Winnipeg | True North Square | 86.9M | 77.8M | 25F | 17F | 22F | 17F | 19F | U/C

[bomberjet]

I count 25 levels in the renders plus the rooftop area.

[BigG]

Right, 25 storeys.

[BigG]

Next page.

[Wpg_Guy]

Sean Barnes‏ @SeanBarnes13 · 5m5 minutes ago
Getting close to being weathertight with the installation of the curtain wall on the office tower @truenorthsquare proudly built by @PCLConstruction


Sean Barnes‏ @SeanBarnes13 · 1h1 hour ago
A light rain in January in #Winnipeg @truenorthsquare during today's pour @PCLConstruction

[Wpg_Guy]

[buzzg]

They had the walls down took a drive around the site last night, they had the walls down on the Carlton side so you could really see the full effect of the plaza – it was amazing!

However, the Carlton-facing sides are pretty much just walls and the garage doors. The Hargrave side is awful. Completely flat blank walls and the loading dock entrance, don't get any glass until pretty much where the skywalk starts. Will suck if those cityplace plans to open up to the street ever happen – you'll be staring at a giant concrete wall.

Only side you still can't really see is Graham (unless someone has a view from a nearby tower), I fear that they've also ignored the street there... kinda seems like all they cared about was the plaza and completely ignored the street presence everywhere else. Can't be a coincidence that none of the renders showed the street-facing sides of the buildings, because they probably knew people would freak out, just like what happened at Centrepoint.

[DLLB]

Great pictures. Thanks!

[EastK]

Has anyone seen any renders of TNS at night and what kind of lighting will be there? More and more buildings around the downtown are adding some sort of lighting and it does a lot to add to the appeal of the downtown at night.

[Wolf13]

Originally Posted by Biff

I respectfully disagree, because we can have it both ways....just not with office space. Everything moves up a level and when a heritage building is not viable as office space it can be reborn as residential - as it is now with the Avenue, Sterling, now Boyd buildings. All seem to be pretty successful and now we have more residence. Doesn't seem doom and gloom to me.

It's never that simple because

a) we don't know if the market is willing to pay the high rates of a new building like TNS
b) if someone IS willing to pay, they will be coming from a next best building, likely, creating a void
c) If heritage buildings lose office tenants it's never that simply to simply convert. As demonstrated by the Nuttly Club scenario, it could be impossible. For example, the Grain Exchange is one of Winnipeg's absolute premier heritage buildings and that floor plate is useless for residential... it would be a colossal chore to re-fill and would have to sink their rents.

[drew]

Originally Posted by Wolf13

It's never that simple because

a) we don't know if the market is willing to pay the high rates of a new building like TNS
b) if someone IS willing to pay, they will be coming from a next best building, likely, creating a void
c) If heritage buildings lose office tenants it's never that simply to simply convert. As demonstrated by the Nuttly Club scenario, it could be impossible. For example, the Grain Exchange is one of Winnipeg's absolute premier heritage buildings and that floor plate is useless for residential... it would be a colossal chore to re-fill and would have to sink their rents.

After they work out all the glitches along the way when the Bay gets converted into residential, the Grain Exchange will be a piece of cake!

[HomeInMyShoes]

^Whew, the Bay is getting converted to residential?!? We want to know how they do it because we've got a rather large, but smaller than the Bay footprint-wise building in need of saving in Regina.

[Biff]

Originally Posted by Wolf13

It's never that simple because


c) If heritage buildings lose office tenants it's never that simply to simply convert. As demonstrated by the Nuttly Club scenario, it could be impossible. For example, the Grain Exchange is one of Winnipeg's absolute premier heritage buildings and that floor plate is useless for residential... it would be a colossal chore to re-fill and would have to sink their rents.

I am more thinking of the smaller footprint office buildings that have been or are in the process of converting. Of course large floor plate buildings would be a challenge. It is just that some on here are comparing the loss of the Sterling, Boyd, Avenue Building as indicators that our office market is in shambles and there is no demand for new space.

[esquire]

The sky is not falling. Office space gets absorbed every year.

From the Western Investor's December issue:

Winnipeg’s office market is also bracing for a seismic shift with True North Square, a four-tower project that will add nearly 400,000 square feet of office space downtown.

The 17-storey office building will be the city’s first AAA office space, and the trickle down effects are already being felt. A growing number of businesses in B and C space are looking to upgrade, and 201 Portage, one of the three landmark towers at the corner of Portage and Main, is preparing to lose a number of high-profile tenants, including law firm Thompson Dorfman Sweatman.

The newest and tallest of the trio currently has single-digit vacancy, but that may rise in the short term. The Richardson Building and 360 Main Street, the other two towers at the famous corner, have locked up their long-term tenant base. In fact, 360 Main has leased 120,000 square feet over six floors to the Canada Revenue Agency.

So 201 will take a hit due to one major tenant leaving, but that's just a day in the life of a tower that has seen a lot of big tenants leave or reduce their footprint over the years (TD, Canwest, Agricore, now TDS)... they will find someone else, just as MNP and RBC filled much of the gap that Agricore and Canwest left behind.

[Wpg_Guy]

City of Winnipeg‏Verified account @cityofwinnipeg

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by esquire

The sky is not falling. Office space gets absorbed every year.

From the Western Investor's December issue:



So 201 will take a hit due to one major tenant leaving, but that's just a day in the life of a tower that has seen a lot of big tenants leave or reduce their footprint over the years (TD, Canwest, Agricore, now TDS)... they will find someone else, just as MNP and RBC filled much of the gap that Agricore and Canwest left behind.

Yeah. Also, we seem to have quite a few gov offices using main floor space in many buildings that would/could be better for retail. Plus, lots of gov offices spread around the city that have been/may start centralizing more.

Also, and this is definitely anecdotal, with the rise of downtown and current trends, it just makes Winnipeg even more attractive and could help starting to lure more companies here. It all helps.

[cllew]

Originally Posted by drew

After they work out all the glitches along the way when the Bay gets converted into residential, the Grain Exchange will be a piece of cake!

One slight problem with converting the Grain Exchange building is a number of national communication companies have their Data Pop's in the building due it being close to the MTS Main Street East and Allstream (Zayo Group) communications hubs being close.

While the Pop's are relatively quiet I don't know if for security the companies would want to share the floor with residential usages.

[buzzg]

Or, that could be an asset to a conversion, as you could have residential around the outside and still have an effective use for the centre of the building.

[bomberjet]

Appears there are crews inside mudding and taping on the 16th floor, in TDS offices. Up on scaffolding with trowels. They don't even have the windows fully in yet. Must be hoarded but I cant see it from here. June will come up fast!

[dmacc]

I think the list of the curtain wall is in on tower 1. FINALLY!

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by cllew

One slight problem with converting the Grain Exchange building is a number of national communication companies have their Data Pop's in the building due it being close to the MTS Main Street East and Allstream (Zayo Group) communications hubs being close.

While the Pop's are relatively quiet I don't know if for security the companies would want to share the floor with residential usages.

grain exchange building is a major node on the internet in canada
if u want a link conecting on fiber leaving manitoba u either go to hydro building for their network or u go to the grain exchange. and to move it would costs 100's of millions.....

and why would u move all the offices out of the grain exchange its prime location for buisnes's to be