VICTORIA (new tallest) | Capella | Up to 450 FT / 137 M | 45, 39, 33 & 27 FLOORS

[Mike K.]

A western burb of Victoria, BC, will be home to a four-tower development by Vancouver developer Quigg Group called Capella (http://www.quiggcapella.com). Each of the four towers will claim the title of Vancouver Island's tallest building. The current tallest, which happens to be u/c, is a 23-storey (http://www.silkwindwestshore.ca) condo 77 meters (252') in the western burb of Colwood (about 5km south from the location of Capella).

What sets this development apart from any others in the metro and most developments in North America is its location: the side of a mountain on the edge of a sprawly suburban mountain-side golf course/housing community known as Bear Mountain (http://www.bearmountain.ca).

The following renderings are of the 27-storey tower, already approved, and the first to be built (the next will be the 33-storey, 39- and 45-storey last) but all four towers will share the same design :( The height of the 45-storey tower will be 137 meters (450').

http://www.vibrantvictoria.ca/images/mcp/0051/0051a.gif

http://www.vibrantvictoria.ca/images/mcp/0051/0051b.gif

[Aleks]

Wow that's nice.

I think it's O.K. all towers will share the design. It makes it look more like a complex and fit in. So there are no renderings of the other 3 towers?

Oh, are all three towers going to be residential or what?

[Mike K.]

Yeah, all four towers will be purely residential. And unfortunately no actual renderings are available of the other towers but there are flythroughs and marketing materials that show the other towers but do not focus in on them like they do on the 27-storey tower.

I suppose it's all in the execution as far as quality will go. If the materials and workmanship are good from up-close I may be swayed a little but from a distance design intricacies won't matter anyways.

Personally I'd prefer to see these buildings among others in a suburban downtown core or something, not on the side of a mountain in forested burbs.

[Surrealplaces]

Nice modern looking design. I'd love to see Victoria get something like this.

[Mike K.]

Apparently the first concrete pour for this project is to begin in a weeks time (whether that's just a rumour or not, I don't know).

The first tower is planned to be 27-storeys, situated several hundred feet above the city on an exposed mountainside property (clearing to the right of the "Air" in the photo below, I think).

http://www.globalairphotos.com/images/bc/langford/2007/lfh2007_061.jpg

[Mike K.]

Construction of the region's tallest tower has officially begun.

[WonderlandPark]

I thought Nanaimo had the tallest on the island. That thing sticks out like a sore thumb when you come in from Vancouver on the ferry. These look of much better design, imo.

[Mike K.]

The shortest of the four towers in this project will be approximately 10 meters taller than Nanaimo's current tallest, although there is a 24-storey building currently u/c in Nanaimo but I'm uncertain of the height.

[Mike K.]

A crane, direct from Europe, is being delivered to the construction site at some point this month.

[Mike K.]

LJ from VibrantVictoria (http://www.vibrantvictoria.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=2102) posted the following photos taken on the 10th of July.

http://photoshare.shaw.ca/image/c/7/3/82382/preview_dsc_00070.jpg

http://photoshare.shaw.ca/image/c/7/3/82382/preview_dsc_00080.jpg

http://photoshare.shaw.ca/image/c/7/3/82382/preview_dsc_00010.jpg

[Mike K.]

LJ on VibrantVictoria posted (http://vibrantvictoria.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=80944&postcount=211) more photos taken Jul. 29th. It looks like concrete work has begun.

http://photoshare.shaw.ca/image/c/7/3/82382/preview_dsc_00061.jpg

http://photoshare.shaw.ca/image/c/7/3/82382/preview_dsc_00041.jpg

[chex]

victoria is a beautiful place, nice towers... and nice location..

[Mike K.]

Photos taken Aug 09 by LJ on VV (http://www.vibrantvictoria.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=2102&page=9):

http://photoshare.shaw.ca/image/c/7/3/82382/preview_dsc_00081.jpg

http://photoshare.shaw.ca/image/c/7/3/82382/preview_dsc_00110.jpg

http://photoshare.shaw.ca/image/c/7/3/82382/preview_dsc_00130.jpg

[Mike K.]

Another photo update by LJ at VibrantVictoria (http://www.vibrantvictoria.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=2102&page=13)


http://photoshare.shaw.ca/image/c/7/3/82382/preview_dsc_00022.jpg

http://photoshare.shaw.ca/image/c/7/3/82382/preview_dsc_00012.jpg

[guyinthesky]

Well just an update for all over here. The news around town is this project has been stopped dead in its tracks. Word on the street throughout the industry is that subtrades were told to get there stuff, including site trailers off by the end of this week, some trades were told as early as last Friday, but a majority of workers were not informed until Yesterday morning. Apparently as many 15 carpenters for the forming contractor were laid off at the same time...If the rumors wind up true, it will be the demise of a very exciting development just getting off its feet

[photoLith]

What in the world, is that out in the middle of no where?

[MolsonExport]

45 stories on Van Island....awesome.

[guyinthesky]

its kinda nowhere, kinda not! Its on the Bear Mountain Development, there are a few thousand homes up there, 2 golf courses, bunch of small condos, restaurants, soon to be grocery store, hotel, etc etc...the angle of that photo makes it look like the middle of nowhere, its within the confines of the fastest growing municipality on Vancouver Island, Langford. The official word came out today, it is indeed on hold, the developer, Robert Quigg, expects, depending of course on market conditions to resume construction in Spring of 2009, this was the first tower, the crane just went up last month, and they haven't even poured the Slab on Grade at this point so it was in the infant stages. This project has been stalling getting going, and there was much speculation about how it would survive in the current marketplace. I believe it is sitting at 60% sold at the moment. I really hope we see the project get its feet again next year, this is going to be a landmark for Vancouver Island, it being nestled on a mountain will have a real staunch place in Victoria for years to come as it'll appear a lot higher than the varying stories, including the 45.