[Mike K.]

It's no Shangri-La, but a 23-storey, 77 meter, highrise dubbed "Silkwind (http://www.vibrantvictoria.ca/resources/mcp/0030.htm)" in suburban Victoria (Colwood) has made the leap from a proposal to a project now with site prep! The other day an excavator leveled a structure that was on-site and has continued to clear brush and other debris from the property.

The official groundbreaking ceremony took place on the 12th of September and ushered in the start of the first legitimate highrise outside of the City of Victoria (within the Capital Regional District) and coincidentally the tallest project on Vancouver Island (Nanaimo's 26-storey Beacon is 76 meters tall, whereas Silkwind, even though it's at 23-storeys, is 77 meters tall). However, the title of VI's tallest might be shortlived with the 27-storey Capella (http://www.vibrantvictoria.ca/resources/mcp/0051.htm)(by Quigg), tower I, playing catch-up of its own in the neighbouring Victoria burb of Langford (and it'll sit on the side of a mountain to boot!).

This is what Silkwind will look like, courtesty of Goldstream Gazette:
http://web.bcnewsgroup.com/portals/uploads/goldstream/.DIR288/silkwind_4C_5x_070914.jpg


And here's the site:
http://members.shaw.ca/vibrantvictoria3/0030/0030a.jpg

[raggedy13]

Congrats to the Victoria metro. Now hopefully we'll be seeing more of this in downtown Victoria soon.

[Coldrsx]

great to see a little more height...although i hope they do continue to favour the lowrises as victoria, like quebec city is so vastly different from much of anything thing else in canada.

[Mike K.]

Unfortunately the economics of going low-rise are no longer feasible in the majority of sites and situations. Downtown Vic is currently looking at three new tallest office towers, with one already u/c, and condos up to 24-storeys. Their completion won't be a drastic change but it definitely won't add to the "quaint small town" hype tourism officials spew at unsuspecting visitors.

In the burbs this 23-storey tower that's shown above is really the shortest of all proposals which stem up to 45-storeys. With the natural terrain barriers we're up against the only way to provide enough housing without overtaking unnecessary natural lands is to densify and in most situations go up.

[Baro]

This density should be going in the city. Although it's better than more single family suburban homes, it's still adding more people to Victoria's out of control suburbs.

[Mike K.]

Compared to other cities in Canada, though, Victoria's suburbs are expanding at a snails pace.

[Fairbanks]

Dont Mean To Be A Wet Balnket But The Silkwind Is Not Vancouver Island's Tallest. There Are Already Buildings In Naniamo And Victoria That Are Taller. Nevertheless, It's Nice To See Things Starting Out In The Burbs.

[Mike K.]

Dont Mean To Be A Wet Balnket But The Silkwind Is Not Vancouver Island's Tallest. There Are Already Buildings In Naniamo And Victoria That Are Taller. Nevertheless, It's Nice To See Things Starting Out In The Burbs.

You mean the 62m Orchard House in Victoria and the 76 meter Beacon in Nanaimo (each being the respective city's tallest) are taller than the 77 meter Silkwind? ;)

[Canadian Mind]

Wasn't there one in Naniamo at 109 meters?

[Mike K.]

Several taller proposals are circling about but nothing of that magnitude has been completed or started.

[The Great Scaper]

The 27 story tower currently under construction on Bear Mountain it taller too, as excavation is underway on that tower now also.

However I have seen site plans of Jamesbay buildings which were done professionally where The Orchard has was sited at 76 meters.

[ilford]

Dont Mean To Be A Wet Balnket But The Silkwind Is Not Vancouver Island's Tallest. There Are Already Buildings In Naniamo And Victoria That Are Taller.

Fairbanks, I'm thinking there's a job waiting for you as a copy editor for Wikipedia.

As Mike K. says, the tallest buildings on the island at the moment are the Beacon in Nanaimo (at left):
http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/8391/terrypattersondsc1673fiky4.jpg
image from www.ise.sd68.bc.ca

...and the venerable Orchard House in James Bay in Victoria:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1294/1334171889_e5de658677_b.jpg
image by TheGreatScaper

[Jarrod]

I think the tower looks pretty nice! Yes, it should be in Victoria, but still... it's a nice looking tower

[newflyer]

I am very impressed!! Good for Victoria. :tup:

A co-worker of mine just moved into his new condo on the hill.. and he tells me great things are happening.

[Mike K.]

That's cool. Do you know which hill and what condo?

[Metro-One]

Ok,did i hear the news right tonight? Is this project now one of the many victims of the credit crisis? I saw on global that a 20+ story condo tower has been stopped in Greater Victoria.

[Holden West]

It is Capella (Capella condos | 45-, 39-, 33-, 27-storeys) (http://www.vibrantvictoria.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=2102)

[aastra]

But I don't think anybody will be shocked if Silkwind also takes a breather in the next little while.

[guyinthesky]

But I don't think anybody will be shocked if Silkwind also takes a breather in the next little while.

LOL...um, hasn't it been taking a breather for quite some time? We've honestly seen no work on Silkdwinds since early this year...they keep telling us they are going to start up...and then nothing!

[aastra]

Well, I was being polite. In today's development climate, "taking a breather" means "no activity whatsoever for at least a few years."

[officedweller]

I think this is the Capella one:

http://www.journalofcommerce.com/article/id31005

http://www.journalofcommerce.com/images/archivesid/31005/140.jpg
Nicola Bentley, marketing and sales manager for the Quigg Group, stands next to a model of what would have been Vancouver Island’s tallest tower.

Developer halts plans for Vancouver Island’s tallest tower

SHANNON MONEO

correspondent

To build Vancouver Island’s tallest building, at 44-storeys, Robert Quigg opted to buy new a new crane from Spain rather than lease in order to guarantee a crane was available until the project’s completion.

As a homebuilder known for high-end West Vancouver developments, Quigg planned to build four high-rise condominium towers, a fitness pavilion, spa, restaurant and six-acre vineyard on a 20-acre plot in what’s

However, in a late-breaking development, Quigg has halted construction work on the estimated $1.4-billion project until world financial markets are in better shape.

The news comes just more than a month after the crane was brought over from Spain and work commenced on the first tower.

[Mike K.]

That Spanish crane is still on site as of this weekend.

[guyinthesky]

That Spanish crane is still on site as of this weekend.

And the green Jaso, still sits high atop Bear Mountain...

[Mike K.]

A testament to what could have been... :(

[guyinthesky]

A testament to what could have been... :(

I think thats a rather accurate statement as the lawsuits start pile up on Bear Mountain ... I'll go cry in my corner now

[Phil McAvity]

Since it's been over a year and a half since this thread started and the building is still barely started, I think we can safely say this project has been at least shelved. My point? I think changing the name of this thread is in order.