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[Downtown Victoria] Atrium Building (BC Ferries headquarters) | Office | 7-storeys | Built - completed in October 2010

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#41 Holden West

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Posted 17 September 2007 - 10:00 PM

If Victoria was an animal, Yates would be the anus.

You sure? I'd say Douglas between Chatham and Saanich Rd. would be a better fit.


That's very long for a mere orifice. I'd say the length more resembles an anatomical canal, the name of which escapes me at the moment.

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Ah, that's it.
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#42 G-Man

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Posted 18 September 2007 - 06:37 AM

I think Yates Street has come a long way since I moved here in 95. Yates and Quadra is actually an animated intersection now.

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It has a whole new look!

 


#43 Mike K.

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Posted 18 September 2007 - 08:21 AM

Perhaps its the lower intestine, complete with the sphincter and other goodies.

Yates and Blanshard would benefit from this development tremendously. We have the awful parking lot on the southwest corner, the homeless-approved Cap 6 umbrella, a dead entrance to the old library and of course the shack on the Telus site. Good times.

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#44 aastra

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Posted 18 September 2007 - 02:06 PM

Let's hope it's a distinctive building with a good ground floor. We don't need another misfire like that office block at Johnson & Blanshard, kitty-corner to the Kaiserhof.

#45 Holden West

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Posted 09 October 2007 - 06:38 PM

I think the meeting for this is tomorrow.
"Beaver, ahoy!""The bridge is like a magnet, attracting both pedestrians and over 30,000 vehicles daily who enjoy the views of Victoria's harbour. The skyline may change, but "Big Blue" as some call it, will always be there."
-City of Victoria website, 2009

#46 Rob Randall

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Posted 09 October 2007 - 08:36 PM

The DRA is hosting a meeting to discuss a rezoning of 800 Yates Street (The former Telus site at Yates and Blanshard).

The architect and developer will be there to take your questions. All DRA members and the public are encouraged to attend.

The proposal calls for a seven-storey office tower fronting on Blanshard, Yates and Johnson Streets. A full-height interior atrium faces Yates St. The ground floor will be commercial/retail.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Time: 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Location: Silver Threads centre (across from the old Bay building

Street: 1728 Douglas St.

#47 zoomer

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Posted 10 October 2007 - 09:32 PM

I see the Great Scaper has posted these photos on SSP

http://forum.skyscra... ... tcount=465













Very disappointing.. :(

Yes, zero setbacks, retail apparently all the way around, but another fatscraper, totally unimaginative, an eyesore, will not age well, probably not function well either (see Library courtyard). As I said on SSP, if they increased the height of the glass box, and got rid of the horizontal bands, perhaps then it would be at the starting line.

#48 Mike K.

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Posted 10 October 2007 - 09:35 PM

Are we trying to recreate the old Eaton's store in downtown Vacouver?

And what's worse is many of our councillors will high-five each other over this proposal.

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#49 gumgum

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Posted 10 October 2007 - 09:39 PM

:( :-x

#50 Baro

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Posted 11 October 2007 - 07:22 AM

I don't mind the design and although it isn't tall it seems dense. Dense and apparently a good street interaction, I'm happy from a technical perspective. It's not at all what I would design there though... Even as a fatscraper I think I could have come up with a better design.
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#51 D.L.

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Posted 11 October 2007 - 08:38 AM

This isn't a fatscraper - it's a commercial building with the same massing as has been done for the past 150 years. You guys should get it out of your heads that every single building built these days needs to be a highrise. The layout of the building is well designed, the atrium will be totally unique to the city (and is something that couldn't be done with a highrise), and the architectural design is quite tasteful. You can't get an adequate idea of the detail of the facade from these images.

#52 aastra

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Posted 11 October 2007 - 10:21 AM

Is it just me or is it set further back on Yates than it needs to be?

I'm mixed on this one. There's something of a Blanshard Building vibe that rubs me the wrong way. The white bands bug me. If the white bands were replaced with glass I think it would look 100% better.

#53 oreo.fudgeo

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Posted 11 October 2007 - 10:54 AM

I agree with the poster who said it won't age well - it already looks dated. Perhaps it's the fat white(ish) bands...or maybe I'm just used to seeing *shiny* new buildings.

#54 aastra

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Posted 11 October 2007 - 01:29 PM

Consider this comment by the Great Scaper over at SSP:

At one point the architect actually stated that they created the large bands that wrap around the sides of the office building so it would look wider than taller.


What on earth is the matter with people? The building as proposed is already very wide. The details should suggest verticality, to challenge the sheer width. This is what developers did in old Victoria as a matter of course. When will Victorians start respecting their real architectural heritage??





















Where the heck is the precedent for emphasizing width???

#55 Baro

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Posted 11 October 2007 - 01:43 PM

I really don't mind this building, I actually kinda like the bands. It's short but it seems dense. It's not as dense as I thought due to the atrium, but it still looks pretty good. It really is hard to tell from just these pics. As long as the cladding is quality and the street interaction is top notch I'm ok with it. I'd love to see more of these site-filling projects fill up some of the holes in old-town. Give me glass and super modern design to contrast and compliment with the designs in old town. Don't try to match the exact style of the old buildings, but match their quality and energy. These buildings are all trying to out-do each other in terms of detail and design, our modern buildings should do the exact same thing and be the absolute best they can be.

I'd have to see some more pics, but I actually do rather like the design. Simple horizontal bands, light colours, and smooth rounded corners.
"beats greezy have baked donut-dough"

#56 Rob Randall

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Posted 11 October 2007 - 02:07 PM

The exterior cladding material is light-yellow brick.





#57 Ms. B. Havin

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Posted 11 October 2007 - 03:57 PM

I'm not too fond of this as shown, honestly. Those horizontal bands bother me -- suburban office parks had that look, remember? The glass bit on top seems not to integrate with / relate to the rest...
When you buy a game, you buy the rules. Play happens in the space between the rules.

#58 gumgum

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Posted 11 October 2007 - 04:20 PM

It looks like something that was conceived of in the 60s of what buildings might look like in the future.

#59 aastra

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Posted 11 October 2007 - 04:28 PM

I don't know...to me it seems to be trying much too hard to not distinguish itself. This is a major downtown intersection. I like the physical presence the building will have (as suggested by the pictures on this page), so it's not the timid height that bothers me (even though it should have been taller, if for no other reason than to distinguish itself from the other office blocks on Blanshard). The facade just seems so bland.

Does this building make a statement? If so, the statement seems to be, "No comment."

Maybe the office blocks in Vic West and the Gorge have spoiled us?

#60 m0nkyman

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Posted 11 October 2007 - 08:11 PM

It looks like something that was conceived of in the 60s of what buildings might look like in the future.


...In the USSR.

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