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[Esquimalt] 1245 Esquimalt condo | 4-storeys | Completed


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#1 D.L.

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Posted 20 November 2006 - 06:58 PM

office/retail building currently under construction,



Looks good.

#2 G-Man

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Posted 20 November 2006 - 07:35 PM

That looks pretty cool! Anyone know who the architect is?

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#3 Doc Sage

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Posted 21 November 2006 - 06:00 AM

WOW!!!!
I drove through Esquimalt just last weekend and never saw this. Would that be the old bowling alley place?

I like it.

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#4 Mike K.

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Posted 21 November 2006 - 09:06 AM

^^ the architect is Praxis.

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#5 SpeEZd-iN

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Posted 21 November 2006 - 10:48 AM

Michael Levin from Praxis Architects designed that building. His own offices will be on the top floor at the back of the building, with nice views of the Olympics.
There will also be a mechanical engineering firm and a group of doctors was thinking about going in. I'm not sure if the retail storefront is leased yet but it could be ideal for a cafe/small restaurant or a pharmacy.

The most interesting feature besides LEED (silver I believe), is the aviary in the middle of the building allowing light to cascade down to the mid-section of the second and third floor.

#6 FunkyMunky

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Posted 21 November 2006 - 03:56 PM

The most interesting feature besides LEED (silver I believe), is the aviary in the middle of the building allowing light to cascade down to the mid-section of the second and third floor.

This reminds me of the scene in The Birds where Tippi arranges to buy the lovebirds from the little old lady. Of course, it didn't work out well for her.

Anyway, what kinda birds are they going to have? Perhaps a koi pond might be a better choice for an office building?

#7 G-Man

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Posted 21 November 2006 - 04:00 PM

Perhaps it is an Atrium not Aviary.

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#8 Holden West

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Posted 21 November 2006 - 04:12 PM

Could be an apiary. That would be interesting.
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#9 Baro

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Posted 21 November 2006 - 04:15 PM

I hate apes!

Hmm but I do like honey...
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#10 Walter Moar

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Posted 21 November 2006 - 04:16 PM

Could be an apiary. That would be interesting.

Ooh, I like apes :?

#11 Holden West

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Posted 21 November 2006 - 04:52 PM

Opening Marred by Mayhem

New Esquimalt office building scene of chaos


April 1, 2007

Times-Colonist

What was supposed to be an event marking the completion of a new mixed-use office building at 1245 Esquimalt Road quickly turned into a horrific scene of complete pandemonium.

A developer representative speaking on condition of anonymity said the final touches on the interior atrium were being completed when delivery persons introduced both apes and bees into the lavishly appointed lobby garden.

Several people, including many local politicians and V.I.P.s were taken to hospital with undisclosed injuries.

University of Victoria Entomologist/Etymologist Frank Lee said this tragedy could have been prevented by use of certified zoo-quality enclosures or a good college-level dictionary.
"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

#12 Mike K.

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Posted 21 November 2006 - 06:18 PM

^If it wasn't for the cryptozoology convention taking place in Saanich with its abundance of ape experts, we could have had a real pickle on our hands!

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#13 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 21 November 2006 - 06:24 PM

:-D
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#14 G-Man

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Posted 27 December 2007 - 08:42 AM

Huh, so the office name generator is obviously on the fritz as well hey?

Esquimalt awakens and finds itself on the cusp of immense change
How to blend the old and the new will be one of the municipality's biggest challenges in 2008
Kim Westad, Times Colonist
Published: Thursday, December 27, 2007

Peg Austin grew used to the surprised look on friends' faces when she told them she was taking her Berkeley-based dream of opening a community coffee shop and doing it -- in Esquimalt.

Rent at the Admirals Road site was right, the size was right and the feel was right. Austin loved the strong sense of community she felt from senior citizens who have lived their entire life in Esquimalt, to newcomers discovering the slightly less expensive land prices on the other side of the blue bridge.

[snip]

There's room for both the old and the new in Esquimalt, said Austin, who has worked hard over the last year to create a business with the community-oriented values she associated with the cafés she went to and loved while a graduate student at Berkeley from 1989 to 1992.

But just how to blend the old and the new will be one of the municipality's biggest challenges in 2008.

Esquimalt faced losses in 2007. Lampson Elementary School closed, and the Archie Browning Sports Centre was saved from closure only after huge public outcry.

"Esquimalt is going through a lot of growing pains right now. I think people would like to feel better about how the community looks. It's a really tight-knit community and people love living here. But almost everyone talks about changes and improvements too," Austin said.

With 17,000 people in 10.3 square kilometres, and an anticipated 25 per cent population increase within the next 20 years, Esquimalt is facing more concentrated change than perhaps any other municipality in the region. The municipality also wants to increase its tax base -- relatively small now because it's largely residential -- to pay for increasing policing, sewage and health-care costs. How does a well-established community with little available vacant land do that, while still retaining the small-town feel that residents treasure?

The municipality has hired the architect who designed Granville Island to come up with plans for a village centre, using municipally owned land and creating a mix of residential, retail, office and park space. That plan will be presented some time in 2008.

[snip]

Some residents fear that developers will take over the community, putting up residential towers including a 14-storey project proposed to replace three rundown rental houses on Constance Avenue and Admirals Road. It is in an area that the Official Community Plan recognizes as being the right spot for higher density, although it suggests 10 storeys. Others say having density in one spot is the way to control growth.

Everyone seems to agree that increased population will increase demand for better services and businesses in the community.

"We are going to see higher density housing come in," said Ali Gaul, who moved to Esquimalt 10 years ago, and now wouldn't live anywhere else. "More housing would really help business, but we don't want to lose those unique independent businesses that make Esquimalt so special."

[snip]

A faded coral building houses a few small businesses that have a loyal clientele, like the Donair Shop, Bring & Buy Books and Vic's Super-Save Market where you can buy a myriad secondhand items -- cassette tapes and pottery from the 1970s, cups, even used suitcases -- all alongside the basic grocery items. Next door to the low-rent building is a brand new $4-million modern concrete building, called The Atrium.

"(The Atrium) is a perfect example of change with some controversy," said Gaul.

To some, the Atrium with its soaring peaks and modern facade sticks out like a sore thumb, at odds with buildings around it. To others, it's an example of cutting-edge architecture that signals change for the better.

"Any mature community should have a myriad of architectural styles," said Bob Rocheleau who designed the building, and whose architecture company occupies most of one floor in the building. "You have to start somewhere with change."

Rocheleau is another business person drawn to Esquimalt's potential. He's also the architect for the proposed 14-storey residential tower.

"We look at Esquimalt as an opportunity. In the region, it's an undervalued area. With its proximity to downtown, it's a logical area for renewed development. ... With this building (the Atrium), we wanted to start a process whereby others would see opportunity as well."

Victoria lawyer Bob Claus was one of them. He bought an entire floor of the building, and will open a seven-lawyer office there Feb. 1.

Rents were escalating downtown, and he wanted to expand his office. When Claus saw the Atrium, with its huge windows, high ceilings and energy-efficient design -- all eight minutes from the Burdett Avenue courthouse -- Claus knew he'd found the right space.

"When you think about this location, how can you go wrong?" said Claus.

He wasn't bothered by locating a business in a municipality that has long been thought to be on the "wrong side of the tracks."

Several high-profile crimes a decade ago saw the community pegged as tough. Groups of teens gathering in Esquimalt were dubbed gangs, while similar groups in Oak Bay might be seen as a study group, grumble some Esquimalt residents, tired of a reputation they think was fostered more in the media than reality. But time seems to have lessened the negative image that dogged Esquimalt for years.

[snip]

Full Times Colonist Story



© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2007

#15 Phil McAvity

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Posted 15 January 2009 - 11:40 PM

I noticed this building the other day and I really like it. It's a neat looking little building.

Wasn't there a movie theater there at one time?
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