Site Name: Grosvenor Building Plaza – DEMOLISHED JULY 2016
Location:
- Primary Site Address: 1040 W Georgia Street
- Closest Street Intersection: Georgia and Thurlow (Note: plaza is addressed to Georgia Street, but primarily faces Alberni Street)
- Local Area: Downtown
- Flickr URL:
- Latitude: 49.28515406
- Longitude: -123.1229939
Components: Plaza
Description: The main space of this plaza is located to the west of the Grosvenor Building at 1040 W Georgia. From the Georgia side, there is a pathway that opens up to a plaza along Alberni St. The plaza is more readily accessible from the Alberni side and can be entered via aprominent ‘spiral’ access ramp that runs along the western edge, or via generous stairs to the east. Generous landscaping runs along the south and western edges, helping to define and shade the space. At the centre a curving bronze sculpture called “Space Ribbon.” Windows from the adjacent tea shop look onto the plaza, and the space is further enclosed by a series of moveable planters.
Adjacent Connected Public Spaces: Link to public realm system: Connects Alberni to Georgia as well as connects with all the open spaces in front of near by office buildings
Year Built: 1984
Ownership status: Private
Owner Name: Grosvenor
Locational Context: Surrounded by office towers on 3 sides, orienting the site to the south (Alberni St). The plaza is located on a street with high-end retail and restaurants. The Urban Tea Merchant, a pricey but popular café, faces onto the plaza.
Site Orientation: South
Dimensions:
- Area: 300 m2
- Dimensions: Triangular space – 20 meters wide
Design Aspects
- Solar exposure/shading considerations: Sun around noon
- Weather Proofing: None
- Pathways: Yes on both side of plaza, one along Alberni street other cutting through plaza to Georgia St.
- Surface Treatment and Materials: Crushed Stone Concrete
Furniture & Amenities
- Formal Seating: Yes – concrete benches
- Informal Seating: Yes – planters act as benches
- Bike Rack: Yes – small
- Public Art: Yes. Sculpture: Roy C. Lewis: Space Ribbon.
- Lighting: Yes-around seating
- Street Trees: Yes – mid sized
- Landscaping: Planters beside seating area and bamboo along the side of the cafe
- Other items of note: Post box and newspaper boxes beside plaza
Security: Possible security camera at entrance of cafe
Access
- Transit: Nearest bus stops located along Georgia
- Bike Route: Near Meville and Howe bike routes
- Universal Design: Yes – flat space allows for wheelchair acess
General Usage or Observational data: Appears to be mostly used at lunch
Key Events, Usage in History, Timeline:
- Plaza was constructed in 1984.
- Plaza was demolished in July 2016 and will be replaced with a two-storey commercial structure.
Plaza demolished in July 2016
Typology: Open Space – Plaza
Site Evaluation Details
- Timestamp: 23/04/2015 19:11:38
- Time of last evaluation: 5:10pm
- Weather during evaluation: Sunny – 10 deg