Plumber73 said:
That Hotel Georgia building looks unusual. I think I like it.
Anyone know of other projects in the works for the Downtown Eastside besides the Woodwards development?
here you go:
Innovative high rise would tower 80 storeys
By David Carrigg-Staff writer
What's 800-feet tall, occupies a full city block, has a titanium clamshell theatre at the base and thousands of feet of high-tensile steel cable running at an angle from top to street-level to make it look like a harp?
The answer is the Fringe Building, the latest design proposal for the Downtown Eastside from developer Stephen Hynes and architect Arthur Erickson.
Hynes and Erickson previously worked together on the landmark Copper Building on the 1500-block of West Sixth Avenue and the Waterfall Building on the 1700-block of West First Avenue.
The focus of those projects, and of the Fringe Building, is style based on function to encourage interaction among residents in the live/work projects.
Hynes is critical of the marketing efforts of traditional condos developers, who promise a life of contentment, based on interior shots of the units and photos of people having fun outside the building.
"There is a profound difference between what people are told and what developers actually end up doing," he said.
Hynes hopes the Fringe Building will not only challenge the way structures are designed, but also the way they are conceived and marketed.
"Normally you design the building, then get the development permit, then go to the land registry and get the building permit, then market it and build it," he said. "What Arthur and I want to do with the Fringe Building is speak to the people who would buy into it and ask what they want. Get their input and then design. It would be a revolution in the way design occurs in the urban context."
The Vancouver Fringe Festival has already expressed interest in the project. Its desire for a large theatre space would be accommodated in the clamshell theatre at the bottom of the building. Another 300-seat theatre would be located at the top and each of the building's 800 units would be two levels, with shared stairways leading into the work space and private entries for the living space.
"The wiring from the top of the building would be anchored on the street and used for lighting the theatre below and to suspend a rain tarp if it's needed," Hynes said.
Several blocks in the Downtown Eastside could be used for the 80-storey project, which Hynes hopes will be built in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics. But the philosophically inclined developer faces a major hurdle.
The city's tall building guidelines restrict building height to 600 feet. Tall buildings can only be built in one section of the downtown core and must not block the city's designated view corridors.
Michael Gordon, senior city planner, said containing high-rise buildings to one section of the city ensures the skyline is domed and not disjointed. Hynes wants to see the tall building policy overhauled.
On Sept. 21, Hillside Developments, the company Hynes owns, will host a forum at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design examining how surroundings determine who we are and how space affects behaviour. The forum, which is part of the Fringe Festival, will include Erickson, architect Bing Thom and Coun. Jim Green.
