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  #1  
Old Posted Oct 21, 2007, 2:21 AM
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[Halifax] The Alexander | 65 m | 24 fl | Completed

This is the second phase of the Halkirk proposal for the Keith's brewery lands (Southern end). Phase I was Salter's Gate, which has now been completed.

This is the second incarnation of this proposal. The first was a 27 storey tower that was rejected by the HRM PCC.

HRM report West elevation (along Lower Water Street):

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  #2  
Old Posted Oct 21, 2007, 2:06 PM
phrenic phrenic is offline
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I sense Phil Pacey is will get his noise out of joint over this one as well. To close to the Lt. Governor's residence.

Hopefully after the UG fiasco things will go a bit more smoothly.
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  #3  
Old Posted Oct 21, 2007, 4:03 PM
worldlyhaligonian worldlyhaligonian is offline
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Proximity should not be the issue, but quality should, as alot of crap has gone up in that area. However,I do like The Waterford or whatever its called a bit farther down.
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  #4  
Old Posted Oct 21, 2007, 9:47 PM
terrynorthend terrynorthend is offline
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I love the look of this proposal. It has a great eastern elevation and the tower complements and balances Salter's Gate at its the north end. It reminds me of some of the old skyscrapers in Manhattan, like those around Central Park.

As for the the Lt. Govs. residence, nothing can be closer and uglier than Maritime Centre- It's right next to it. The Halkirk is a beautiful complement to Goverment House.
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  #5  
Old Posted Oct 21, 2007, 11:31 PM
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I like the massing of the tower. Not sure what the cladding materials would be, but they'll probably be the same as Salter's Gate.

The tower provides a good transition between 20+ storey office buildings and the shorter ~8 storey residential buildings to the South. The tower itself is also set back from both Hollis and Lower Water Street, and on either side will have buildings at street level that are perfectly in keeping with the scale of the area.

There was a colour rendering in one of the papers but I didn't save it.
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  #6  
Old Posted Oct 23, 2007, 6:06 PM
worldlyhaligonian worldlyhaligonian is offline
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Keith Hall looked like shit the last time I was in Halifax. Hopefully this thing can resolve itself. I think the tower does indeed help scale the taller buildings... in the way the Dominion Public Building does.
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  #7  
Old Posted Oct 23, 2007, 8:11 PM
Halifax Hillbilly Halifax Hillbilly is offline
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I like the tower, but I don't like the street level component.

The thing that worries me about this project is that it's Halkirk and they built the unfortunate mess of concrete at the other side of the Brewery lands. I don't see why this project would be any better designed than Salter's Gate.

After UG I think this one has a good shot. Let's hope they can get the first couple of floors right because I like the tower.
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  #8  
Old Posted Oct 23, 2007, 10:53 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian View Post
I think the tower does indeed help scale the taller buildings... in the way the Dominion Public Building does.
You like the Dominion Public Building don't you?
I'm working there right now, and I have to agree with you, it's an amazing building.
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  #9  
Old Posted Oct 24, 2007, 7:12 PM
worldlyhaligonian worldlyhaligonian is offline
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yeah, it sits well in the skyline and shows age and quality unlike some of the additions from other eras, although purdy's and 1801 are beautiful. I love how the Royal York fits into the skyline of Toronto and this project feels like that to me (if UG is in place as well)

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  #10  
Old Posted Oct 24, 2007, 7:13 PM
worldlyhaligonian worldlyhaligonian is offline
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Toronto is obviously much more dense and tall...
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  #11  
Old Posted Oct 25, 2007, 8:31 PM
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I changed my mind.

I'm somewhat torn about this proposal -- I on the one hand think that any 19-storey building on this site would be out of context with the buildings near Bishop, Hollis, and Lower Water Streets. On the other hand, if street-level frontages were properly massed and manicured, the building could provide an interesting contrast and diversify the currently bland streetscape on that bit of Lower Water.

Whatever the case, I find it a touch sad that this project is feasible only because it lies within the viewplane 'shadow' of the Maritime Centre.
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  #12  
Old Posted Oct 26, 2007, 11:53 AM
Halifax Hillbilly Halifax Hillbilly is offline
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I changed my mind.
Whatever the case, I find it a touch sad that this project is feasible only because it lies within the viewplane 'shadow' of the Maritime Centre.
If we're going to move forward in Halifax we definetly have to ditch the viewplanes IMO. It is kind of ludicrous to pop tall buildings in somewhere just because they aren't covered by a viewplane. Unfortunately at this point that's all HRMbyDesign is proposing which is far from ideal and I don't think it's good planning nor will it solve the problems we see in this city with appeals and such.

This project's height I don't have a large problem with. It's the street level I'm really worried about. Halkirk did a TERRIBLE job on the north side of the brewery lands. I'm not optomistic about this project.
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  #13  
Old Posted Nov 12, 2007, 1:15 AM
worldlyhaligonian worldlyhaligonian is offline
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Anyone know how this project may be progressing?
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  #14  
Old Posted Nov 12, 2007, 7:59 PM
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I think it should be coming before council soon for approval.
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  #15  
Old Posted Dec 26, 2007, 11:09 PM
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I wandered by this area today and the old Longshoremen's Association building is gone, removing one hurdle for phase III of the project.

No idea when the final hearing for the tower (before the appeal to the URB...) will be held.
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  #16  
Old Posted Mar 14, 2008, 4:35 PM
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I found this rendering today.

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  #17  
Old Posted Mar 14, 2008, 7:36 PM
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I hope we hear something about this development soon. I really hate the current empty lot, which is in its own way heavily "out of context" given all the nearby construction and renovations in recent years. One block up is the recently restored Government House, one of the nicest heritage buildings in the entire country, and below it is tiered gravel parking with old bits of crumbled concrete and a large gas tank.

Keith Hall is also in dire need of restoration and that would be coupled with this development. Another component, Halkirk House, would further add to the Hollis streetscape. After the tower I believe another phase of development is planned for the Longshoremen lot.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the Maritime Centre is nearby. Right now there's no "transition" between the 21 storey office building and 4-8 storey residential to the South. A 19 storey condo tower would fit somewhere in between.
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  #18  
Old Posted Mar 14, 2008, 9:04 PM
Halifax Hillbilly Halifax Hillbilly is offline
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I don't like the street level on that rendering. The arcades which were built at Salter's Gate are quite poorly done and now they are planning to make the same mistake at the south end of the property.
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  #19  
Old Posted Mar 14, 2008, 10:33 PM
Spitfire75 Spitfire75 is offline
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I agree about the ground level, but other than that I really like it and think it would like great in that area.
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  #20  
Old Posted Mar 15, 2008, 12:06 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Halifax Hillbilly View Post
I don't like the street level on that rendering. The arcades which were built at Salter's Gate are quite poorly done and now they are planning to make the same mistake at the south end of the property.
Here's a picture I took of Salter's Gate:



It's probably safe to say that the exterior materials will be similar. I'd prefer something else, but to be honest I don't think they necessarily look that bad.

When it comes to the arcades specifically I think the biggest problem is simply how they relate to the sidewalk. The ones on Hollis are set several feet below and don't feel very accessible. They interfere with the line of site to what should be bright storefronts and display windows. The Salter Street side is similar, and the glass tops are ugly.

The rendering makes it look like the Lower Water Street arcading will be at street level, which solves one problem of Salter's Gate. Similarly, the side arcades are not stepped as with Salter's Gate but are brought up to a balcony level above. I'm not a huge fan of that design either but it looks a little better.

The curved corner entry seems pretty attractive to me, and I like the rounded entrance to Salter's Gate. I dislike the fenestration on Salter's Gate but that also seems a bit better in the tower rendering.

Of course, it's entirely possible that the detailing in the rendering is totally different from what will be in the final design.
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