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I wonder why Bosa dropped that project. They still did multiple projects in Calgary's west side, with Liberte in 1997, Marquis in 1999, Axxis in 2001 and Riverwest in 2003/4. So, they obviously had faith in the Calgary market, and seemed to do well here. Too bad that one got dropped, 2/3 of that block are still a gravel parking lot and there is perhaps the crappiest sidewalk in all of the downtown there, as in, the road just blends into the boulevard....:
 
I've seen some really interesting stuff that never materialized over the course of my career in architecture and construction. One of the cooler ones proposed (and that I did see renderings for) was the conversion of the old science centre into a new university, specializing in energy and resource development. The preliminary / conceptual design was pretty damn cool. Another was a high-level concept for the West Village district / arena / stadium that was done a couple years before CalgaryNEXT was known. I've also seen a tower proposed for the southwest corner of 1 Street and 5 Ave SE, where the hostel is - and that was after the Bow was built. It's been fun to be lucky enough to be privy to that stuff - even if 99% of it would never make it to the public eye.
 
I hope there will be a new willingness to compromise, and the inverted bowl will rise from the ashes.
I do wonder who will be the first to try out the concept - if any. I was excited about the concept of Calgary having it. I thought that LA Clippers would be willing to do it for their new arena, but they've opted to go with the standard bowl concept instead.
 
It’s too risky a design to try out on such a large scale. I think a mid sized city looking for a new arena that doesn’t host a pro sports team should try it out. It should still be able to host all types of sports and events, but without a pro team, they would be fine with a reduced capacity of 15,000. Maybe a city like Regina or Saskatoon could try it out.
 
This one is called Hairy Pontinari on 9th ave. I sort of remember this one.

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I hope the design is not too much different, however Metro Ford is moving to Taza next year and they will be doing prep site work for One Properties new building on this site. Does anyone have any changed designs, or would this be used? Either way I know the plan is four towers with retail/mall on the first couple of ground levels.
 
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