Vancity Lofts Blog

Sexy NY Penthouse

marketing@bluliving.com (Melissa Kleerum) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:57:30 PST

Situated between the Meatpacking Districts at the borders of Highline Park the rooftop apartment was remodelled to meet the needs of its new inhabitants. Innocad Architecture changed it functionally and enhanced the design by mixing European design and New York lifestyle and thus creating a fresh atmophere.

Materials and choice of colours represent both high quality standards and relaxed urbanity. Each room mirrors an immediate visual reference to the fascinating land and roofscape of New York City.

The Heart of the apartment, a Marilyn Relief, defines the residential area. It is a functional and artistic attribute and also a tribute to this extraordinary city.

Telus Garden Project

marketing@bluliving.com (Melissa Kleerum) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:00:22 PST

Approved downtown Vancouver Telus Garden project by Henriquez Partners Architects + Westbank Developers. 22 Storey office tower plus 44 Storey Telus Farden Vancouver condo high-rise.

The newly proposed Downtown Vancouver Telus Garden towers development which will see a planned $750 million project at 520 West Georgia Street Vancouver. The new Vancouver Telus Garden mega development will not only transform the entire landscape and skyline, but also bring about unique architecture to the downtown core. TheTelus Garden Vancouver real estate development as it will be the future headquarters for the Canadian Telus telecommunications company. The project itself will be located in a large area that is bound by Seymour, Richards, Robson and Georgia Street and Telus itself owns this land. Construction is set to start later in the Fall 2011 and will be completed sometime in 2015 if the proposal is approved and there are no construction delays. Eventually, the Vancouver Telus Garden commercial tower will be home to over one thousand Telus employees and it will become the national headquarters for this growing telecommunications company. The developer is Ian Gillespie and the project also has the backing of Vancouver’s mayor, Gregor Robertson.

Few facts on the Telus Garden Tower:

– Telus Garden commercial tower will become the national corporate headquarters for Telus and will be home to 1,000 employees
– The Telus Garden Vancouver commercial tower will be 22 storey office tower built with LEED Platinum certification (first in Canada)
– The Vancouver Telus Garden condo tower will be 44 storey residential tower built with LEED Gold certification
– The master planned downtown Vancouver real estate project will feature over 10,000 square feet of green roofs providing organic produce to local restaurants
– The project will also have 2 elevated roof forests to minimize the heat island effect
– The western façade of will have programmable LED lighting

Rogers Arena Towers

marketing@bluliving.com (Melissa Kleerum) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 08:39:43 PST

Aquilini unveiled the much anticipated Rogers Arena towers design yesturday, the site comprises of two office/residential towers, one residential only tower and one to developed in the future over the existing Skytrain line.

The three new buildings are 104, 100 and 97 m in height. The proposal will include 39 179.9 m² of residential density and 2 600 m² of new commercial density. The proposal includes 488 residential units, 309 parking spaces, and five loading spaces.

As of right now the West Tower which will be an office/condo mix (originally supposed to be all condo) is slated to begin construction in April. The East Tower will now also have a large office component to it, transferred from the West Tower.

The South Tower will be the second one to be built and will be all residential.

The East Tower will be the last in the building cycle. The bottom 5 floors will house arena commercial space with 7 floors of additional commercial floors. The rest will be residential

Here are some renderings and building models from yesterday’s open house. The Aquilini’s are still pursuing the community centre with public ice rink and more at no cost to the taxpayers.

Images by: Battle Royale1

Maldives of Thailand

marketing@bluliving.com (Melissa Kleerum) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:01:31 PST

During my travels to Thailand I had the pleasure of visiting my Grandpa whom is a Governor of Ranong province, just about 4 hours away from Bangkok. He hosted an amazing event at the Blue Sky resort in Koh Payam, a short 45 mins boat ride away from the mainland of Ranong. It was to honor 15 couples that were getting married there on Valentine's Day.

Being labelled as the "Maldives of Thailand" is big to live up to but they sure have my stamp of approval. The water was aqua blue, the huts were adorable, it was quiet, clean but the most impressive part was the impeccable service! Unfortunately it was just a day trip (just enought time to enjoy an hour of seaside massage) but I felt like I could have stayed there for at least a week! They will definitely see me again on my next visit to Thailand.

The f*%&ing HST

shawn@bluliving.com (Shawn Lee) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:32:26 PST

BC's Finance Miniater Kevin Falcon has finally announced the details of the HST rollback on new homes.

It looks like the government finally listened to our complaints and will raise its new-housing HST rebate threshold to $850,000 from the current $525,000, until it is finally scrapped on April 1 next year.

It will also introduce a similar rebate for new recreational and secondary homes built outside of greater Vancouver and Victoria, to stimulate that market until the tax is gone.

Starting on April 1 this year, the government will provide a partial HST rebate on new homes priced at up to $850,000. The amount of the rebate will max out at $42,500, will apply to more than 90-per-cent of new homes, and will mean new home prices will be roughly the same under HST and PST. The HST does not apply on re-sale homes.

For more information, please contact one of our Agents at info@bluliving.com.

Modern Mountain Hill Cabin

marketing@bluliving.com (Melissa Kleerum) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 07:30:16 PST

Norwegian architects Fantastic Norway created a project of a mountain hill cabin, which will be situated on a secluded place in the mountain slopes. The cabin will be reachable only in winter and only by skis or snowboards. The architects have had experience with similar projects, but the current one seems to be most dynamic. Some of the regulations were set by local authorities such as the height of the building and the angle of the roofing in order to retain the traditional triangular outlook of the mountain cabins.

Authors’ interpretation of these regulations led to an attractive shape of the structure which creates functional snow slopes for its inhabitants. Interior is divided into two levels. The larger space on the ground floor revolves around the central part with bathroom, toilet and kitchen. Aside from the living quarters and dining area, the central points of activity on the ground floor are two smaller bedrooms and a third bedroom on the upper level.

Luxury Home in West Vancouver

nina@bluliving.com (Nina Margiottiello) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:06:08 PST

I'm not sure what is more impressive about this modern home, the architecture or the location. Let's just say both. This 4000sq. ft home has a 180 degree view of the Pacific Ocean. Located in West Vancouver, British Columbia is was desgined by Mehran Mansouri and built on a steel structure to withstand natural disasters. It's a beauty inside and out.

Yes it's for sale. If you've got $4,850,000.00... we've got the house for you!

Cruise the Amazon in Style

jordan@bluliving.com (Jordan Macnab) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:07:18 PST

Have you ever thought of cruising the amazon but figured you'd be attacked by piranhas ? Well, now you have another option with AQUA Expeditions. Yeah that's right, a custom built boutique cruise ship that actually cruises the Amazon. How sweet would that be ?

They have everything you need. Except internet. haha, but they do have a satellite phone on board for emergencies.

• Check Availability or Reserve

Amazon Expedition Cruise 7 Nights		Amazon Explorer Cruise 4 Nights		Amazon Discovery Cruise 3 Nights
Suite:	$5,600	Suite:	$3,200	Suite:	$2,400
Master Suite:	$5,950	Master Suite:	$3,400	Master Suite:	$2,550
Departures	Every Saturday	Departures	Every Tuesday	Departures	Every Saturday
January	1, 8, 15, 22, 29	January	4, 11, 18, 25	January	1, 8, 15, 22, 29
February	5, 12, 19, 26	February	1, 8, 15, 22	February	5, 12, 19, 26
March	5, 12, 19, 26	March	1, 8, 15, 22, 29	March	5, 12, 19, 26
April	2, 9, 16, 23, 30	April	5, 12, 19, 26	April	2, 9, 16, 23, 30
May	7, 14, 21, 28	May	3, 10, 17, 24, 31	May	7, 14, 21, 28
June	4, 11, 18, 25	June	7, 14, 21, 28	June	4, 11, 18, 25
July	2, 9, 16, 23, 30	July	5, 12, 19, 26	July	2, 9, 16, 23, 30
August	6, 13, 20, 27	August	2, 9, 16, 23, 30	August	6, 13, 20, 27
September	3, 10, 17, 24	September	6, 13, 20, 27	September	3, 10, 17, 24
October	1, 8, 15, 22, 29	October	4, 11, 18, 25	October	1, 8, 15, 22, 29
November	5, 12, 19, 26	November	8, 15, 22, 29	November	5, 12, 19, 26
December	3, 10, 17, 24, 31	December	6, 13, 20, 27	December	3, 10, 17, 24, 31
All rates are per person double occupancy; single supplement +25% regular rates. Child Policy: 7 year age minimum on all departures, child under 12 years old will receive a 20% discount. Third person sleeping on sofa bed will receive a 20% discount Third person being a child under 12 years old sleeping on sofa bed pays US $400 per night

# 211 1220 E PENDER ST

glenn@bluliving.com (Glenn Feldstein) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:13:21 PST

# 211 1220 E PENDER ST, Vancouver - V931321
$599,000
2 BEDROOMS | 2 BATHROOMS
Listed By: Re/Max Metro Realty

Carpentry Loft in Florence

nina@bluliving.com (Nina Margiottiello) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:36:46 PST

In Florence Italy the architect Alessandro Capellaro transformed an old carpentry into a home. Using 300 wooden crates he found at a flea market the concept gives free rein to ones imagination. Creating unique pieces of furniture: bookcases, desk, shelves and kitchen plan.

“I LIKE THE IDEA OF MOVEMENT (…), THE MODULAR FURNITURE. I WANT TO MOVE ANY ITEM AND RECREATE THE SPACE IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE.” Alessandro Capellaro.