Perhaps there’s a fifty-year cycle in Vancouver: buildings approaching the half-century, having passed their best-before date, are targeted for replacement. At least I’ve begun to notice that, in this economic cycle, a fair number of buildings from the late ’60s, ’70s and early ’80s seem to be coming down, or soon will be, especially in the CBD/West End. Because most are non-descript spec buildings, there hasn’t been much notice; few seem to care that this particular era in our history is disappearing.
Ar least it’s worth noticing their departure. Here’s one:
1133-55 Melville is currently being demolished. It was a 10-storey mixed-used experiment: retail at grade, parking on floors two through five, and 14 live/work units above. Completed in 1982, it was one of several (most are in the Howe/Davie area) that tried to mix commercial and residential – not particularly successfully. The trend ended soon thereafter.
The proposed 36-storey replacement – “The Stack” – will be, it’s said, the tallest office building in the city, permissible under the ‘General Policy for Higher Buildings,’ outside the view corridors and requiring special architectural merit, in this case from James Cheng’s office.
The Stack office tower, viewed from Melville street, rises 36-storeys and features an intricate stacked box design. (CNW Group/Oxford Properties Group Inc.)
Walking past the site you can see the old parkade being dismantled
– the long concrete girders are being removed, loaded onto semi-tractor trailers and hauled off.
The girders are intact and they are T-shaped in profile and very long.
They look like they would be perfect “as-is” for quick and easy to install bridges over creeks and streams in local parks.
I wonder if anyone has considered re-use of the girders?