As much as a blob of buildings looks bad, eventually it will make the city what it is. I look to Hong Kong as an example. It has an absolute overload of repetitive buildings that form a swarm. It also has an amazing assortment of highly diverse architecture that makes its skyline one of the best in the world. I am happy this building is slowly adding to our diversity.
Recently I watched a very scary documentary on Chile 2010 earthquake...They have a very similar subduction zone as we do...The conclusion is that the worst buildings to be in during such earthquake are:
- building on soft ground (waves get amplified)
- 10 to 20 story buildings (due to earthquake wave frequency that resonates with the buildings of this height)
- irregularly shaped buildings (because irregular shapes create weak spots and weak spots break)
- building with unsupported cavernous spaces, as in large glass boxes (same as above)
So we are over the first 2 issues downtown, but guess what kind of buildings are all the rage right now?
What kind of building you want to be in during earthquake? - 50 story tower, square shaped base, lots of concrete and steel, small windows, lots of evenly spaced pillars, no giant 3 story lofts and boxes wedged in the middle of the building. Basically things we do not build 'cuz it's boring.
P.S. Richmond lately has been hitting all these 4 conditions on their new towers...
Recently I watched a very scary documentary on Chile 2010 earthquake...They have a very similar subduction zone as we do...The conclusion is that the worst buildings to be in during such earthquake are:
- building on soft ground (waves get amplified)
- 10 to 20 story buildings (due to earthquake wave frequency that resonates with the buildings of this height)
- irregularly shaped buildings (because irregular shapes create weak spots and weak spots break)
- building with unsupported cavernous spaces, as in large glass boxes (same as above)
So we are over the first 2 issues downtown, but guess what kind of buildings are all the rage right now?
What kind of building you want to be in during earthquake? - 50 story tower, square shaped base, lots of concrete and steel, small windows, lots of evenly spaced pillars, no giant 3 story lofts and boxes wedged in the middle of the building. Basically things we do not build 'cuz it's boring.
P.S. Richmond lately has been hitting all these 4 conditions on their new towers...
As an Angeleno living in a similar environment I do understand your salient earthquake concerns. I wonder though if enough folks around Vancouver fully understand the issues since the area has never been directly hit by any significant quake in recent memory and has thus become somewhat complacent!
Last edited by Caliplanner1; Jun 14, 2015 at 3:54 PM.
Yet during earthquakes around the world, major steel/concrete skyscrapers are the structures that remain standing, while the ones that actually collapse are the short 1 to 5 storey buildings. Fact is, taller buildings get more attention to the factor of safety during the design process as they are being evaluated as more important assets.
With that said, it is still pretty scary after seeing the movie "St Andreas", where 9.5 magnitude quakes strike. If a quake reaches that magnitude, pretty much everything is destroyed, unless you build something shaped like the pyramids of Giza with solid rock.
Still love this building for its height as well as the difference it brings to that part of West Georgia, although cladding details are crucial to make or break its final outcome. I won't be surprised if the final design is watered down, as this is traditionally the Vancouver thing to do after the late 60s. Gone is the era of avant garde design in this city.
won't be surprised if the final design is watered down, as this is traditionally the Vancouver thing to do after the late 60s. Gone is the era of avant garde design in this city.
Do you like the MNP Tower? I do, and many others seem to. Could one call that avant-garde, or is there a preceding "template" model? I ask out of curiosity, not sarcasm.
Looking at the Georgia street level rendering, it appears that the brick facing and paving of the current building and plaza is replaced with something else more contemporary like the stone panels on the Nordstrom in colour yet much larger panels. What do you think of that? I would rather see the creative use of brick retained in the plaza and current tower. In fact, I would like to see it restored right out to the curb as it was originally and incorporated into the new tower plaza.
Still don't like the bowling alley effect of many of the suites - i.e. absence of corner windows.
Why live in a "middle" suite when its on the corner?
It's eliminating much of the value of a corner suite, reducing window area and potentially making the interiors quite dark.
(I'm not talking about the "tubes" - I mean the rest of the corner suites)
The roof shown above isn't even a roof terrace with seating/plants, etc.
Officedweller, I see your point about the corner windows but that is mostly an annoyance for the residents. I think it looks less busy without so many windows and I will only ever see this building from street level so I am happy.
Embedded video below. They even included 1575 West Georgia proposal in it.
Officedweller, I see your point about the corner windows but that is mostly an annoyance for the residents. I think it looks less busy without so many windows and I will only ever see this building from street level so I am happy.
It could be that the proportions of the building are small, with large suites that would still have window frontage in 2 directions (i.e. in pic above living areas facing west, bedroom facing south, but I think it's a waste of a view.
It could be that the proportions of the building are small, with large suites that would still have window frontage in 2 directions (i.e. in pic above living areas facing west, bedroom facing south, but I think it's a waste of a view.
I was thinking the same. It is unlikely there being small suites in this building. And let's remember that the "trophy suites" are not the ones on the top but in the protruding boxes and they have glass walls to every direction.
What's going on inside that box? A dance floor? A theater?
Um, yeah. If it's supposed to be theatre space, you sure couldn't load in much in the way of backstage stuff. And as a performance space, I'm not sure performers would be that thrilled by having the audience distracted by what's happening out on the street.
Not a fan. If it wasn't for the gimmicky protruding boxes, this would just be your typical, straight from the 70's, west end tower.
That's what I love about this thing! The West End has an architectural flavour and I like that it's being preserved in new projects rather than getting nuCoal Harbour or Yaletown-again. Vancouver has enough problems with architectural homogeneity, so I think it would be sad to see a loss of West End Kitsch.
Anyone notice the video shows the North Shore automall and some of the Seaspan barges have been moved to Ambleside Park? West Van residents are going to be pissed! lol
I still haven't made up my mind about this one. Part of me likes me, part of me wonders how exactly it will be executed and how it will age, specifically the large blank walls. I do find it interesting that besides the large protruding boxes it is quite like a 70s style West End building. However, the design is much more than just a protruding box or two, it's the entire design.
Looking at the Georgia street level rendering, it appears that the brick facing and paving of the current building and plaza is replaced with something else more contemporary like the stone panels on the Nordstrom in colour yet much larger panels. What do you think of that? I would rather see the creative use of brick retained in the plaza and current tower. In fact, I would like to see it restored right out to the curb as it was originally and incorporated into the new tower plaza.
They definitely need to integrate the original design of the office building component into the tower. I always did like the contrast of the brick pavement to the crispness of the office building. The building always had a fresh feeling to it in comparison to other concrete office blocks in the area from the same era. It would be nice if they kept the brick and also clad 2 or 3 of the protruding boxes of the condo tower in the brick and have the glazing of only the red brick boxes match the colour of the 70's glazing. Then it would really stand out and feel more integrated. The new tower and old office building feel disconnected even though its making a reasonable attempt to jive with the retro west end as a whole.
Last edited by retro_orange; Jul 27, 2015 at 12:50 AM.
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At least they are now officially skyscrapers / 500 footers, hehe.
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