I thought I would start a separate thread for this.
The hotel operator is still being worked out, it could be a Hilton or another of their brands. It'll contain 106 condo units on the upper floors and 75 hotel suites below plus 6 CRUs above 3 levels of underground parking. It's scheduled to open in the summer of 2013 and the working title for the project currently (subject to change) is the Crystal Blu Hotel & Residences. It takes it's name from the backlit blue mechanical screening on top.
Aside from some minor tweaking this is essentially what it'll look like.
Simple, a hint of art deco step backs and very Vancouver in style. Nothing to write home about, but a good infill.
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I like it too.
The roof looks particularly nicely capped with the canopy and the lighting.
The column caps on the podium look dated - they are used on the 819 and Galileo up the street - but may indicate that the podium (if not teh tower) will be faced in brick (although the caps also appear at the tower setbacks)
Not keen on the "stacked" Hilton logo - would look better as a linear form with the logo to the left of the wording (that would also allow the wording to be larger)
I like it better than the previous render with the multicoloured crown, but I'm still not a huge fan of the tower portion.
The podium actually looks pretty good though, which should be the main concern on this site bordering Robson. Ideally the retail mix is a hit and it helps cognitively extend the Robson mall.
Can't say I'm a fan of pomo/faux-heritage facades. The one thing I like is that projecting element over the entrance with the patterned glass/mullion. If only that language defined the tower, instead of being orphaned as a little decourative piece on a vancouver special. Like, seriously, where have we not seen the punched window grid on window-wall combo...
It'll be a Hilton. Mayfair (the developer) has been holding on to the rights for a Hilton franchisee for Vancouver for ages. They have the Hampton already for the lower end and they desperately need a Hilton flag to compete with Starwood and Marriott.
Where is this located? It's on the end of Robson closer to the stadium right?
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