Mountain Man
Senior Member
Possibly, but I doubt it.
BMO Centre Expansion | 25m | 5s | CMLC
- Thread starter Bokimon
- Start date
UrbanWarrior
Senior Member
She’s lookin right spiffy.
1875
Senior Member
so id say def better than the north and east sides but dont panic if you forgot you sunglasses.
The curves make a world of difference. I suppose it's the same for the RockyRidge YMCA, Rogers Arena, Studio Bell or T-Mobile arena, you put those materials on a flat wall and they aren't as exciting.
DiscoStu
Active Member
Dark grey and brown…not exactly my favorite color combo. This thing is gonna feel kinda oppressive.
haltcatchfire
Senior Member
Underwhelmed but it’s not red at least.
Alex_YYC
Senior Member
I like it. It would have better with a lighter color, but it still looks good IMHO.
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googspecial
Active Member
Sandstone might have been nice instead of charcoal coloured brick. That's also going to be hot during stampede... Copper is decent, not upset.
The Familia
Active Member
Final mark on exterior….7/10. A little better than I was fearing but not a home run. Looks way too dark and heavy/oppressive. It is what it is and I should have known to lower my expectations. Oh well….maybe Arts Commons will be better.
gsunnyg
Senior Member
I never was a fan of this design since day 1. That dark brick wall with no retail bays along the LRT or 17th Ave side is a big lost opportunity for a solid TOD integration. This building is gonna be buzzing on event days and that's it. This contrasts with other newer convention centers that have restaurants, retail, or a hotel integrated into them.
The Familia
Active Member
I agree, I’m already resigned to the fact that the “Culture and Entertainment” district will be a flop. I really don’t see anything that they have built or proposed that would attract people outside of game days/big events. This area will be just as dead as it has always been.
How they didn’t implement any retail or restaurants at all along the entire perimeter of the building is inexcusable. Just piss poor planning and foresight. Even if the area can’t fully support it on opening day, it should have been built regardless and could sit vacant until the area becomes a little more complete.
There should have been a restaurant with patio somewhere under the giant arm and another one closer to 17th and Weadickville. Throw in a couple small CRU’s and boom. How no one has ever thought to open a proper BBQ restaurant or upscale steakhouse inside the actual Syampede grounds is beyond me!
How they didn’t implement any retail or restaurants at all along the entire perimeter of the building is inexcusable. Just piss poor planning and foresight. Even if the area can’t fully support it on opening day, it should have been built regardless and could sit vacant until the area becomes a little more complete.
There should have been a restaurant with patio somewhere under the giant arm and another one closer to 17th and Weadickville. Throw in a couple small CRU’s and boom. How no one has ever thought to open a proper BBQ restaurant or upscale steakhouse inside the actual Syampede grounds is beyond me!
403808
New Member
Would you invest YOUR money in a restaurant or business located in the “perimeter of the building”? Try walking into your bank with that business plan and see what they say.
MichaelS
Senior Member
Well, given we were all forced to invest our money into this convention centre, a business with questionable financial returns, why not go whole hog and design a facility that will also help achieve some other municipal objectives? This post is from earlier in the thread (page 9) and it did contain a link to an article in the Herald where Mayor Nenshi was opposed to funding an expansion of the Telus Convention Centre for this exact reason, however the article doesn't seem to be available from the Herald any longer.What's even more frustrating is, in 2013, Mayor Nenshi seemed to agree with these columns..... From a November 12, 2013 Calgary Herald Article:
Calgary Herald
Read latest breaking news, updates, and headlines. Calgary Herald offers information on latest national and international events & more.www.calgaryherald.com
I guess it is different when CMLC asks for it.......
The Richard White article questioning new convention centres is still up though:
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The Familia
Active Member
Today? No I wouldn't, not with the arena in limbo and not enough concrete plans and development for the area. As I stated above though, if they set aside some space for a restaurant closer to 17th ave and the c-train and another spot closer to the future arena, and they properly execute a true destination vision for the area, then yes I would invest in it absolutely.
Isn't that the problem then? If the bank rejects me, isn't that an admission in and of itself that the district is a failure as a whole? Shouldn't an entertainment district be able to support retail and restaurants 24/7? If there is no business case for a restaurant or two fronting the convention center (especially one on the corner of Olympic Ave and 17th which should be the epicenter of the district), than what the hell is CMLC proposing and why are we wasting our time with this district?
The district succeeding is dependent on substantial residential first and foremost, then proper destination retail and entertainment (restaurants, clubs, maybe a movie theater), a hotel or two, and finally the convention center and arena. Proper entertainment venues like restaurants and theaters/clubs feed off each other. One on its own may not be enough to attract people, but having a bunch of them together in close proximity builds that draw.
I guess it's the chicken and the egg argument. Will my restaurant be enough to attract people? if not, what needs to be built first so that i can build a restaurant in the area. Is the arena enough to tip the tide? Do we need 5 more condo towers first? Is it a hotel? A theater? Someone has to take the risk and kick start things. Maybe it can be the BMO, but what will draw people there outside of a convention? They did not leave the door open to find out.
Ok I've said all I need to say about the BMO. I won't comment again until its grand opening and I check it out for myself in person! I hope I'm wrong as I want this area to succeed.
haltcatchfire
Senior Member
The good thing about a convention centre is it's mostly just corridors and empty open space. If the future calls for the streetwall space to become restaurant/retail it won't be that difficult to implement. In the short term (next few decades) those uses will be going on Olympic Way. Allegedly. Maybe. It's possible. Someday.
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