VANCOUVER In 1910, the Dominion Building at 207 West Hastings opened as Vancouvers first commercial highrise, and its still functioning as an office building today. It was the tallest building in the British Empire at the time.

Many similar early office buildings, a few stories high, built around the turn of the 20th century, have come down to make way for taller ones. But others remain, granted extended life by heritage status and major upgrades, and by tenants who prefer the unique working atmosphere those buildings offer.

If you are working in a nice wood-and-brick building with large windows, says Eugen Klein, a commercial real estate broker and principal of the Klein Group at Royal LePage, it feels soft. You have this sensation of being in a building that is sort of a staple. When your customers come in, they feel the longevity of the business, they feel these human touches.

Some of those old brick office buildings in Gastown, in Yaletown, have excellent life in them, he says. If you go to other parts of the world London, Vienna their buildings are 400 years old, with old brick and solid construction. Those are still very functional.

Because Vancouvers mid-size older office buildings are cheaper to lease than their newer highrise neighbours, they serve an important function in the economy of downtown, says Lonnie Neufeld, an appraiser and consultant at Burgess, Cawley, Sullivan and Associates.

If those smaller office buildings came down, he says, those tenants cant be in the downtown core any more. For example, the Vancouver Block on Granville they have things like physiotherapists in there, they have a hair salon, a lot of small mining firms.

At the low end, tenants in those buildings might pay between $15 and $25 per square foot plus operational costs, whereas space in a newer tower can cost up to $70.

But at the same time those older, smaller buildings are sitting on prime development property, so owners and developers have to weigh all the costs and benefits of demolition and re-construction, including the state of the office space market and whether the site would run afoul of one of the 18 city-designated view corridors that criss-cross downtown Vancouver.

Klein says the next generation of office buildings, taller towers built in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, tend to have a lower standard of construction.

They were not built to the same level. They are very cookie-cutter, the spaces feel very plastic, its just a box. They are harder to rent. Tenants dont want to spend money on those, and so they can only compete by cheapening the rent.

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Vancouver office buildings share their storied past with a dynamic present

Gov. Mark Dayton's first public appearance since hip surgery

Gov. Mark Dayton makes his first public appearance in more than a month on Tuesday, March 18, 2014. His second body cast since a Feb. 10 hip surgery was removed this week and he used his first news conference to blast fellow Democratic Senate leaders for holding up a tax bill until they got a new Senate building approved. (Forum News Service photo by Don Davis)

ST. PAUL Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton on Tuesday used his first public appearance since Feb. 8 to accuse fellow Democrats who lead the Senate of stalling a tax-cut bill until they won approval for a new Senate office building.

An hour and a half later, Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk of Cook and Tax Chairman Rod Skoe of Clearbrook showed off a tax bill they hope senators pass Thursday, without a building agreement. They denied that Daytons comments changed their plans.

Dayton, who has been in a body cast since Feb. 10 hip surgery, walked to a podium aided by crutches Tuesday afternoon and began to rip Bakk for telling him and House Democratic leaders that he would not allow a tax bill to pass until the House rules committee approves a new Senate building.

Im very, very, very disappointed they would not pass a bill, Dayton said.

The House passed a $500 million tax cut March 6. It would stop three sales taxes businesses pay as well as conform to federal tax laws.

Dayton and Revenue Commissioner Myron Frans said that tax cuts needed to be finished by today or Minnesotans would struggle to get tax breaks that come from matching state and federal laws.

Skoe had been saying that senators wanted more time to investigate implications of various tax provisions, and they would wrap up a bill by months end.

Democratic and Republicans senators must agree to suspend Senate rules before the Thursday vote will occur.

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Minnesota Senate tax bill arrives after Dayton accuses fellow Democrats of stalling

Share ! Waterfront Artisan Incubator and Technology Centre project complete

LITTLE CURRENTThe Northeast Town municipal office officially moved into its new location in the Little Current Post Office building on Water Street earlier this week as the renovations to the office concluded along with the new Waterfront Artisan Incubator and Technology Centre.

We are very pleased with how the building has been developed, town CAO Dave Williamson told The Expositor on Monday. We are now occupying the space, but there are still a few things to finish off and we are still moving things over from the old office.

Though the project was slated for completion three months ago, Mr. Williamson said that staff is still pleased, despite the delays, at the overall look of the new facilities and that the delays did not come with any increased costs.

The employees are adjusting to the new officeeveryone is very happy having more space, said Mr. Williamson, noting that all town managers now have their own individual offices.

As for the Waterfront Artisan Incubator and Technology Centre, the new space will serve a double purpose, as both the centre and the Northeast Towns new council chambers (council meetings were formerly held in the Lions Den at the Northeast Town recreation centre).

The focus of the project was really the artisan incubator and technology centre, explained Mr. Williamson. It is a beautiful gallery space with lots of natural light, track lighting and a gallery hanging system.

The centre also features its own entrance (separate from the town offices), washroom and kitchenette.

It will provide a venue to the Island community to stay connected with the world interactively through DSL Internet, smart boards and an interactive business space, while also serving as an open space for the Islands artistic community to showcase work, hold shows and workshops.

There will be limited costs for artists wanting to utilize the space initially, continued Mr. Williamson. We really want to develop the space and promote and foster local art. From an economic development angle, we are really working towards developing that sector, not just for Little Current, but for artists from all across Manitoulin and the region.

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Northeast Town municipal office moves into Little Current Post Office

Almost exactly a year after the laying of the foundation stone, PwC Hungary has moved into its new office located in Budapests impressive Eiffel Palace. As a result of the 2013 renovation, the facade has been restored according to the original plans from 1893. The buildings interior structure has been redesigned according to the highest 21st-century technical and sustainability requirements. The office building meets both the BREEAM and LEED international standards for the design and operation of green buildings with excellent results.

"We have left our Wesselnyi utca office after fifteen years, and moved into a new high-quality headquarters in the Eiffel Palace at 78 Bajcsy-Zsilinszky t, which meets todays environmental aspirations. The buildings impressive history and innovative redesign are perfectly in line with PwCs values: it represents a balance between tradition and modernity, and serves as an outstanding example of responsible and sustainable business, says Nick Ks, PwC Hungarys Country Managing Partner.

A building reborn

As a result of the 2013 renovation, the facade has been restored according to the original plans from 1893. The buildings internal structure has been created according to the highest 21st-century technical and sustainability requirements based on the designs of Ybl prize-winning architect Andrs Gelesz.

Real-estate development firm Horizon Development has devoted a great deal of attention to restoring elements of special architectural significance and aesthetic value, while preserving the original grandeur and integrity of the building. In addition to the facade, the breathtaking wrought iron structures of the internal court yard and the main staircase originally planned by Gustav Eiffels architectural office have also been rebuilt in their original form and location, and serve as the jewel in the crown of the building.

The foundation stone of the Eiffel Palace was laid in March 2013. Construction, carried out by DVM Group, was completed by the end of last year. The Eiffel Palace is the first office development project in Eastern Central Europe to meet the strict requirements of both the BREEAM and LEED environmental standards with excellent results.

Previous attempts at making use of this well-situated property have not been successful. By restoring the building to its former glory downtown Budapest has been enriched with a modern, eco-friendly office building. We are proud to be able to come to work at this historic building every day, and of the contribution this project has made to enriching the city and the neighborhood, Nick Ks added.

About the Eiffel Palace

The five-story building, situated at 78 Bajcsy-Zsilinszky t, whose facade overlooks three streets, was built in 1893 based on the plans of Flris Korb and Klmn Giergl on behalf of the Lgrdy brothers to house the editorial offices and printing house of Pesti Hrlap, one of Budapests most important daily newspapers. The stories above the editorial offices and the printing house were used for residential purposes, creating a functional complexity that made the building different from all other buildings of a similar size in Budapest. Its significance was also marked by its ornamental appearance; its sizeable and richly embellished facade topped with a high tower formed a prominent corner of the area in front of Nyugati Railway Station. Unfortunately, the corner tower was destroyed during the last century, leaving the roof structure featureless.

Thanks to the extraordinary renovation work, the exterior of the building has regained its original look; however, its interiors and technical structure were designed according to the highest standards. The special details of unique architectural and aesthetic value have been completely restored.

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PwC moves into new office building

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Bob & Mariannes Home Improvement Hit List

HOOVER, Alabama - The Hoover school board tonight agreed to spend nearly $2 million to replace the roof at Trace Crossings Elementary School, do mechanical upgrades at four elementary schools and build a carpool canopy at Riverchase Elementary.

The vote appeared to be unanimous, but two board members - Derrick Murphy and Stephen Presley -- made a point of questioning whether it was wise to spend this much money on capital projects when the board is trying to find places to cut its budget.

Presley asked whether school officials had explored every other opportunity for delaying such large expenditures in pressing financial times and whether the repairs and construction were really necessary right now.

Jeff Battles, director of operations for Hoover City Schools, said the new roof and repairs are necessary right now in order to protect Trace Crossings from further problems and make sure Trace Crossings and other schools have proper air conditioning.

The current roof at Trace Crossings is the original roof from when the school was built in 1991, Battles said. It was meant to last 20 years and has gone beyond that, but it's wearing thin and has rips in it, he said. Water has infiltrated the school at least twice already, he said.

The Hoover school system has someone on staff with more than 35 years of roofing experience, and that person thinks a replacement is in order now, Battles said.

Presley asked whether the low bid is a good deal and whether it's a good idea to go with the low bidder in this case. Battles said he thinks the low bids for the roof and mechanical repairs both are "bargains" submitted by reputable contractors.

Standard Roofing of Montgomery submitted the lowest of five bids for the roofing job at $922,218. H&M Mechanical Co. submitted the lowest of five bids for the mechanical upgrades and carpool canopy at $998,900. The next lowest bid was $1.2 million.

The four schools slated to get mechanical upgrades are Trace Crossings, South Shades Crest, Bluff Park and Shades Mountain elementary schools.

Superintendent Andy Craig noted the roofing job covers about 91,000 square feet of roofing and said Battles and his crew are masters at propping up equipment to keep it working as long as possible instead of replacing it. However, this roof and equipment are past their time, he said.

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Hoover school board approves $2 million in roofing, mechanical upgrades amid financial pressures