915 replies to this topic

[aastra]

Since when did you start wishing quietly? I've known you since grade school and you're probably one of the loudest wishers I've ever met.

[aastra]

Speaking of Charles Dickens: did you notice how the conference centre parkade sign was indicating "full" in those excellent pics posted by a forumer on the previous page of this thread? Is that place often full? I don't even know. But anyway, compare that to the Bay Centre parkade nowadays. Something like 58 free spaces or whatever during the middle of the day. It's like a tale of two parkades (looping back to the Dickens' reference).

I'm sure we all can remember back when the Eaton's Centre was in its heyday and there would regularly be a line of vehicles down the ramp of the parkade just waiting for a space to free up.

[Victoria Watcher]

I’m not even sure if Telus isn’t some evil entity taking us over. Sux.

[Mike K.]

Since when did you start wishing quietly? I've known you since grade school and you're probably one of the loudest wishers I've ever met.

Call up the radio program on Thursday and we can argue about it.

[Kapten Kapsell]

I think we all quietly wish it were several floors taller. It’s a great design, but it feels bulky. Verticality would have done a lot of good here, and not just for the sake of a taller building.

I wonder if some of the bulk is being driving by commercial tenant demand for larger floor plates…?

[Mike K.]

Yes, it’s possible. I think 2-3 floors more would have been very spicy here.

[Vin]

Sez you. For this site I don't have much of a problem with the height, but I quietly wish the building was slightly less wide.

Love the way it is, and never several floors taller.

[aastra]

Pic from the webcam across the street:

 

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[Brighton]

July 7, 2025

 

[Mike K.]

Wow!

[Brighton]

July 17 2025 - Panels on back of building

 

 

 

[aastra]

...It sounds like that large "back" corner section of the building... would effectively be windowless? That seems crazy to me. I'm really starting to wonder, is the CoV trying to position itself as the world leader in excessive use of spandrel panels (or otherwise blank surfaces) on prominent new buildings?

 

The Penwill elevation is actually quite striking. But methinks that corner section would be diminished mightily if it gets rendered in mostly solid wall. The manner by which they've tried to transition from walls to windows seems like a decent effort, and I sympathize if they're responding to concerned residents next door who (mistakenly) think having a view of nothing is preferable to having a view of something. But crikey, that seems like a lot of non-window wall. I thought this was supposed to be prominent showpiece of a building? And it seems like such a slap to that wide walkway, to have a towering blank wall for much of its length. I'm not picking on the developer, I actually like a lot of the language in the document. But this aspect is very disappointing.

 

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"To balance concerns around material use and perceived environmental detriments, the revised design will substantially increase the area of spandrel panel and solid building envelope. Angled panels will receive a solid wall return on all three upper facades - Douglas, Humboldt, and Penwill."

"On Penwill and Humboldt, significant portions of the facade will be solid angled panels echoing the glazed panels and tying into the overall language and texture of the building. These solid panels replace glazed and spandrel panels to further address privacy concerns from the neighbouring buildings."

Edited by aastra, Yesterday, 01:44 PM.

[aastra]

^Summary: it's really too bad the back side has so many blank surfaces. Even the seashell/waves detailing is lacking on that side.

[aastra]

Should you ever observe a questionable character trudging up and down the little hill between the Hilton and the Marriott, looking back wistfully, and seemingly straining to transform the back corner of Telus Ocean into what it could have been by the power of his sheer will... please allow me my privacy.

[Brighton]

to further address privacy concerns from the neighbouring buildings 

 

This is downtown. Sounds like a made up reason to account for bad design.

[aastra]

The developer wanted the back side to be more appealing but they made blandifying changes in order to appease the complaints. Note that cheeky little word "perceived" in their statement.

(There's a thousandth time for everything in Victoria.)