Winnipeg Construction X

[borkborkbork]

Originally Posted by BAKGUY

Nice.
Looks light & airy. So sick of seeing charcoal prefab residential builds as of late.
Yes, it appears like more of an office building & looks professional.
Cut it in half, double or triple the height and we could use a few of these downtown for sure.

"Light and airy" -- lots of windows in the renders, I thought I remember seeing folks here talking about building code restrictions making it very challenging to have a lot of windows.

[drew]

Originally Posted by borkborkbork

"Light and airy" -- lots of windows in the renders, I thought I remember seeing folks here talking about building code restrictions making it very challenging to have a lot of windows.

It seems that paying up front for Energy Modelling and improvements to the HVAC allows for much more flexibility when it comes to windows.

[trueviking]

yeah. It turns out that all you have to do is pay someone to do an energy model and you can do pretty much whatever you want.

also. An energy model is not a model, it is an excel spread sheet that you can basically cook to say anything.

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by trueviking

yeah. It turns out that all you have to do is pay someone to do an energy model and you can do pretty much whatever you want.

also. An energy model is not a model, it is an excel spread sheet that you can basically cook to say anything.

yep the maths say u can do it so the maths gotta be right.

though sometimes people get stuck in their head tht no u cant do that no no no u cant. its gotta be this way meanwhile theres only a few ercent diff between what ur doing and what they say ur doing.. the hydro building had issues with that way of thinking and almost got screwed by north amaericcan acidemics caugght in the trap aka stuck in a box

[BAKGUY]

I have been informed that The Marlborough Hotel has been sold off & staff have been given 2.5 months notice. Closing in September. It had also been suggested it will become condos but not sure? Anyone else? Even though they only use 148 rooms in the newer addition from the late 50's, with the original building it once boosted 428. Glad it is being rescued but it would be nice if a few floors could be a boutique hotel. That would be a great lift for the area with Canad Inn suggesting a $150 Million remake of Somerset & Radisson nearby The current owner permitted a downward spiral of the hotel & especially bar patrons. This stunning edifice has so much potential for restoration. Also, we are still awaiting the so called big announcement promised from the former Charterhouse/Best Western Plus Downtown.

[xubiqtss]

Originally Posted by BAKGUY

I have been informed that The Marlborough Hotel has been sold off & staff have been given 2.5 months notice. Closing in September. It had also been suggested it will become condos but not sure? Anyone else? Even though they only use 148 rooms in the newer addition from the late 50's, with the original building it once boosted 428. Glad it is being rescued but it would be nice if a few floors could be a boutique hotel. That would be a great lift for the area with Canad Inn suggesting a $150 Million remake of Somerset & Radisson nearby The current owner permitted a downward spiral of the hotel & especially bar patrons. This stunning edifice has so much potential for restoration. Also, we are still awaiting the so called big announcement promised from the former Charterhouse/Best Western Plus Downtown.

Sad to hear. The purging of the lower class from downtown Winnipeg continues. Certainly the last thing that area needs is a "boutique hotel"

[optimusREIM]

Originally Posted by xubiqtss

Sad to hear. The purging of the lower class from downtown Winnipeg continues. Certainly the last thing that area needs is a "boutique hotel"

Can't tell if serious

[T'Cona]

No kidding. This is great news.

[CoryB]

If true, the sale of the Marlborough is challenging.

It is great to see the property get a new owner and hopefully get the renovation it needs. I would assume the large banquet room continues on in some regard and that the ground level will continue to house things for the public, such as restaurants.

That said the downside is the problems associates with the Marlborough's clientele have fundamentally not been addressed. The sale is simply going to kick the problem down the road to someone else. With the way it is being done that is "out of scope" of the sale and ultimately not their concern. As citizens of the city though is is definitely a concern as there is no control or plan is place of where it will pop up next.

[xubiqtss]

I didn't think I was saying anything controversial.

Winnipeg has a long history of attempting to move the "riff raff" out of sight (see: Centre Venture, SHED district, etc.), but ultimately the patrons of the Marlborough have as much of a right to the city as anyone else. Slowly their options for accommodations and entertainment will dwindle in this area and they will become further ghettoized in the north end. The poverty problem will remain.

I don't think it's wrong to wonder if it might actually be a problem that new housing and amenities in the core are aimed squarely at a particular income bracket. As an architect in the city of course I want to see this beautiful building properly maintained, but my concerns are first with the people who presently use and depend on that space.

And yes, of course technically the building owner has no obligation to worry about this, but surely I don't have to celebrate a payday for some developer—not to mention the strong chance that there is some public money at play here.

[GreyGarden]

Originally Posted by xubiqtss

Winnipeg has a long history of attempting to move the "riff raff" out of sight (see: Centre Venture, SHED district, etc.), but ultimately the patrons of the Marlborough have as much of a right to the city as anyone else. Slowly their options for accommodations and entertainment will dwindle in this area and they will become further ghettoized in the north end. The poverty problem will remain.

I agree and I'm not disputing what you're saying or trying to argue, but do you or anyone have a sense to what extent this is a "Winnipeg" thing? I feel like cities all across Canada have experienced something similar. Queen St west of Trinity Bellwoods used to be considered "sketchy" or "dangerous" and is now full of hip shops and restaurants and inhabited primarily by high income people. The poverty in the area didn't go away, it moved someplace else. There was recently a fairly lengthy conversation on this topic in the Forumer's Long View thread.

[pspeid]

Gentrification in cities is an old story, and is in no way unique to Winnipeg.

However, if anyone wants to read about some good initiatives in the city for housing at-risk and marginalized people they can read this:

From CBC news: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manit...ding-1.6108498

[Highwayman]

Originally Posted by xubiqtss

Sad to hear. The purging of the lower class from downtown Winnipeg continues. Certainly the last thing that area needs is a "boutique hotel"

Should just let it for a d be torn down and maybe set up a tent camp right ? You really don't like anything that improves a city.

Just so you know, that hotel used to be an upscale hotel, so really it's going back to the way it was before the drug addicts and alcoholics and prostitution took over the place. Because those types of people always make a place more desirable.

And FYI. More construction means more jobs. That also relates to more tax dollars to help homeless etc. And even jobs for the one's that would like to work.

Look at the BIG picture.

[Wigglez]

Honest question

I'm a bit confused right now by the narrative that Winnipeg is displacing poor people. This isn't a homeless shelter, a low-income complex, or any other form of socially assisted permanent housing is it? Last I had heard the hotel was filled with people from Manitoba reserves impacted by flooding? Has that changed in recent years? Is (or I guess was) this still a privately owned hotel?

[Highwayman]

Originally Posted by Wigglez

Honest question

I'm a bit confused right now by the narrative that Winnipeg is displacing poor people. This isn't a homeless shelter, a low-income complex, or any other form of socially assisted permanent housing is it? Last I had heard the hotel was filled with people from Manitoba reserves impacted by flooding? Has that changed in recent years? Is (or I guess was) this still a privately owned hotel?

It's the new thing with a few on here that hate anyone with a little money. They expect everything to be low rental or free housing. And some of the remarks on the other thread were borderline racist towards white folks.

But how many remember the stabbings at the Marly ? Or the crazy that was throwing tvs out the Marlys windows to the sidewalk below. That's the type the above folks want to retain as you know. Those types obviously want to betterr themselves......

[xubiqtss]

Originally Posted by GreyGarden

I agree and I'm not disputing what you're saying or trying to argue, but do you or anyone have a sense to what extent this is a "Winnipeg" thing? I feel like cities all across Canada have experienced something similar. Queen St west of Trinity Bellwoods used to be considered "sketchy" or "dangerous" and is now full of hip shops and restaurants and inhabited primarily by high income people. The poverty in the area didn't go away, it moved someplace else. There was recently a fairly lengthy conversation on this topic in the Forumer's Long View thread.

Sorry, I didn't mean to write a screed against gentrification. I know it's complicated and not an all bad/all good scenario. And you're right Manitoba is certainly not unique in that regard.

I just don't think that I'm obligated to celebrate this development as a "plus" for the community. Tough to say what will happen, but I remain suspicious.

[Spocket]

Originally Posted by xubiqtss

Sorry, I didn't mean to write a screed against gentrification. I know it's complicated and not an all bad/all good scenario. And you're right Manitoba is certainly not unique in that regard.

I just don't think that I'm obligated to celebrate this development as a "plus" for the community. Tough to say what will happen, but I remain suspicious.

I don't see how it can be anything but a positive for the city.

There's nothing all that unique about the Marlborough's design that stands out. Of course, I don't know what an architect sees. On the other hand, I am Joe Q Public which means I doubt that many other people see it the way an architect does.

And, with that all being said, are there so many people from middle class and up income brackets flooding the downtown with residential that we really need to worry about where the lowest income bracket will go? Don't get me wrong, I understand social housing and all of that, I'm just saying that these weren't necessarily residents being displaced anyway but even if they were, downtown Winnipeg has, if anything, a predominantly lower income bracket residing within its boundaries. I'd say we need to change that.

[buzzg]

I mean this could be a good thing for the proposed affordable housing attached to the McLaren...

[P&M40BELOW]

Originally Posted by BAKGUY

I have been informed that The Marlborough Hotel has been sold off & staff have been given 2.5 months notice. Closing in September. It had also been suggested it will become condos but not sure? Anyone else? Even though they only use 148 rooms in the newer addition from the late 50's, with the original building it once boosted 428. Glad it is being rescued but it would be nice if a few floors could be a boutique hotel. That would be a great lift for the area with Canad Inn suggesting a $150 Million remake of Somerset & Radisson nearby The current owner permitted a downward spiral of the hotel & especially bar patrons. This stunning edifice has so much potential for restoration. Also, we are still awaiting the so called big announcement promised from the former Charterhouse/Best Western Plus Downtown.

I’ve stayed at the Andaz in London a couple of times; it reminded me of what the Marlborough could be. The facade and the dinning room remained in tact. Everything else was gutted and made contemporary. Great hotel. Would make an amazing addition to the city if that was the end result.

[trueviking]

I’d love to see it remain a hotel. It could be the best hotel in the city if it was restored. But maybe it won the federal rapid housing lottery, in which case it will be affordable housing.