University of Winnipeg Commons | 45M | 14F | Completed

[Cyro]

Downtown 14 Storey Residential Complex - U/C

The 112,000-square-foot building will be located near the intersection of Portage Avenue and Memorial Boulevard, between the Buhler Centre and the Winnipeg Art Gallery across from The Hudson’s Bay.

102 apartments, ranging from one to three bedrooms.
32 Units: Rent-geared-to-income basis.
56 Units: Market Rents
16: Premium Units

Partnership between the Government of Manitoba and The University of Winnipeg.



The Manitoba government is supporting the project with a loan guarantee and it will be fully self-financed. It will be eligible for tax increment financing and PST tax credits associated with apartments including affordable units

- Start - Spring 2015
- Projected Completion Date: 2016
- LM Architectural Group
- Aprx: Cost $27 million.

Conceptual Renders Available:


http://news-centre.uwinnipeg.ca/all-...medium=twitter

Updated render: Provided by Keh Vaughn

Source

Reverse View

http://www.lm-architects.com/


Updated render. March.29,2015
[/QUOTE]

[Keh Vaughn]

It looks like this one's got a bit of a different look since it was first announced. Shame, I thought the white/red look of the original would have jived pretty well with the Buhler Centre.


Source

"A completion date for the project is 2016."

[Cyro]

Originally Posted by Keh Vaughn

It looks like this one's got a bit of a different look since it was first announced. Shame, I thought the white/red look of the original would have jived pretty well with the Buhler Centre.


Source

"A completion date for the project is 2016."

Thanks Keh. You have a better render and the completion date has been pushed back.
Do you mind if I use your info to update the OP?

[Keh Vaughn]

Go for it.

Looking at the old renders... I think the screaming red (and partially enclosed) balconies might have been a little weird/overwhelming to stand in. Still, a lot of personality has been taken out with this new version.

[Cyro]

Originally Posted by Keh Vaughn

Go for it.

Looking at the old renders... I think the screaming red (and partially enclosed) balconies might have been a little weird/overwhelming to stand in. Still, a lot of personality has been taken out with this new version.

Yeah, I guess the initial conceptual images have changed some what.
It does look a little on the average side compared to what was initially released, something were quite familiar with seeing in this city.

Well, it does create downtown density?

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Keh Vaughn

Go for it.

Looking at the old renders... I think the screaming red (and partially enclosed) balconies might have been a little weird/overwhelming to stand in. Still, a lot of personality has been taken out with this new version.

Strictly in terms of appearance, the new rendering reveals quite a downgrade. I preferred the old look that complemented the Buhler Centre. Still a very positive addition to the area, though.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by Keh Vaughn

Go for it.

Looking at the old renders... I think the screaming red (and partially enclosed) balconies might have been a little weird/overwhelming to stand in. Still, a lot of personality has been taken out with this new version.

I agree with ya, wish they would keep a few random red walls for some nice visual impact.

Reminds me of what happened at OZ Condos on river... Started with all the balconies filled in with yellow (a la Yellow Brick Road and OZ branding) which looked awesome in the renders. Ended up with all white balconies and it now looks like a more torturous version of Bloc 10. Really looks awful from the River view... side street looks alright.

[Keh Vaughn]

Oh yeah, I'm speaking strictly in terms of aesthetics. I know a few people were complaining about the "bombed out" look of the ALT hotel, and while I'm not sure I agree with that assessment, based on this one render it looks like the UW Commons is going to be a much more overt example of that. But I'm very pleased to see more downtown residential builds -- rentals, no less. And if I'm not mistaken, this is being built on the parking lot behind the Buhler Centre?

Will never complain about one less surface lot.

[bejb]

LM architecture's website shows a different version as well - pushed to the street.
They should just have the Patkau's design everything for them..

Edit: may not be a different version, just opposite view.

[Cyro]

Originally Posted by bejb

Edit: may not be a different version, just opposite view.

It does appear that way.

[Arts]

Originally Posted by bejb

LM architecture's website shows a different version as well - pushed to the street.
They should just have the Patkau's design everything for them..

Edit: may not be a different version, just opposite view.

Looks just like the dozens of other brick apartment towers I remember about Winnipeg in my childhood during the 70's and 80's. Fits in I guess.

[scryer]

Originally Posted by bejb

I see the "bombed out" look is the newest craze in the 'Peg...

But wait! It's better than nothing, right?

[windypeg]

Originally Posted by scryer

I see the "bombed out" look is the newest craze in the 'Peg...

But wait! It's better than nothing, right?

A residential building better than a parking lot? Yes, yes it is.

PS Simplicity I'd love to hear what types of projects are viable in Winnipeg in your opinion. Strip malls? Tim Hortons franchises?

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by windypeg

A residential building better than a parking lot? Yes, yes it is.

PS Simplicity I'd love to hear what types of projects are viable in Winnipeg in your opinion. Strip malls? Tim Hortons franchises?

There are lots of projects that are viable in Winnipeg. They're just the sorts of projects that everybody tends to hate. Our city pays a premium for suburban living and takes urban living at a discount. I don't move the market, it just is what it is. And it's ass-backwards from most places. We have certain costs here that don't exist elsewhere. TrueViking spoke about this before. Our soil conditions are terrible, we have limited supply of concrete, and we can barely construct for 4 months of the year. We're also paying the labour rates of places that attract a much higher per square foot sale/rental rate because that's how regional labour markets work. All of that costs lots of money. Add to that the fact that our market doesn't produce crazy rents or even wildly out-to-lunch housing prices, and we have a market that simply doesn't support of lot of what people are seeing elsewhere.

You think anybody would put a stucco high-rise in downtown Toronto? That's simply a cost decision. So when somebody puts up a highrise apartment structure downtown Winnipeg and wants half of it to be affordable, rent-geared-to-income, you can bet it's going to be the cheapest conceivable build. And that's if this thing ever gets built. For some reason the costs are always the last thing to be considered. Which is why they're value engineering the project as we speak. Eventually somebody has to lend the project money; if it doesn't show a reasonable rate of return it won't get financed.

I can't understand why people think this is somehow negativity. Our realities are very different than others. You're better off wrapping your mind around those than being let down every time a project looks different than its renderings. This goes for that Centerpoint Parkade as well. Did anybody ever actually think that somebody was going to come along and pay $24/sq ft for new commercial retail space on Carlton? They certainly shouldn't have because nobody ever has. And they didn't; that's why its not there. Those businesses that got the boot were probably paying less than half of that. Did the developer get rid of those because he hates Downtown Winnipeg? No, he got rid of them because they'd sit vacant for the rest of eternity helping to drive down the demand of the many, already existing vacancies.

If you want beautiful architecture, go to a city where it costs $630/ft for a one bedroom condo. Here, we take what we can get...

[Winnipeg Architect]

Originally Posted by Simplicity

There are lots of projects that are viable in Winnipeg. They're just the sorts of projects that everybody tends to hate. Our city pays a premium for suburban living and takes urban living at a discount. I don't move the market, it just is what it is. And it's ass-backwards from most places. We have certain costs here that don't exist elsewhere. TrueViking spoke about this before. Our soil conditions are terrible, we have limited supply of concrete, and we can barely construct for 4 months of the year. We're also paying the labour rates of places that attract a much higher per square foot sale/rental rate because that's how regional labour markets work. All of that costs lots of money. Add to that the fact that our market doesn't produce crazy rents or even wildly out-to-lunch housing prices, and we have a market that simply doesn't support of lot of what people are seeing elsewhere.

You think anybody would put a stucco high-rise in downtown Toronto? That's simply a cost decision. So when somebody puts up a highrise apartment structure downtown Winnipeg and wants half of it to be affordable, rent-geared-to-income, you can bet it's going to be the cheapest conceivable build. And that's if this thing ever gets built. For some reason the costs are always the last thing to be considered. Which is why they're value engineering the project as we speak. Eventually somebody has to lend the project money; if it doesn't show a reasonable rate of return it won't get financed.

I can't understand why people think this is somehow negativity. Our realities are very different than others. You're better off wrapping your mind around those than being let down every time a project looks different than its renderings. This goes for that Centerpoint Parkade as well. Did anybody ever actually think that somebody was going to come along and pay $24/sq ft for new commercial retail space on Carlton? They certainly shouldn't have because nobody ever has. And they didn't; that's why its not there. Those businesses that got the boot were probably paying less than half of that. Did the developer get rid of those because he hates Downtown Winnipeg? No, he got rid of them because they'd sit vacant for the rest of eternity helping to drive down the demand of the many, already existing vacancies.

If you want beautiful architecture, go to a city where it costs $630/ft for a one bedroom condo. Here, we take what we can get...

Your are correct.

And as of 2013 things got worse for foundations as the city changed the geo code for cast-in-place piles and now you need more of them as well as deeper.

Lumber has increased 50% since 2012 as the Chinese are stockpiling it and have increased demand and therefore price.

Concrete and steel never go down in price and workplace health and safety rates are always on the rises as well as cost of safety courses.

Propane for winter heat in also on the rise.

It never ends and then consumers still want to pay rent from the 90's and condo buyers want to pay $200 a foot for concrete and steel, hardwood floors, granite counters and underground parking. The consumers are unrealistic in Winnipeg.

Go to NYC and pay $1000 and up per square foot for a shell.

[Bluenote]

Maybe Alt had a sale on stucco panels and offered it to university. Seems this low budget style is the new norm. Well least in 20 years we can reclad these eyesores

[Flatland Metropolis]

I am still really excited for this project and I like the contrasting styles. You never know how these renders end up. Things are almost never a match by the time the final piece is laid down

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by Flatland Metropolis

I am still really excited for this project and I like the contrasting styles. You never know how these renders end up. Things are almost never a match by the time the final piece is laid down

This project is currently undergoing some serious value-engineering. Rest assured the final product will be far worse than any renders we've seen.

[Gadzookz]

Originally Posted by Simplicity

This project is currently undergoing some serious value-engineering. Rest assured the final product will be far worse than any renders we've seen.

Simplicity.. aren't you just Mr. Positivity? Seems like no matter what project it is you always have something to gripe about..

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by Gadzookz

Simplicity.. aren't you just Mr. Positivity? Seems like no matter what project it is you always have something to gripe about..

Sorry, I won't state the facts of the project status anymore because you don't want to hear it.

Nobody is griping about anything. People want to know why the renders have changed. There's your answer. And they'll change yet again.