ONTARIO DELAYS RELEASE OF TSSA ELEVATOR REPORT
ONTARIO DELAYS RELEASE OF TSSA ELEVATOR REPORT
The National Post reports that the Ontario government has delayed the release of a report on elevators commissioned by the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA), the province's safety oversight agency. The report, commissioned in April 2017 and delivered in November, sought answers to issues regarding out-of-service elevators across the province, which includes Toronto, Canada's largest city. The government initially said it was up to TSSA to release the report, but now says the document is under review. Barbara Hanson, with the Ministry of Government Consumer Services, said, “We look forward to making the report publicly available in the coming weeks, along with an action plan to address its recommendations.” A proposed bill would set a time limit on putting defective elevators back in service, but the large OEMs — KONE, Otis, Schindler and thyssenkrupp — blasted that proposal in a report of their own, which was also critical of what it characterized as TSSA's stifling red tape.
KONE PROVIDING ELEVATORS FOR DUBAI HOTEL APARTMENTS
KONE has been selected to provide elevators for the 76-story, 323-m-tall WOW hotel apartment tower in Dubai's Business Bay. KONE will be equipping the development with 16 MiniSpace®, seven MonoSpace®, two loading bay and three disabled-access platform elevators. Designed by Aedas Architects Ltd. and developed by WOW Investments Ltd., the tower is scheduled for completion in 2020. Pierre Liautaud, executive vice president for KONE South Europe, Middle East and Africa, said KONE looks forward to supplying its equipment to such developments in Dubai, where the supply of hotel rooms and hotel apartments is expected to reach 134,000 by the end of the year.
ADJMI-DESIGNED RESIDENTIAL HIGH RISE FOR BROOKLYN
A 29-story, 312-ft.-tall residential tower designed by Morris Adjmi with help from historic preservation specialist Li Salzman Architects is planned at 550 Clinton Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, New York YIMBY reports. The plan is making its way through the Landmarks Preservation Commission, as the site is nearly next door to the 1800s-era Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew. Featuring a pre-cast concrete façade and expansive windows, the project would include 202,041 sq. ft. of residential space and 34,258 sq. ft. of retail. The Clinton Hill neighborhood location is prime, with plentiful subway access at the Barclays Center a few blocks west. Hope Street Capital is the developer.
THREE-TOWER PROJECT PROPOSED IN TORONTO
A rezoning request envisions a trio of 30-story residential towers at 1467 Bathurst Street in Toronto, Urban Toronto reports. The plan by developer KingSett Capital would place the towers on a six- and seven-story podium on a lot owned by the adjacent St. Michael's College, a private Catholic boys' school. The development would include 944 apartment units with underground parking for 531 vehicles, and 2,264 m2 of retail space on the ground floor. Quadrangle is the designer of the project.
NEW ROCHELLE RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PROGRESSES
A 28-story residential building at 587 Main Street in New Rochelle, New York, is making considerable progress toward its scheduled completion later this year, New York YIMBY reports. The building, which will provide 280 units and 294 parking spaces, had risen to 20 stories by early January, though façade installation had yet to begin. The design incorporates the façade of a historic Loew's Theatre, and the new structure will include 10,000 sq. ft. dedicated to a new theater. It will also house 8,000 sq. ft. of retail space.
