http://www.via-architecture.com/images/pics/expertise/urbandesign/bg_92171M_MODEL.jpg
An office tower/hotel was proposed, but cancelled, when the arena was first built.



New office tower to adjoin GM Place
Businesses hope location will help lure the best employees with Canucks perks

Bruce Constantineau, Vancouver Sun
Published: Saturday, August 18, 2007

GM Place owners plan to build a 22-storey office tower that will connect to the arena's northwest corner, Vancouver Arena Limited Partnership announced Friday.

A formal application has been submitted to the City of Vancouver for permission to build a 312,000-square-foot building designed by architect Peter Busby.

Busby said the building will become a signature Vancouver office tower because of its design and plans to make it among the most energy-efficient commercial buildings in North America.

Sustainable features will include using "energy synergies" between GM Place and the connecting office tower. Heating and cooling systems between the two buildings will work together so waste heat from one building will be used to heat the other.

Part of GM Place's underground parking, which is used mostly at night, will be used for the new office tower.

Vancouver Canucks chief executive officer Chris Zimmerman, who was uncertain about the project's cost and potential opening date, said the new building will enhance the fan experience by providing new amenities like restaurants and retail shops.

He noted office tower tenants will be able to walk from their lobby straight onto the concourse level of GM Place for hockey games or concerts.

"We always want to have more concourse space because it gives us the opportunity to create more food and beverage options," Zimmerman said in an interview. "It will allow for better flow throughout the arena."

He expects the new tower will attract a lot of potential new tenants who will enjoy the unique opportunity to be directly linked with an NHL venue.

"In a highly competitive job market, I think it gives the primary tenants some wonderful recruiting tools," Zimmerman said. "We'll be able to provide some unique benefits around utilization of the building, the ice surface and probably some inside access to certain team events. It will be a great way for companies to differentiate themselves."

He said the current high demand for Vancouver office space makes it an ideal time to build the new tower. The downtown Vancouver office space vacancy rate is currently at an all-time low of 3.5 per cent, according to CB Richard Ellis Ltd.

bconstantineau@png.canwest.com


© The Vancouver Sun 2007

A rather small building considering how much demand there is in Vancouver.
312 000 sq feet is tiny.

Here's the new tower from the Canada.com website. Not sure how it will look next to GM Place - which is essentially gray and purple.

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/2de3e3f6-b472-4835-9142-3ead50913788/tower.jpg

It'll be interesting to see how it'll fit in with the arena.

http://www.vancouver2010.com/images/gallery/fr/mediaCentre/lowRes/2006/01/GeneralMotors_Place.jpg
http://www.1st-vancouver.com/images/PICT1974_lg.jpg
http://www.1st-vancouver.com/images/PICT1962_lg.jpg



Could office tower interfere with Olympic hockey in 2010?
By Bob Mackin, 24 hours

The owner of Vancouver 2010's main hockey venue wants to build a 22-storey office tower connected to the arena. But nobody involved in the proposal is eager to say when construction could begin.

Architect Busby Perkins + Will, on behalf of the Aquilini Investment Group, is seeking Vancouver city hall's permission to build a 22-storey, 311,738-square foot office tower at General Motors Place. CB Richard Ellis was retained to market and lease the property.

Architect Peter Busby, CB Richard Ellis senior vice-president Don Vassos and Aquilini spokesman Norman Stowe have not responded to 24 hours' requests for the project's proposed timeline. VANOC also did not respond to a request for comment.

If construction begins before the 2010 Winter Olympics, it would pose logistical and security challenges for VANOC. The proposed site at the corner of Griffiths Way and Expo Boulevard is currently GM Place's service and broadcast entrance.

VANOC paid $18.9 million for venue improvements in late June and is leasing the venue for almost $4 million in 2010. It hopes to earn $70 million in revenue from tickets, luxury suite rentals and parking during the Games.

The arena, which opened in 1995, is already zoned for such a commercial building. AIG is hoping to capitalize on downtown Vancouver's record low 3.5% office vacancy rate. Vancouver is second only to Calgary in scarce vacancy and high rents in the Canadian office market.

The development opportunity was a factor in AIG managing director Francesco Aquilini's controversial 2004 purchase of a 50% stake in GM Place and the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks.

Aquilini bought the other half from reclusive Los Angeles billionaire John McCaw in a deal that closed in June. Jilted suitors Tom Gaglardi and Ryan Beedie have asked a B.C. Supreme Court judge to overturn the deal. They claim McCaw bargained in bad faith and their ex-partner Aquilini used insider information to craft his own deal.

Closing arguments in the lawsuit begin Sept. 24.

Here's the new tower from the Canada.com website. Not sure how it will look next to GM Place - which is essentially gray and purple.

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/2de3e3f6-b472-4835-9142-3ead50913788/tower.jpg
I think it should interact/interface better with GM Place somehow. Maybe the UDP can improve it.

I think it should interact/interface better with GM Place somehow. Maybe the UDP can improve it.

haha, i agree....afterall they turned Arthur Erickson's 1133 into a masterpiece.

I think it should interact/interface better with GM Place somehow. Maybe the UDP can improve it.
haha, i agree....afterall they turned Arthur Erickson's 1133 into a masterpiece.

I know They should twist the GM Place office building 45 degrees! I think everything is better with a 45 degree twist. In fact, I've turned by mattress 45 degrees off of the centre line of my box spring and I'm having the best sleep of my life, though if I roll to one side I fall off the bed. C'est la vie, and its a small price to pay for hyper-luxury. ( Honestly, I am really happy with the Ritz-Carlton design )

I'm sure the UDP will offer some constructive criticism for the project whenever they convene again after the strike ends and they've made it through the backlog. I'm going to camp out in the UDP board room to catch all the projects that have been delayed.

I think this will be a great project and an interesting challenge for the UDP to tackle since the tower has to relate to streets on different vertical planes, one being Expo Blvd at grade and the other being the Georgia Viaduct. With Costco open and the possibility of a post-BC Place precinct some time down the line, the way the tower meets the lowermost street will matter a great deal.

Credits to hollywoodnorth for posting this.

Business in Vancouver September 4-10, 2007; issue 932

NEWS HEADLINES
- 2010 Gold Rush
- Aquilini’s 22-storey GM Place office tower has fall date with permit panel
- Countdown: 127 weeks until opening of the 2010 Winter Olympics.
- International Olympic Committee 2010 Coordination Commission set for return visit with VANOC brass

The circus is back in town. The good time gang known as the International Olympic Committee 2010 Coordination Commission is paying VANOC its second visit of 2007 from September 11 to 13. This time, the meetings, chaired by Rene Fasel, include the heads of the seven international sports federations that are sanctioning Vancouver 2010 competitions.

VANOC’s next closed doors board meeting is September 19 in Whistler at an undisclosed location.


GM tower

Mark October 9 on your calendar.

That’s when Francesco Aquilini’s proposed 22-storey office tower connected to General Motors Place goes to the city’s development permit panel. Aquilini wants to capitalize on downtown’s hot office market, with its 3.5% vacancy rate and high rents that are second only to Calgary. Such an opportunity was a driving force behind Aquilini’s interest in the arena.

The Peter Busby-designed edifice could affect VANOC’s most important revenue-generating Games venue in 2010. VANOC already forked out $18.9 million – including $300,000 interest – for unspecified venue upgrades, such as buckets and buckets of paint to cover up the old Canucks colour scheme. It’s also paying almost $4 million for 36 days’ rent and projects $70 million revenue from ticket sales, merchandising and parking. Aquilini gets to keep food and beverage sales, which will be exponentially higher than parking.

A construction site at an all-important section of the arena – the corner of Griffiths Way and Expo Boulevard – that’s used by broadcasters and those delivering all manner of goods would pose a significant logistical and security problem in 2010. But nobody has said a peep about how this can be avoided or mitigated if the sod is turned before the Games.

Maybe we’ll find out on October 9.


Union fight

Aquilini’s Vancouver Canucks got new uniforms. Aramark food and beverage workers at the Garage may get a new union.

UNITE HERE local 40 is staving off a raid launched by the B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union. Some 550 workers voted in July, but the ballots haven’t been counted because the B.C. Labour Relations Board is considering UNITE HERE’s complaint.


Powder Mountain update

Update: 2010 Gold Rush revealed last month that the RCMP is reviewing new 2010-related evidence in the never-ending Powder Mountain affair.

Now Ombudsman Kim Carter has heard the allegations of proponents Nan and Dianne Hartwick. The mother and daughter duo, who still want to build a four-season resort in the Callaghan Valley, were joined by lawyer Stuart Hankinson when they met with Carter on August 23 for an hour and a half. No details of the meeting were revealed.


Media buyer named

The other half of VANOC’s advertising equation has been answered. The Hyphen Alliance – led by Vancouver’s David Martin – was named creative agency of record in July. Cossette Media was quietly anointed media buyer in August. The value of the contract is a secret only VANOC and Cossette know.

Parent Cossette Communication Group is no stranger to VANOC or the Olympic movement. Blue chip clients include Bell, Coca-Cola, General Motors and McDonald’s, all 2010 sponsors.


Downtown lowdown

While the Economist Intelligence Unit gives Vancouver high marks as the world’s most livable city, the United Nations Population Fund painted a different picture when it released its State of the World Population 2007 in June.

An article accompanying the report described Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside ghetto as “a two-kilometre square stretch of decaying rooming houses, seedy strip bars and shady pawnshops.” Many of its 10,000 residents are homeless, drug- or alcohol-addicted and/or mentally ill. We know that. But did you know that the Hepatitis C rate is just below 70%, and HIV prevalence is estimated at 30%? That’s comparable with Botswana, says the UNPF.

Only 127 weeks until the world media discovers “The Worst Neighbourhood in Canada” in a province that claims to be “The Best Place on Earth.” •

Downtown lowdown
While the Economist Intelligence Unit gives Vancouver high marks as the world’s most livable city, the United Nations Population Fund painted a different picture when it released its State of the World Population 2007 in June.
An article accompanying the report described Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside ghetto as “a two-kilometre square stretch of decaying rooming houses, seedy strip bars and shady pawnshops.” Many of its 10,000 residents are homeless, drug- or alcohol-addicted and/or mentally ill. We know that. But did you know that the Hepatitis C rate is just below 70%, and HIV prevalence is estimated at 30%? That’s comparable with Botswana, says the UNPF.
Only 127 weeks until the world media discovers “The Worst Neighbourhood in Canada” in a province that claims to be “The Best Place on Earth.” •
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All the city has to do is to let the free market work---- get rid of rent controls, moratoriums on condo conversions, public housing, et al., and within a few years that area would be another Yaletown. Taxpayers could net some funds by selling off derilict properties.
Not rocket science.

I know I'll get flamed here, and if people knew my address, get trashed dumped in my lobby. Gezz, I'll get the anti-poverty folks riled up and calling me "the Evil DrT.". Oh well.

Q: Where will they go? No family that will claim them?
A: insane--- assylum, hospital or monitored medication.
communicable disease --- quarrantine/ monitored medications.
criminal ------ jail
able bodied ----- get a job buddy and go where cost of living is lower.
encourage employer apprenticeship programs.

The health care system should be funded to to this already.

^ i actually agree with you. the problem is the province decided a few years ago to shut down part of Riverview, and the result....you have the mentally ill mixing in with the drug addicts in the downtown eastside, and the mentally ill also do drugs.

Our governments are doing several things to resolve the downtown eastside issue:

- Expand Riverview Hospital and build thousands and thousands and thousands of social housing and family support units at the hospital lands.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=490387

- And there's a proposal by the Housing Minister to relocate the homeless and drug addcits to other B.C. communities, which includes building social housing and support services elsewhere rather than focusing all the services into the downtown eastside, which have now resulted into the slum we have today. The thing is these people won't have a chance to change unless they're brought into a clean environment.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=503777

Walked around the Stadium and found the two spots where Mud Bay Drilling of Surrey was drilling to get core extracts for the BC Place retrofit. Those two spots are on the southeast corner in the parking lot near the BC Lions office and in the East Airlock Parking lot, both holes cordoned off with orange pylons and yellow tape. Interesting development. They certainly wouldn't be doing that just to do a simple replacement.

Walking across the street to GM Place I see the Development Application for the GM Place Tower has been revised.

The GM Tower is now 21 stories and 341 feet high. 230,000 or so square feet with three mechanical floors.

341 feet would make it quite prominent. Though I noted the sign said 341 feet above sea level. Yet GM Place is at sea level anyways save for 10 feet mabey. That's an increase in height of 100 feet I believe.

I don't think Aquilini is sleeping very well these nights!

Aquilini always does this... he did the EXACT same thing for the King Edward Village....

I know I'm going to sound like a broken record BUT...........where are these people suppose to go? Note I said "people", these are not commodities but people who have as many rights as you or me and who's lives are just as valuable as mine or your's.

Everyone wants to clean up the area as long as the residents aren't resettled to OUR neighbourhood. When they see the homeless and mentally ill moving into their areas everyone cries blue murder. Also many of the health and social services that the people who reside in the area are in the area. Even if the province/city/feds provide low-income housing for these challenged people if the social and health services especially for the mentally ill require are not convient and available then it would be an urban planning nightmare and ill serve the people who require the services.

It would look pretty for 2010 but would serve no one either in the short or long term.

Does Aquilini own all the property from Richards On Richards all the way over to that "you know what" place at 1094 Richards?

this from pacificmetropolis... is this true?

the building is also going to be energy efficient and carbon neutral, partly by sharing heat waste with the neighbouring GM Place.

The building's developers have also said that they intend to use ice shavings from the rink to cool the tower.

Yes, if you read the thread about it at SSP you will get alot more details.

According to the sign on the site, the parcel's dimensions will extend 300 feet north from the Helmcken intersection.

Was shocked to see the violence and rowdiness outside Richard On Richards Friday night. Cops everywhere, broken bottles, yelling; it was just terrible. They had 4 cop cars there at 2:30 a.m. Much worse than Granville.

That R On R has gotta close; it's best days are behind it and its attracting a very unwelcome clientelle. That what I saw Friday night was disgraceful and that building looks disgusting.

When is R On R's lease up?

I for one would be sad to see RnR go. It's probably one of the best, most intimate venues downtown. The eventual fights only ever added to my night out. Too bad a certain type of people moved into the area knowing full well the reputation of the place and would love to see it demolished.

dicks is a great venue, and they get great acts. vancouver needs as much of this type of place as possible

Here's the new tower from the Canada.com website. Not sure how it will look next to GM Place - which is essentially gray and purple.

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/2de3e3f6-b472-4835-9142-3ead50913788/tower.jpg

this pic is most definitely not the GM place office tower. thats a condo project in pitt meadows

I know I'm going to sound like a broken record BUT...........where are these people suppose to go? Note I said "people", these are not commodities but people who have as many rights as you or me and who's lives are just as valuable as mine or your's.

Everyone wants to clean up the area as long as the residents aren't resettled to OUR neighbourhood. When they see the homeless and mentally ill moving into their areas everyone cries blue murder. Also many of the health and social services that the people who reside in the area are in the area. Even if the province/city/feds provide low-income housing for these challenged people if the social and health services especially for the mentally ill require are not convient and available then it would be an urban planning nightmare and ill serve the people who require the services.

It would look pretty for 2010 but would serve no one either in the short or long term.

I am in the understanding that these commodities will be shipped too London, Ontario as part of the Vancouver police program too ship criminals back to their territory. ( do not quote me on this though as it is still unofficial)

The new 22-story office tower may interfere with events held at GM Place. I don't know if this can be constructed. The project may be facing some opposition.

nanaimo bars- i dont think theyre shipping them all to london, just the ones who have warrants there. they ship them back to their cities to be prosecuted. the funny part is that were so unwilling to take back out own criminals :)

Jim- i hear they cancelled it anyways, but im not sure what youre saying exactly, i dont think we should give in to the nimby's, theyre always trying to stifle progress for some ridiculous reason.

Worldwide I know. It was just a joke for SSIguy2 because he is from their I believe.

oh, i get it.

im from there too, i was like what! that wouldnt go over too well in london. just ship the dtes to dundas street. :)