bill macewen

Commercial Real Estate

27.06.08

Filed Under: Architecture, Vancouver, Real Estate, Business with 0 Comments

Back in August I was approached by a local developer to expand WorkSpace into a building downtown. I looked extensively at the proposal, but ultimately turned it down. In the mean time though, I developed a good relationship with the company. They were still looking for a solution for the building, so I took on the job of project manager.

My objective was to take the 1950’s 5 storey building, which had gone through innumberable mickey mouse renovations over the years, and turn it into a series of big open contemporary spaces where people would want to work. The approach was to reveal the building’s slab structure, and frame it as a feature. I quickly hired David and Heather to develop a design for the units.
Over the last ten months, the building has undergone extensive interior demolition, code, and infrastructure upgrades. The waffle slab (ish) ceiling revealed itself to be rich in texture. The concrete and aggregate had oozed through the forming in places, leaving an almost creepy appearance in its original grey color.

We started spraying the ceiling white, and putting in new washrooms. B+H carried a half inch reveal around the door jams and between the ceiling and drywall. The floor was ground down and given a fresh epoxy coat andfinally the heater grills were replaced with a new MDF design that really gave the space character.

Right now the office portion of the building is nearly complete, with lobby and entry work pending. The designs that have been developed for those areas are truly striking, but they’re still in the approval process so I can’t say much. Except for that they’ll make a landmark out of a building that 10 months ago was falling apart.
455Granville.wordpress.com

Management By Absence.

27.06.08

Filed Under: Business, Personal with 1 Comment

I’ve been considering business school for a long time now. It’s been in the mix among other things, a cycling carrer, a masters in architecture, and business itsef… but I’ve always hesitated. Last fall while trying to narrow things down, Dane recommended that I look into Babson College, and I immediately had the impression that this school was different. They are all about innovation and entrepreneurship, they say. So I submitted an application and went to Boston to visit.

The idea of an “MBA” sort of turned me off. I pictured a bunch of booksmart kids in a room studying statistics and prepping themselves for a career at the bank. Babson’s not like that. The people I met were totally down to earth, full of real world experience and looking to build on it with a practical education. Most of the students I talked to had already run their own business. There’s even a class that collaborates with students from RISD to come up with solutions to bring their design ideas to market. Whaaaaaat you wont get that at Queens!

With the exception of Stanford, there is no other MBA program that I would really want to partake in. The people at Babson sold me on the school, and got me excited about the MBA aswell. This Wednesday I’m packin’ up my gear and moving east!

Rauschenberg Died Yesterday.

13.05.08

Filed Under: Architecture, Personal with 0 Comments

He owned a big chunk of captiva. Images here.

Dal Grauer.

07.05.08

Filed Under: Architecture, Vancouver, Real Estate with 0 Comments

Great post at Beyond Robson.

Now, as we approach the end of the monumental Podium Tower boom, it is becoming increasingly important that we incent land owners and developers to undertake these small restoration projects and reintroduce architectural diversity to the city. The Dal Grauer building is clearly overdue!

A Low Ceiling.

18.01.08

Filed Under: Uncategorized with 0 Comments

A Low Ceiling., originally uploaded by MacEwen.

Economics of Gifting.

09.12.07

Filed Under: Business, Personal with 0 Comments

“Last year, more than $8,000,000,000 was wasted on these [gift certificates]. Not in the value spent, but in fees and breakage. When you give a card, if it doesn’t get used, someone ends up keeping your money, and it’s not the recipient. People spent more than eight billion dollars for nothing… buying a product that isn’t as good as cash.”

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/11/the-8-billion-s.html