Construction Update: Hotel Blu – Robson Street
By ChangingCity
Yet another of the ‘stalled’ projects that were impacted by the brief 2008-9 recession and the hike in construction costs around the Olympics got underway in 2011, and is now pretty close to completion. One of the few surface parking lots left Downtown – this one on Robson at Cambie – has been replaced by a 102 room hotel and 78 apartments that for now at least will be offered for rent.The developers already owned the James Hancock designed Hampton Inn across the lane on Beatty Street, and the Georgian Court next door so there will presumably be efficiencies for them in operating here.
The design, by Relative Form Architecture offers quite a contrast to Walter Francl’s TV Towers across Cambie Street. As built isn’t exactly as shown a few years ago – but pretty close. The pre-cast concrete elements are similar in colour to the library up the street. There were plans to develop the site since the late 1990s, so it’s been a long time coming; initially it was said to be a Hilton – then the Crystal Blu Hotel: now it’s Hotel Blu.
Source: Changing City