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Lotus Park | 20.2m | 6s | Westrich Pacific | J+S Architect

MacLac said:
Make the a couple of highrises and we’ll be good!
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I would honestly take a dozen mid and low rises over one or two tall towers, right now. having complete blocks instead of an isolated island is much better for the overall feel of downtown.
Just think about the Hat project at the Quarters. Imagine if that had been 3 buildings like this one, instead. would have helped the area feel much more complete and less sketchy, and maybe helped spur some more stuff in the area as well.

We have more than enough spaces to have towers on Jasper Ave and in the actual core (97 st to 105 st, between 99 ave and 105 ave) and even east of that, if we want.
 
ChazYEG said:
I would honestly take a dozen mid and low rises over one or two tall towers, right now. having complete blocks instead of an isolated island is much better for the overall feel of downtown.
Just think about the Hat project at the Quarters. Imagine if that had been 3 buildings like this one, instead. would have helped the area feel much more complete and less sketchy, and maybe helped spur some more stuff in the area as well.

We have more than enough spaces to have towers on Jasper Ave and in the actual core (97 st to 105 st, between 99 ave and 105 ave) and even east of that, if we want.
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Absolutely, mid rise is the way to get the ball rolling. My only wish is that as that ball starts gaining momentum, we see a jump in design quality instead of just generic stick frame. I can understand starting off that way, but hopefully it evolves and matures.
 
But would that ever have been 3 buildings instead of one? The developers had a specific site and built on it, I think the real alternate possibility would have simply been having one shorter building
 
Agard said:
But would that ever have been 3 buildings instead of one? The developers had a specific site and built on it, I think the real alternate possibility would have simply been having one shorter building
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We are not talking about any one specific building, friend. But for example purposes, Lilac + Lotus could have, possibly, been one taller tower occupying only one of the 4 lots they'll fill, financial aspects of building concrete notwithstanding. Actually, it would have probably resulted in less total units, if they had gone the high-rise route, if it had even gotten off the ground.
 
IanO said:
Density and complete blocks are SOOOO important for us to work on Downtown.

Honestly, if we could manage 10 more projects in the next 5 yrs of medium size with say 1500 units or so, it would absolutely transform the core.
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For those in the industry, when do we think Edmonton might see some mass timber high rises go up if concrete is too expensive? And by highrises I mean in that 8-18 storey range. Are provincial restrictions the issue?

In and around the new park mass timber builds with a bit more height than 6 could perhaps provide some great architectural opportunities like this 9-storey in Toronto (where apparently you can build up to 18).

Screenshot_20250930_132359_Instagram.jpg


RJC Engineering, which worked on Coronation Rec Centre seems to be a leader in mass timber.

 
There are a number of wood products that are going to change the outlook for construction, particularly for a City like Edmonton. Mass Timber is one of the wood categories that can redefine construction, especially if the Alberta Building Code and the Canadian Building Code are modified to allow Mass Timber structures up to ~25 storeys in height. Two Alberta native species in particular will shine in the change -- Lodgepole Pine and White Spruce. Also with the advances that have been made in Cross-Laminated Timber aligned with Glulam construction techniques there will be some beautiful possibilities (I feel that when these catch on in a major way and the relevant codes are updated, most low to mid-rise structures -- especially in the realm of housing -- will become immediately outdated from an Architectural Design perspective. Beyond that there is a new product that will be hitting the marketplace this fall that will be an even greater game-changer -- A product called SuperWood that will be licensed through a company called InventWood out of Virginia (disclosure: I am in discussions with InventWood to open a plant in the Edmonton area that would use Alberta forest products for a Canadian Market and, in my case, for a project that I am working on in Alberta). To discover more about SuperWood and InventWood here is a relevant url -- https://www.inventwood.com . On a strength-to-weight Ratio comparison it is 10 times stronger than steel; it is carbon captured (and made from nature's most carbon-sequestering system); it is resistive to corrosion, mildew and rot; and it naturally retards fire. Put all of these together and Edmonton could be at the forefront of a new construction boom that uses wood as the powerful architectural design element that it can be.
 
With all the six storey apartments going up along 108st over the next few years plus the Norquest building and exisitng campus of a similar height, plus upcoming 106 street apartments being downsized to 6 or 7 storeys, the Parks is definitely going to be an outlier.
 
Actually, if true to plans, NorQuest next building will be 11 to 12 floors and the Maclab property on 102nd Ave will likely be a high-rise too (we should know when the student housing bonuses are announced). Autograph's building on 106 is also destined to be more than 6 storeys as well as the planned development for north of MF building. I think that the only confirmed 6-storeys belong to Westrich's efforts.
 
archited said:
Actually, if true to plans, NorQuest next building will be 11 to 12 floors and the Maclab property on 102nd Ave will likely be a high-rise too (we should know when the student housing bonuses are announced). Autograph's building on 106 is also destined to be more than 6 storeys as well as the planned development for north of MF building. I think that the only confirmed 6-storeys belong to Westrich's efforts.
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I read on here that Autogragh's will now be 6-7. And BLVD will be 6 right beside the Parks.
 
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