Yeggy
Active Member
More grey?! REALLY!!
ugh.
ugh.
Manulife Place Renovations | 145.99m | 36s | AIMCo | MdeAS
- Thread starter Daveography
- Start date
David A
Senior Member
Well it is an improvement to what it is there currently, but I liked the previous design from years ago more. I do feel the corner location would be better for retail, but perhaps the bank wanted the more prominent spot.
This seems to involve less change to the exterior, so perhaps it will be easier to do and it also keeps more of the character of the building while modernizing it some.
This seems to involve less change to the exterior, so perhaps it will be easier to do and it also keeps more of the character of the building while modernizing it some.
Yeggy
Active Member
I just feel like we cant say with a lot of certainty that millennials have made it i to decision making positions, and brought their grey with them.
davcocom
Active Member
Initial render:
Revised:
Current state:
Revised:
Current state:
CaptainBL
Active Member
These three pictures capture my feelings perfectly:
1. Current state is bleak with 0 vibrancy
2. CWB update brings some vibrancy during the day but not a lot cause, well, its a bank
3. Third and oldest picture would bring more vibrancy and in the evenings/throughout the day due to its multi-use
Having a bank there I guess is good cause its better than what's currently there but that is a low bar. A bank will definitely not activate that corner and certainly not in the evenings after close. Better but missed opportunity.
Gronk!
Senior Member
Would you folks rather have the CWB at Manulife or at ICE District with most of the other banks?
archited
Senior Member
Yes, I never liked the CWB proposal for ICE,
cmd uw
Active Member
Manu was the best decision for the building, the bank and overall office market.
cmd uw
Active Member
Not surprising when a bank is occupying the majority of the office tower. They will want the best frontage for their retail branch. You see it in most cities - yes even the Centre of the Universe.
Gus Haynes
Active Member
It should be the ICE District, not the Bank District.
IanO
Superstar
Indeed, but an opportunity lost from what we had before and what could have been.
kcantor
Senior Member
????
They will probably occupy less retail space here than the retail space they will be vacating at 103rd and Jasper. That's not an opportunity lost, that's at worse a wash.
And as part of that wash, they will occupy some 200,000 sf of space in the heart of the financial district with approximately 1,200 employees.
As well as their own TI, the move will trigger $30M in upgrades to the project and potentially keep Manulife in this market as a stable, long-term, committed downtown landlord.
Opportunity lost? This one is much better categorized as opportunity realized by both parties involved in the transaction.
IanO
Superstar
I'm speaking to and directly about the retail CRU on that corner Ken.
The rest of it is fantastic.
The rest of it is fantastic.
David A
Senior Member
Agreed. It is better for the overall health of downtown for financial institutions not to be just concentrated in ICE District, particularly as it was meant to be an entertainment district, not a bank district.
I do feel the Manulife corner space which was previously retail would have been better to remain as retail especially with the new LRT line close by. But perhaps something nice can be added in the 103 Street space the CWB will be vacating. If so, it may be close to a wash overall.
CaptainBL
Active Member
National Bank to accelerate domestic growth with the acquisition of Canadian Western Bank
Not for distribution to U.S. news wire services or for dissemination in the United States Aligned with National Bank’s strategic plan to accelerate growth...
Edmonton loses another head office, and I wonder how this impacts the move to Manulife