Released today, some material on the proposed new medical complex north of Main & Terminal. This would replace the original St. Paul’s, built in 1923. More HERE on the public consultation process. Hi-res animation (1:03) HERE.
The early-day concepts have been developed by PHC’s redevelopment design team and show the major “building blocks” for the new St. Paul’s campus, potential configurations and heights of buildings on the site, as well as potential roads, entrances, paths, parking, green spaces and more.
Another public open house event is on Wednesday 4 pm to 7 pm at Thornton Park (in front of the train station at Main & Terminal). Click photo for hi-res version.
Considering that the design life of this facility is in the order of one hundred years or more, why then build this hospital on a flood plain when we know that sea levels are rising?
Are they ? Don’t increased temperatures increase the airs ability to absorb moisture ?
Raise seawall one meter and problem solved for the next 150 years.
According to a quick google search, you’re not the only one thinking about sea level rise – it was mentioned in an article by city planning officials here: http://www.vancourier.com/news/city-hosts-open-house-on-new-st-paul-s-hospital-site-1.2189698
So that’s good to hear that it’s on their radar – as I’d expect. I’m also concerned about liquifaction and ground stability in the event of an earthquake.
Other than those concerns, though, I’d say it’s a good site – although it will most definitely change the character of the neighbourhood significantly.
False Creek flats were tidal mud flats that were under water every high tide until the railway companies dumped a bunch of dirt there. The water table must be awfully close to the surface now. It seems a really poor choice for any important infrastructure, especially a building designed to assist in the event of a natural disaster. Even if the building survives it might be impossible to get to except by boat or helicopter.
I arrived Vancouver May 23 1951. False Creek, deep water, not mud flats, extended nearly to Clark Dr. There was room for CPR shunting yards and you could swim to Hastings street. The fill is man-dumped. I watched it happen!
Lucky for goverments there’s a sucker born every minute!
“. . . why then build this hospital on a flood plain when we know that sea levels are rising?”
Interestingly, although governments of various levels promote the fear of AGW, imminent innundation, there is no evidence they believe what they prate.
Case in point: The location of this proposed hospital.
1959-63 I was architect for Nanaimo hospital. We made regular inspection visits at least once a week, often more, from Vancouver/Nanaimo harbours and later Horseshoe Bay/Departure Bay
I now live on Nanaimo waterfront with a wide view of the water and harbour. I have lived here for seventeen years.
There is, in full view of my window, a concrete marker clearly showing an algea bloom that describes, for decades, water levels way before my residency. That algea describes the history of sea water levels since, I suppose, it was placed.
For ten years I sailed the Salish sea, in my Ranger22, from Victoria to Tober Inlet and most points between.
I see no evidence that the sea levels on the coasts of the Salish Sea have risen in the nearly sixty years I have been fortuneate to observe.
This proposed new hospital is a good plan in a good location. Let’s hope it comes to be!
That’s because sea level rise doesn’t scale linearly with global warming. It’s like saying, “it’s -1°C and warming, it’s not going to start raining”.
That being said, it’s not hard to build something such that it won’t flood. Engineers move entire mountains, how hard do people seriously think it can be to make a pile of dirt that won’t wash away at high tide?
Seismics are the harder part.
A great complex close to SkyTrain.
A second subway or SkyTrain leg through E-Van would be useful especially since the viaducts are coming down.
Buy north of here now before prices shoot up like E-Van which grew 30-40% on one year.
Once viaducts are down likely major traffic mess.
The Emergency entrance is off of Malkin – so I guess they assume that will be the fastest route from downtown.
Ironically, I think that the easiest way to solve the Malkin mess – i.e. accommodating produce row – is to elevate the Malkin Connector so that produce trucks have free movement below (there could be ramps at Gore).
At present, the west end of the Malkin Connector alignment is elevated with the Dunsmuir and Georgia viaducts, and on the east end, it will also be elevated to cross the BNSF tracks up to Clark Drive. Why not connect the middle with an elevated section too? The footprint will be narrow and you won’t have heavy traffic screaming past the park at grade. But, I realize that’s unlikely to happen, since the current trend is to pile all modes onto one roadway.
I’m surprised by what appears to be little room for future expansion – one parking lot to the southeast. Isn’t that the issue they faced at the existing site?
technically the hospital could gobble up the park next door, not that the city’s soccer teams would like it.
Or build another hospital in a location under served by medical services. There is a tendency to build on (i.e. VGH) to a point of inefficiency.
Let me emphasize, so far, this is a good plan in a good location!
Kevin McNaney, the city’s assistant director of planning for the downtown region;……” that site needs a careful look for things like sea level rise, seismic safety — all those are going to have to be considered right up front in order to make that site a success.”
Baloney!
A risk adverse assessment would conclude that it is impossible to make that site a success! VGH and St Paul’s are built on high ground for very good reason. Site selection is a critical part of the design process, and sometimes a site needs to be rejected because its negatives cannot be overcome. The Fukashima Nuclear Plant is one such example.
Well, I do believe seismically stabilizing the ground before construction is possible, as is building up the ground-level or otherwise designing the building to take into account sea-level rise. It’s definitely a factor but I’m pretty sure every parcel of high-level ground in the downtown area is already taken.
Shakespear’s “Double, Double, Toil and Trouble” or Chubby Checker’s “1950’s Twist” . . .
http://www.theyorkshirelad.ca/towers/towers.html . . . I don’t know which, but does this enlightened plan . . .
https://pricetags.wordpress.com/2016/06/18/the-new-st-pauls/ . . . herald the beginning of a new city?
Wow it’s so encouraging to see a proposal of enlightened urban design in context!
Why no credits on PT for a concept of urban development long time a-coming, and not just Vancouver.
It has a long way to go, but keep up the good work.
Larwill Park will make a good site. The VAG will likely drop the option on this site due to lack of funding enthusiasm. If Larwill Park is too small then move the Queen Elizabeth theatre to the NEFC waterfront and make it a signature building. These two blocks including Cambie Street will make an excellent site for a hospital where it should be located high above sea level. Use the flats site for something more appropriate like fish farming!
FYI, the site in the flats is about 800K Sq. Ft., Larwill Park is about 120K Sq. Ft.
Two blocks plus Cambie = 280K sq. ft. plenty for a hospital footprint.
Plenty of office space and hotel space nearby.
No need for internal streets or street upgrades.
Add the now pension fund owned old old post office to the 2 blocks and build something creative.
I’m relieved to see that no residential development is proposed. Hopefully that policy direction will continue throughout the entire False Creek Flats.
Why do you say that, Frank? Just curious.
Jolson – because residential uses tend to drive or price out our limited industrial land base. Sealed building types (with A/C) like the ones proposed in this plan, can tolerate that industrial/rail adjacency okay.
Hi Frank Ducote-
Hospitals are sealed buildings? so it’s OK to site them in industrial zones? I thought that enlightened design had left that idea behind, understanding that patients benefit from the healing effects of nature, flowers, trees, song birds, fresh air, warmth and cold, daylight, views, and sun shine, rain, mist, wind in the face, wind in the willows, all of that which we normally experience at home on the front porch wrapped in a blanket and little of which we can experience in a sealed building. I would expect at the very least openable windows, balconies, arboretum atriums filled with birds. In my experience convalescing is an activity difficult to practice in the isolation of a sealed room. Industrial Zone Hospital?
What’s wrong with a hospital surrounded one side by some food warehouses? You should turn the preachy down.
It’s not like it’s surrounded by coal furnaces and steel mills…