www.theicon.ca


looking good.

Looks awesome! Winnipeg is really, really falling behind.

This one looks sharp. I like it. :)

Looks awesome! Winnipeg is really, really falling behind.

yah, whats up with that?

bah, I don't like the floor plans

I don't like this type of skyscraper.

not bad... but the deep blue glass and the stale white precast do not go well together in my opinion.
good start for edmonton. hopefully this is just the beginning. =D

That's awesome. Does anyone have photos of the lot as it looks right now? It's pretty close to where my office used to be.

@Koz - it's a vacant lot right now. Here is a pic I took a couple of weeks ago of the sales office under construction.

http://x11.putfile.com/1/014042591.jpg

"not bad... but the deep blue glass and the stale white precast do not go well together in my opinion.
good start for edmonton. hopefully this is just the beginning. =D"

hard to tell but they are going to use charcoal tinted glass so as to blend with the brick and the precast.

and blue/white precast go very well together... www.theomega.ca

^_^ not meaning to be offensive... but its not my taste =D glad you like what you purchased though... i just hope this evolution of building architecture does not stop at the icon.

Winnipeg is falling behind because we have a horrible NDP gov.

However, more things are happening now and within the next year then in the last 20. Of course, there is the Human Rights Museum, as well as Canwest's new office building (only 12 stories, but...), a proposed 20 storey mixed use tower, plus a 20 storey tower proposed for atop the downtown mall Portage Place...a massive re-development in the east Exchange by fashion mogul Peter Nygard.

And no offence, but some could look at all of the developments in Calgary and question why Edmonton is "falling behind".

^calgary has indeed broken into new territory with their design and scale. It is 2/3 the way to vancouver on most new projects (chocolate, arriva, etc.). Edmonton is much more conservative when it comes to design...look at our office towers. But is also is due to more calgarians seeing what is out there and not accepting mediocrity when they buy. Edmonton turned that corner about 2 years ago with most if not all new projects a few steps up.

great! 30 stories...thats really good! this truly will be an icon for edmonton.

That will look great - I like the looks of it. Downtown Edmonton is looking better every year.

Yeah, Edmonton has definitely pulled it together. Downtown Edmonton is a lot more populated and has waay more things to do than it did just 5 years ago. I think it must have started with the Edmonton Centre renovations: very cool.

and from proposals i have seen, there are a few more jewels to be announced shortly.

Are there plans for any other new 30+ story buildings in Edmonton?

Are there plans for any other new 30+ story buildings in Edmonton?
Yes, there is a 32s condo building proposed in the downtown. It's in the preliminary design stages.

Thats great news :) Edmontons skyline will look even better in the future!

not bad

heck better than most of the postmodern crap its neighbour to the south is building

there are a few 30+ proposed currently:

Icon I - 30
Icon II - 30
Hampton house - 30 (in dc2 with city)
unknown name - 32 (preliminary stages)

Winnipeg is falling behind because we have a horrible NDP gov.

However, more things are happening now and within the next year then in the last 20. Of course, there is the Human Rights Museum, as well as Canwest's new office building (only 12 stories, but...), a proposed 20 storey mixed use tower, plus a 20 storey tower proposed for atop the downtown mall Portage Place...a massive re-development in the east Exchange by fashion mogul Peter Nygard.

And no offence, but some could look at all of the developments in Calgary and question why Edmonton is "falling behind".

Winnipeg is also falling because we have a lousy mayor Sam Katz supported by a sycophantic city council

Sam is being pragmatic! We cannot build a rapid transit system when our roads are in shitty shape. Minneapolis became a mighty midwestern metropolis without one...and they have only had one for a short period of time, and it is not very extensive.

I think having a rapid transit system for a city. Besides it always easier to get money for roads. That cant be said for transit :(

Any significant projects that give Winnipeg the appearance of growth are all government funded projects. Outside of CanWest there has been no significant investment from the private sector for any significant project.
Remove all of those government funded projects and construction growth looks pretty minor.

The Winnipeg Business District loves to talk about the great things they are going to build and do but unless there is provincial or federal money these projects next to never happen.

Sorry Haber I meant to direct my last response to Winnipeg Patriot.

Sorry Haber I meant to direct my last response to Winnipeg Patriot.

Thanks for the correction. I actually agree with you that Winnipeg is falling behind and that what's happening now isn't revival.

No delusions here, CB. I hardly came out swinging, so shut the hell up, thanks! You can be negative and complain that we are not growing like Calgary, or you can deal with what is being presented to you. Until Doer the asshole is kicked out, we will have to embrace what little development we have.

For me, in my neighborhood, there have been more infills built and more homes reno'd in the last 3 years, than the last 30 combined. We have numerous condo conversions occurring in downtown, as well as some proposed projects (Portage Place, etc), as well as potential ones like the block on Portage across from MTS Centre (between Donald and Hargrave). Do I want wholesale changes (ie: 30 storey condo towers, and 50 storey office towers)? Hell yeah, but then so does Edmonton....

You can be negative and attack anything built here, but life is too short, so I prefer to be positive, no matter how difficult it can be when you see disgusting aboriginals wandering around downtown and hanging around our downtown mall offering a horrible image.

Sam is being pragmatic! We cannot build a rapid transit system when our roads are in shitty shape. Minneapolis became a mighty midwestern metropolis without one...and they have only had one for a short period of time, and it is not very extensive.

Winnipeg needs electric transit like trolleybuses, trams and rapid transit system, like peoplemover in Detroit. Buses are polluting our clean air.

I'm an Ex Winnipeg Construction Industry member WinnipegPatriot so I know the plights that plague the city well. I am aware of the infill and busy residential and commercial markets however I guess with my new address here in Alberta for the last 5 years I've got to see what I wished Winnipeg had been. In Winnipeg they construct 1,500 - 2,000 homes a year in Edmonton and Calgary the construct 12,000 to 14,000 homes a year respectively, this has been the case for the last 5 years and the next 5 look to be as good. You are well aware of Calgary's commercial and residential condo explosion and Edmontons is also starting to roll as there is:
- 5 plus cranes at the U of A performing over a billion dollars worth of work.
- 2 cranes to be erected to construct $60 Million Grant McEwan College Robbins Health Centre.
- Recent completion of a 22 story River Park one, 24 story condo the Century, 25 story condo Jasper Place, 19 Story Condo The Legacy, 14 Story condo The Omega, 13 story condo Illuminada, 13 Story Condo Altavista, 15 Story condo The Parliament under construction, 14 Story Condo Rivervista under construction, 13 Story 900 unit GMC Student residence, etc...
- Tower 1 of two 30 story condo's poised to start ( The Icon )
- The start of Century Development ( $500 Million condo / retail / commercial development )
- Soccer Centres ( 17 indoor fields in and around Edmonton alone ), Surounding community super sports complexes, etc.
- LRT expansion.
- $80 Million dollar Northlands Expo hall.
- Numerous other significant projects off the board and ready to start.

I work for one of top 20 Contracting firms and our office is bursting at the seems with very significant projects.

You only live once in the industry you choose, It wasn't happening for me in the Peg at the level I love to see these projects happen, it's amazing as to the scales they happen to here. It's sure nice to be part of.

I have nothing but the best thoughts and hope for the Peg but I can't spend my short working career waiting for the Peg to emerge from it's slumber.

Interesting for Edmonton, considering a glance at mls reveals an overabundance of housing stock!

I am glad that we do not have the abundance of housing available here because it has forced our once very-low average cost of a home to increase substantially, and has compelled people to look at the West End, etc, where traditionally they would not move to.

I used to live in Calgary, so I share your thoughts on what Winnipeg should be doing, but I cannot control it, so I am not going to dump all over this city; it does nobody any good. However, I have a home in the West End, 5 min to DT, 5 min to Polo Park...I would not want to pay half a million dollars for the same location in Calgary; I couldn't if I wanted to anyway. I could buy a 500 sq ft condo in downtown Calgary for 200k, but no thanks!

Don't forget that without the oil, (something we do not have) Alberta would not be in the position it is now, thus Calgary and Edmonton (Calgary mostly) would not be "all that" today. So it is easy to say Winnipeg is lagging behind, but we do not have the millions and millions of dollars in royalties in our Government coffers to create the wonderful business environment Alberta has been able to achieve. We are in the same position as, say Hamilton, in that we have to deal with what advantages we have to grow; Hamilton is more fortunate in that it benefits from its distance to Toronto, so it is growing a little faster.

Perhaps we need another NEP to bring Alberta down a notch....

My support is with the Peg WinnipegPatriot, like I said our carreers are short in the big picture ( 40 working years, it ain't much ) and I want to do all sorts of exciting projects and I guess thats here now.
I sure wish all of this could have been in Winnipeg.

Me, too!

o.k. guys that's enough of that Winnipeg vs. Alberta stuff. I live in Edmonton and I know Edmonton is doing very well. Calgary is doing well and I'm sure Winnipeg is doing well. There's no sense comparing the successes of three different cities with each having such very different circumstances to work with.

I wanted to get back to the planned condo developments for Edmonton. Somebody pointed out the planned 30 storey Hampton House. Unfortunately I've heard that the developer for this project has asked for full reimbursement of fees paid to the City of Edmonton and is also seeking compensation. That does not sound like it's going to go ahead.

My guess is it has something to do with the fact that they've been waiting over a year for a rezoning to be granted. If anybody else knows anything about this I'd be interested to hear it.

I wanted to get back to the planned condo developments for Edmonton. Somebody pointed out the planned 30 storey Hampton House. Unfortunately I've heard that the developer for this project has asked for full reimbursement of fees paid to the City of Edmonton and is also seeking compensation. That does not sound like it's going to go ahead.

My guess is it has something to do with the fact that they've been waiting over a year for a rezoning to be granted. If anybody else knows anything about this I'd be interested to hear it.
I've heard that the developer was hoping the City would 'bend over backwards' for this development. Wrong...he should have just played his cards accordingly.

^i have heard the same story...

Yep, play by the rules that the city has set and not make them play by your rules. Plus its not like the city is dying for developers to build in the city. I thinkthe same iwll happen for the guy who owns the arlington the city will do the same to him.

Yes edmonton.Lets pull the gap together between us and calgary.Edmonton is the capital city of Alberta, and a great place to live.The building of skyscraper type buildings is exactly what we need to pump the life back into the downtown center.My opinion is that more taller and attractive buildings are needed to attract people to this glorious city.

My opinion is that more taller and attractive buildings are needed to attract people to this glorious city.That's an interesting way to put it. I agree. As strange as it may sound to some people (though probably not the people on this forum) the physical skyline of a city gives an impression. Most people are more than happy to judge a city based simply on its skyline. Not fair ofcourse, but that's human nature for you.

More "impressive" buildings in Edmonton will make a better impression to outsiders. That's why I'm so excited about the icon. It's a good start but we need more of those 30+ storey buildings. All those 12 storey condo towers don't do a thing for first impressions.

Yea, but height isn't everything either. In fact, some of the best cities in the world do not have many buildings over 30 floors. Paris and London are two great examples where the majority of their building stock is less than 10 storeys tall.

Paris and London, and most European citys have architecture which makes up for the lack of skyscrapers, so those cities are removed from the list. Other cities like Rio have beaches (marks those cities off the list), what do we have left? Mexico city, Sao Paulo Moscow, African cities, a bunch of cities in China etc. - all of these cities don't get the international attention they deserve.

Getting back to Edmonton, it is granted that our city is small by world standards, but without using skyscrapers, what kind of built environment should Edmonton achieve to gain attention?

The only thing I know that Edmonton had international success with is regretably, West Edmonton Mall. Perhaps we should use the mall as an example of how the whole city should be built.

BTW, i'm just throwing ideas around, I'm not serious about converting our city into a mall. lol

Edmonton really needs ICON I and II, and then another 1-2 25-35 storey condos along with 1-2 25-35 storey office towers...all within say a 3-4 block radius with its epicentre at 103st/102ave.

Speaking of office towers, I read somewhere a little while ago (maybe it was on this forum - I don't remember) that some developer had plans to build two office towers on the lot across from the Greyhound station. I seem to recall that they would not be huge but maybe 14 storeys tall. Does that ring a bell for anyone?

^that was about 20 yrs ago...there were plans for two towers.

http://www.dc5ab.com/forums/uploads/post-4-1135284230.jpg

Paris and London, and most European citys have architecture which makes up for the lack of skyscrapers, so those cities are removed from the list. Other cities like Rio have beaches (marks those cities off the list), what do we have left? Mexico city, Sao Paulo Moscow, African cities, a bunch of cities in China etc. - all of these cities don't get the international attention they deserve.

Getting back to Edmonton, it is granted that our city is small by world standards, but without using skyscrapers, what kind of built environment should Edmonton achieve to gain attention?

BTW, i'm just throwing ideas around, I'm not serious about converting our city into a mall. lol
It's not only the architecture, but the pedestrian and vibrant streetlife that sets these cities apart.

Height ISN'T everything. Look at the Arbutus lands in Vancouver. A collection of architecturally-pleasing low/medium rise buildings that establish a strong urban environment. That's why I say height isn't everything.

Moscow/Sao Paulo don't get the respect they deserve?!?!? You do realize that they, particularly Moscow, are some of the most internationally recognized cities in the world.

When it comes to economic and political reconization Moscow and Sao Paulo are equals with cities like London, New York etc. When you look at them from a cultural point of view those cities are hardly on the map compared to well known cultural cities like New York, London, Paris, Tokyo etc.

When was the last time you heard someone saying they liked Moscow/Sao Paulo so much that they wanted to visit or move there?

When it comes to economic and political reconization Moscow and Sao Paulo are equals with cities like London, New York etc. When you look at them from a cultural point of view those cities are hardly on the map compared to well known cultural cities like New York, London, Paris, Tokyo etc.

When was the last time you heard someone saying they liked Moscow/Sao Paulo so much that they wanted to visit or move there?
My point was that both Moscow and Sao Paulo ARE well-known international cities. And they are major tourist destinations as well as they are the major cities in their country.

Coming from a sure source - Clark Builders has informed the Developer that they are declining the developers invitation to have them construct the ICON project.
To bad!

^interesting...i wonder who they are planning to go with then.

why?
what will hapen then , I guess they need to find a new Builder. Oh hell Ill do it . ME , Canadian Centar , and Boris ! lol

Perhaps Hardhatdan on SSP could do it!

good news!

Coming from a sure source - Clark Builders has informed the Developer that they are declining the developers invitation to have them construct the ICON project.
To bad!

If a lot of people have bought up condos in ICON, then....jeez. You don't wanna know how many irate people there's going to be, but I don't know!

^just because clark isnt doing it, it isnt the end of the world...im sure another CM will be ready to step up.

Coming from a sure source - Clark Builders has informed the Developer that they are declining the developers invitation to have them construct the ICON project.

Does this sure source say anything about the reason for this? Are they simply too busy to handle another big job or is there something else we should know?

I also wonder how much of a delay this will cause. Definitely dissapointing news.

^i am guessing that Clark was one of many CM's they were tendering this job to so clark not getting it is not a delay necessarily

^i am guessing that Clark was one of many CM's they were tendering this job to so clark not getting it is not a delay necessarily

The Developer had not requested any formal RFI's from any other General Contractors. Their decision not to construct this project will now generate this request to other General Contractor's. I am also told that their capacity was not the reason behind their decision.

It will be interesting to see who takes it on.

^interesting...i wonder why clark passed on such a prominent development, but i guess at the end of the day it comes down to $ and cents.

I found out that Clark Builders passed on the ICON due to several reasons including not being in agreement with the developer on items that included concerns with architectural details, poor mechanical system details including design for suite A/C, building envelope design concerns, etc. Most importantly was the differences on the schedule that was far to agressive and the project dollars and cents.

Any quesses as to who you all think will now build the buiding.

Perhaps Hardhatdan on SSP could do it!
I'm glad you have faith in my, but I only do electrical, sorry.

My guess on who could take it on would be: PCL, Dawson Wallace, Chandos. They are all major players in residential/commercial developments throughout the city. I see Ellis Don around too, but they seem to stick to strictly institutional jobs.

Anyone know who the General Contractor's are on Altavista or The Parliment? I remember hearing that VPI went without a general on Jasper Properties. I think someone on SSP mentioned that. (<-- Not Recommended.)
Dawson might be a good candidate to pick up the ICON, they seemed to do a good job on Illuminada, and they are currently the GC for Century Park. That might change come the start of residential.

The Altavista is Christenson Developements's first attempt at a highrise condo. I doubt it would be them because they design their buildings.

ICON - im sure there are a few guys who would want to step up if clark is out of the picture...

alta vista - not sure who built that...

I'm glad you have faith in my, but I only do electrical, sorry.

My guess on who could take it on would be: PCL, Dawson Wallace, Chandos. They are all major players in residential/commercial developments throughout the city. I see Ellis Don around too, but they seem to stick to strictly institutional jobs.

Anyone know who the General Contractor's are on Altavista or The Parliment? I remember hearing that VPI went without a general on Jasper Properties. I think someone on SSP mentioned that. (<-- Not Recommended.)
Dawson might be a good candidate to pick up the ICON, they seemed to do a good job on Illuminada, and they are currently the GC for Century Park. That might change come the start of residential.

I can't recall PCL ever doing a residential building. Anybody know?

^They did the Century I believe and possibly even The Legacy. That is what I heard from the people at chandos.

they are doing a condo project here in Kamloops as well ( check BC project thread )

^They did the Century I believe and possibly even The Legacy. That is what I heard from the people at chandos.

Loosen that hardhat Hardhatdan, PCL did not do the Century nor Legacy. True North Built both of those themselves. They are one Developer who has the capabilities and knowledge to do it.

^correct, they are a CM themselves.

On a side note, Procura apparently has purchased the entire block between 108 and 109 Street and Jasper (southside).

They also picked up that building on the corner of 109 Street and 100 Ave. The site immediately north of the Petro Can.

Interesting, I wonder what they have planned.

I went to emporis a while back and it stated there were only 6 towers currently under construction. Thats not exactly stellar.
What is the number under construction right now as we speak?

I went to emporis a while back and it stated there were only 6 towers currently under construction. Thats not exactly stellar.
What is the number under construction right now as we speak?
Emporis is oftentimes not that up-to-date.

There are three towers under construction in the downtown right now (residential only)

- Rivervista
- Parliament
- Jasper Properties

Presales

- Icon (Tower 1)
- Vivacity
- Founders Ridge
- Serenity
- Illuminada 2

I don't need to get into the institutional construction occuring at the U of A, MacEwan and the Royal Alex Hospital.

from what i have heard, we should see construction starting for the following in april/may:

illuminada 2
vivacity (prob sooner)
icon

It's been pretty quiet on the who's the ICON contractor front. I understand conversations have been had with some but nothing more than that. Does anyone have the inside scoop? My shadow at Clark Builders told me that the start date the Developer wanted will slip by a few months without a contractor in place soon.

^i have heard pretty much the same thing...anyone got inside info?

My sources tell me that..........drum roll...........the ICON contractor is............GRAHAM.

"My sources tell me that..........drum roll...........the ICON contractor is............GRAHAM"

interesting...very interesting....

"My sources tell me that..........drum roll...........the ICON contractor is............GRAHAM"

interesting...very interesting....

My sources now tell me that the deal with Graham is not exactly a deal..... just yet.

^i have heard it is a done deal now...so says the sales centre.

I too have heard that.

I also heard that there is another 30+ and possibly Edmonton's tallest in the works. Lips are sealed ;)

There are many height restrictions in place over Edmonton - its callled the Airport Protection Overlay or something like that and it stems from the Nav Can regulations to protect flight paths in and out of the City Centre Airport. 36 floors is pretty well as high as one can go.

Then there is Floor Area Ratio or FAR, this is what killed the Hampton House development as it was way over the allowable FAR for the site and the developer knew that.

There are many height restrictions in place over Edmonton - its callled the Airport Protection Overlay or something like that and it stems from the Nav Can regulations to protect flight paths in and out of the City Centre Airport. 36 floors is pretty well as high as one can go.
This is exactly why our downtown has a 'brushcut' so to speak.

However, you are incorrect when stating that 36 floors is the maximum height. There are areas that are outside of the APO near the ravine that would permit 40 floors or more.

Then there is Floor Area Ratio or FAR, this is what killed the Hampton House development as it was way over the allowable FAR for the site and the developer knew that.
This is usually an issue when one is applying for a development permit under the existing zoning. If rejected, the developer can appeal the development officers decision regarding height and density at the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board.

Another option is to rezone the lands under the Direct Control zoning, which is a site specific zoning provision. Essentially, a 'customized' zoning for that site only.

correct you are - the ariport overlay has a four point approach that affects different areas of the Downtown differently, for instance over towards 109 Street the height restrictions are lower than in the heart of the core towards 101 street, and the overlay has deiminshing effects the futher away a property is located from one of the 4 approach routes eminating from the airport.

that is one nice modern condo great stuff for Edmonton. looks like lots to come also good luck.

nice building, i noticed on the gallery, their is a picture of two buildings, are they building two side by side, or just one building??

nice building, i noticed on the gallery, their is a picture of two buildings, are they building two side by side, or just one building??
It is a two tower development. Both are slated to be 30 storeys each.

Shoring is set to begin within the next 2 weeks or so.

I noticed that they have put up construction fencing around the Icon site. Construction to start within the next week or so.

They've started digging at the Icon site on Thursday, or so I was told by Coldsrx.

They have. Here are some pics I took on Sunday.

http://f5.putfile.com/5/14800555284.jpg
http://f5.putfile.com/5/14800564652.jpg
http://f5.putfile.com/5/14800580531.jpg

Here are some other construction sites in Edmonton

Downtown YMCA
http://f5.putfile.com/5/14800541381.jpg

Robbins Health Center (MacEwan)
http://f5.putfile.com/5/14800503810.jpg

10-storey condo in Oliver
http://f5.putfile.com/5/14800420814.jpg
http://f5.putfile.com/5/14800354419.jpg

Office redevelopment
http://f5.putfile.com/5/14800375162.jpg

nice pics , I love to see jazz from Edmonton .

Here are a few updates.

I see that they are really making some progress on the Icon site.

They have started shoring the Illuminada 2 tower.

Rivervista is continuing to rise and is about 5-6 floors up.

Parliament is taking FOREVER to finish.

Rumours have it that a condo may go up on the parkade of the Crown Plaza.
These are very solid rumours btw.

good to see an update thanks !

Presales
- Icon (Tower 1)
- Vivacity
- Founders Ridge
- Serenity
- Illuminada 2


Are you sure about Founders Ridge up for presales? I couldn't find any information about it.

^it was suppose to go into presales, but BCM made the smart move to wait until the DC2 app is further along or granted.