Three Harbour Green | 116m | 32fl | Completed

[yaletown_fella]

You think it'd be a no brainer to use a grey grate for the ventilation. Also that's probably the most prominently placed emergency exit I've seen. Considering the caliber of this project, location, and quality of materials it's probably one of the laziest designs I've seen. What a shame.

[wrenegade]

Just finished a tour through 3 Harbour Green. Saw a townhouse, a unit on the 3rd floor, one on the 25th and the Penthouse. Took 138 pictures, will post some later. It was pretty neat, but the 22 million dollar, 8,000 sq. ft. penthouse definitely underwhelmed.

[flight_from_kamakura]

in a dream, some philanthropist will buy the ground level units before there's anyone on the strata council, get the building regs changes, and then redevelop them into commercial space.

[jlousa]

Don't see the point there isn't retail on any of the other corners, it would be completely isolated and dead.

[Locked In]

I went on the tour today as well. I didn't have a good camera, so here are my so-so blackberry photos. I'll split these into a couple of posts.
Wrenegade, were you shooting with an SLR today?
-------
Lobby:



On the amenity floor - includes a theatre room, table tennis pool, golf simulator, squash court and a nice pool area:





This is one of the (I believe) 3 townhomes: 3700 square feet, $5.5M, 3 floors:











All my photos.

[Locked In]

This was the third floor unit - 4600 square feet, with 2000 square feet of balcony space. $9.6M.



Giant balcony:







Up to the 25th floor to a 3500 square foot unit, for $7.5M









The balconies on this unit feel like they hang right over the Convention Centre:







Bonus Oxford demo shot:



Fireplaces in the recessed balconies:



Nice view from the tub:



All my photos.

[Locked In]

And, finally, the Penthouse Wrenegade mentioned. It covers the top two floors, plus a rooftop terrace. My photos:





This looks like a kitchen for entertaining in the front room, rather than actually cooking:



This is the more 'typical' kitchen area:



View to the south:





Master bedroom:



Bathroom in the master bedroom:



Double shower:





Rooftop terrace:



View to the west:



Odd landscaping on the penthouse patio (coloured stones):

[flight_from_kamakura]

Originally Posted by jlousa

Don't see the point there isn't retail on any of the other corners, it would be completely isolated and dead.

didn't say retail, though a restaurant space is exactly what i had in mind, maybe with some sort of outdoor component. honestly, that portion of the vancouver sea wall is one of the most boring urban waterfront walks i can think of anywhere i've been in the world.

awesome photos, by the way.

[dleung]

all the drywall and carpeting made my eyes bleed. The interiors would have been a million times better with plain concrete columns, walls and buffed floors. The mac-like kitchen is rather femnine for such a stark, badass exterior architecture.

The only thing I liked was the lobby, which has the monumental heaviness I expected based on the exterior. I expected the same treatment for the pool - peter zumthor style - and am extremely surprised by how basic it is.

And then there's the tacky PoMo staircase in the townhouse. And the roof terrace fin structure is just weird. Why couldn't it have been like shangri-la...
Which reminds me... they had the coloured pebbles at shangri-la too, but it was all blue, so no need to get the maid to separate the blue pebbles from the green and white ones if a bird or ill-placed step happens to mess things up.

really was hoping for darker finishes for the interior...

[Cypherus]

Originally Posted by dleung

all the drywall and carpeting made my eyes bleed. The interiors would have been a million times better with plain concrete columns, walls and buffed floors. The mac-like kitchen is rather femnine for such a stark, badass exterior architecture.

The only thing I liked was the lobby, which has the monumental heaviness I expected based on the exterior. I expected the same treatment for the pool - peter zumthor style - and am extremely surprised by how basic it is.

And then there's the tacky PoMo staircase in the townhouse. And the roof terrace fin structure is just weird. Why couldn't it have been like shangri-la...
Which reminds me... they had the coloured pebbles at shangri-la too, but it was all blue, so no need to get the maid to separate the blue pebbles from the green and white ones if a bird or ill-placed step happens to mess things up.

really was hoping for darker finishes for the interior...

I agree with your sentiment. I keep asking myself what unique features or value the buyer is actually getting for the price paid. Don't get me the wrong - the kitchen and bathrooms look great. But I've seen just as desirable interiors in condos asking for $300,000, let alone estate homes that provide so much more for much less. The exteriors look great save for the lazy installation of vent exhausts and useless, oversized roof patios. It seems to me that the buyers are not rational in the sense that they spend excessive amounts of money on product that is significantly underwhelming, just for the fact that they can live in downtown Vancouver.

[Yume-sama]

There is... carpet... in a condo that price?!?! Oh hell no! My $700k condo in L'hermitage was actually nicer. You could almost convince me it was sold to mainland Chinese sight unseen.

I'm guessing the owners will pretty much tear everything out and the only selling feature is the location.

The Fairmont or Georgia is truly the height of luxury in comparison!

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by dleung

all the drywall and carpeting made my eyes bleed. The interiors would have been a million times better with plain concrete columns, walls and buffed floors. The mac-like kitchen is rather femnine for such a stark, badass exterior architecture.

The only thing I liked was the lobby, which has the monumental heaviness I expected based on the exterior. I expected the same treatment for the pool - peter zumthor style - and am extremely surprised by how basic it is.

And then there's the tacky PoMo staircase in the townhouse. And the roof terrace fin structure is just weird. Why couldn't it have been like shangri-la...
Which reminds me... they had the coloured pebbles at shangri-la too, but it was all blue, so no need to get the maid to separate the blue pebbles from the green and white ones if a bird or ill-placed step happens to mess things up.

really was hoping for darker finishes for the interior...

when you buy at that level buyers are more than likely to rip everything out and bring in their designer to finish it to their liking

[jlousa]

Those pics aren't clear enough to tell but are we sure that's carpet and not protective coverings over the floor?

[WarrenC12]

I may pick up that penthouse when my $640M MegaMillions ticket pays off tonight...

[flight_from_kamakura]

actually, if we're talking asian buyers, i'd guess that they'd have more carpet put in.

[djh]

@wrenegade and @LockedIn: I'm assuming that you both were serious buyers looking to invest in the building? I can't imagine that this building would just have an Open House and let anybody traipse through it, so that would infer that you are working with (or are?) realtors looking at the building, not just kicking tyres.
Correct?

If so, and in your opinions, are the suites you saw in this building worth those prices? What were the reasons that you would choose to invest there, as opposed to, say a 10,000 sq. ft house in Shaugnessey or West Van, or even a penthouse suite in The Georgia or Shangri-La?

Thanks

[s211]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

when you buy at that level buyers are more than likely to rip everything out and bring in their designer to finish it to their liking

Maybe for used housing but not often for brand new. In this situation, if I had any head on my shoulders I would be throwing out the developer's spec and getting them to customize the interior finishes to MY spec (at my nickel of course). I'd pay them for the shell and pay them to finish to my spec. This is not unusual in the high-end new market.

[phesto]

Originally Posted by djh

@wrenegade and @LockedIn: I'm assuming that you both were serious buyers looking to invest in the building? I can't imagine that this building would just have an Open House and let anybody traipse through it, so that would infer that you are working with (or are?) realtors looking at the building, not just kicking tyres.
Correct?

If so, and in your opinions, are the suites you saw in this building worth those prices? What were the reasons that you would choose to invest there, as opposed to, say a 10,000 sq. ft house in Shaugnessey or West Van, or even a penthouse suite in The Georgia or Shangri-La?

Thanks

There was an industry-sponsored (UDI) tour yesterday - I'm guessing this is what wrenegade and Lockedin were on...

[phesto]

Kwok brothers (owners of Aspac) were arrested in HK today on allegations of corruption.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Bil...750/story.html

[Locked In]

^ Interesting. There's a second UDI tour today, actually - I wonder if/how the Aspac reps are fielding questions about the arrests.

Phesto is correct - I was on the UDI tour yesterday. I am not looking to invest

JLousa, those are carpets (not protective coverings). I heard the rep mention that they're working with purchasers to upgrade finishes, etc., as you would expect. The units that we toured are all unsold though.