 May 2013 03:08:35 +0000

Dumb question–is there rebar in the concrete bridge? Otherwise isn’t it at risk of falling down in an earthquake? Does a standard poured concrete floor have rebar? (I know it goes into columns but I never thought about floors.)

Comment on 508 Helmcken Street by Andrew Browne

Andrew Browne — Wed, 01 May 2013 20:25:32 +0000

Of all the possible reasons to slag the project you chose traffic? This will have an effect so low its unmeasurable.

However, it remains too tall and overbearing for being so near to the park.