1697 replies to this topic

[aastra]

Take a tour of Dockside Wharf (Victoria seems to be devoid of highrise buildings but it also seems to contain one or two Matterhorn mountains in the distance):

http://docksidegreen.com/community/overview/overview.html

What's the deal with that bunkeresque building in front of Synergy?

[Galvanized]

VICTORIA DEVELOPMENT FIRM BUYS INTO DOCKSIDE

Sep 5, 2007

THE SAME PEOPLE WHO ARE PLANNING DEVELOPMENT OF THE FORMER BAMBERTON CEMENT SITE NEAR MILL BAY HAVE NOW TAKEN OVER A LARGE INTEREST IN VICTORIA'S DOCKSIDE GREEN DEVELOPMENT.

THREE POINT PROPERTIES HAS PURCHASED A MAJORITY OF WINDMILL DEVELOPMENTS INTEREST IN THE PROJECT. THE PURCHASE PRICE WAS NOT REVEALED. THREE POINT IS A VICTORIA BASED COMPANY.

- fms CFAX 1070

[DelsterX]

The site looks pretty bland if you ask me.

[Mike K.]

Does this mean DG's plans may change now that its in different hands?

[Holden West]

Delster's back after six months?

Why doesn't Three Point finish its stalled downtown projects before starting a new one in Dockside??!!!

[Mike K.]

...or get a handle on their massive Bamberton project.

[G-Man]

a large share equals 99% apparently. Not sure we have seen more action in the last 6 months on Dockside than all of 3 Points projects put together.

[gumgum]

Phase 1:


















Phase 2:

[Mike K.]

I don't think I've ever seen graffiti on the walls of an under construction building. This must be a first for a major project in this city!

Thanks for the pics, g.

[G-Man]

Damn punk Westsiders!!!!!!!!!!

[Mike K.]

They just got carried away after [url=http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bombing:b7ae8]bombing][/url:b7ae8] the vic west skate park. It's all good 8)

[G-Man]

From today:





And I was worried that Dockside was ignoring Tyee but today I saw that there are two commercial spots just in these first couple of buildings.

[Mike K.]

Thanks for the photos, G.

It's too bad that commercial space is set back, though. Why do these new developments keep stepping back retail frontages?

[aastra]

Those pillars would seem to be awkwardly placed, also. But it could have been much worse. At least there are no bulky planters positioned to prevent pedestrian access.

[Mike K.]

Not yet, anyways!

[G-Man]

Actually I believe that Aastra was being sarcastic because though you can't see them in those pictures there are awkward planters.

[aastra]

This time I wasn't being sarcastic! I saw no planters.

I'm not sure what it says about the status quo in this town when our snide remarks turn out to be true like that.

Inexplicable setback? check
Awkward pillars? check
Bulky planters? check

Why not just get a can of spray paint and paint "Keep Out" on a sheet of plywood?

I know, it's not as bad as that. At least people won't have to negotiate a useless little flight of steps to get at the entrances. And the windows aren't reflective. That's good. But it's still pretty confounding the way they (developers, acting on officialdom's advice) make such an effort to botch the ground floor.

[Holden West]

THE NEW CLIMATE
Building toward a greener province
Dockside Green is taking the lead with a sewage-treatment plant, heat-recovery systems and low-flow toilets

JUSTINE HUNTER
The Globe and Mail
November 20, 2007

[...]"This is probably the most innovative project in North America," he said. "But if you look at our margins, we are as competitive as anyone else. ... The market has responded incredibly."

From the onsite sewage-treatment plant and heat-recovery systems right down to renewable flooring materials and low-flow toilets, the Dockside Green project goes far beyond the standards that B.C. builders will have to adopt next spring.

The proposed new building code rules, which are available for public comment until Dec. 21, will require better insulation as well as water-saving fixtures in virtually all new residential construction.

[...]

"When I see the green building code, of course I'm excited. We can't keep doing things the way we have," Mr. Van Belleghem said.

Mr. Van Belleghem's zeal for environmental standards started relatively late in his career. Nine years ago, he was a mainstream developer, churning out big-box stores and the like, and battling community and environmental activists.

"I woke up one morning and quit. I was making money, but the projects were doing nothing for my community and nothing for me."

Today he embraces the green building concept with fervour. Standing on the balcony of a near-completed suite in the first phase of the Dockside project, he points to a lower rooftop. "When you look down on this building, you won't see gravel. You'll see oyster shells, logs, sand. ... Our kids are losing their connection to nature. We have got to bring it back."

The $600-million, 1,000-unit project on a former industrial site overlooking Victoria's inner harbour has won international awards for its ecological design. The first phase, dubbed "Synergy," is sold out and the second phase is selling briskly. All with minimal marketing, he notes.

"You see this pile of dirt?" he asks, pointing to a mud pit that snakes through the centre of the site. "That's going to be a flowing creek system. It also acts as the storm system: The water from the green roofs will run off into that. You're celebrating the water in our design."

Singing the praises of "beauty and ecology in an urban setting," Mr. Van Belleghem hardly sounds like the chartered accountant he once was. But he also points out that, amid rising construction costs across the province, this project is on budget.

[spanky123]

I thought that Windmill was completely out of this project now that they sold to Three Point.

[Mike K.]

New progress photos have been posted for both Synergy and Balance on Dockside Green's website.

Below is a great shot taken from atop the 8-storey Synergy tower:



And this shot is from the same Synergy tower showing the work done on the rest of the DG land:



Synergy Photos (ph I) >>

Balance Photos (ph II) >>