VictorEric Design Journal Our Latest News & Thoughts On The Design Industry

Hong Kong welcomes about 400,000 Canadian visitors a year.  The fast-paced hustle and bustle of the city is equally matched by the indulgent spa treatments offered in their luxury hotels.

Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong is one of the newer hotels, with glass towers sporting a spa on the 118th floor.  Here you can view the busy harbour below, have access to a swimming pool and hot tub enclosed in glass.  Then you can be whisked off in a bathrobe to receive the hot Lava Shell Body Treatment which promises to melt away muscle tension.

If you’re looking for a comprehensive spa experience, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel has its own two-storey wellness centre encompassing yoga classes, pilates classes and personal consults with holistic experts.  Their most indulgent treatment is called the Imperial Jade Ritual.  It consists of a two-hour Chinese massage, a rice & sesame scrub, a green tea & algae body mask and facial, and treatment options designed specifically for men and women.

For those with a smaller budget, there are many local massage centres that offer reflexology.  The Happy Foot chain offers hotfoot baths and kneading of all those tired soles and toes.  And if you’re looking for free relaxation, you can always view the botanical garden with its fish ponds and waterfalls.

To read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/Spas+offer+respite+from+bustle+Hong+Kong/5979356/story.html

The luxury housing market is finally starting to cool down, after ten years of rising prices.  The drop was visible in the latter half of 2011, with 454 homes worth over $3 million sold in the first half of the year. 

In 2011, the most expensive home sold was $16.8 million, with the most expensive condo sold at $10.1 million. 

Due to record breaking house prices in the last few years, it is not surprising that the market for luxury homes is starting to stabilize.  Furthermore, with houses steadily reaching the $3 million mark, there are more houses than ever entering the luxury home market.

To read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Luxury+home+sales+surge+record/5975525/story.html

Developer, Onni Group, saves a project in West Vancouver at Evelyn Drive. 

This huge 20-acre property at Evelyn Drive was originally to be developed by Millennium Group.  However, it failed to get much support as residents believed the highrises would block the view and worsen already bad traffic.  In fact, by 2006, most Evelyn Drive residents had moved out. 

Finally, when the site master plan was approved after many community hearings, the recession and cost overruns of their other project, the Olympic Village, had forced them into receivership.

This neglected construction site has now been built up by Onni Group and will be ready for a grand opening later this month.  It is in a prime location of West Vancouver, with trails leading residents straight to Park Royal.  The floor-to-ceiling glass building designed by Nick Milkovich Architects and Walter Francl Architecture offers 105 modern homes, with up to two bedrooms and a large open deck for southerly views. 

For the full article:  http://www.vancouversun.com/Onni+Group+breathes+life+into+Evelyn/5961810/story.html

According to the StatsCan report, immigrants who have settled into Vancouver are finding that their health has declined.  As many as 1 in 10 report that they arrived in the country in good health, only to find themselves in poor health four years later.

The report gives clues into reasons why this is so, and it is believed that these reason not only apply to immigrants but also non-immigrants. 

One well-known reason is the housing issue in Vancouver.  Expensive housing has led to uncomfortable cramped living and long commutes to work.  Another reason is the lack of health facilities throughout Vancouver, with most facilities concentrated only in metro Vancouver.  A third reason is the need for “family reunification”, where in particular South Asians are bringing in their older parents and grandparents with borderline health. 

Finally, there is the issue of employment.  This city has a tough job market, with men in particular falling into depression from underemployment or unemployment, while their wives are more successful in the job market. 

To read more:  http://www.vancouversun.com/Metro+Vancouver+immigrants+health/5961687/story.html

It’s no surprise, but from the latest property assessments, West Vancouver is leading the way with housing prices.  And Richmond is following suit, being favoured by foreign investors.  However, what is surprising, is the degree to which West Vancouver has jumped up – by nearly one-third!

Other areas are on the rise, but no so dramatically:

16.4%  Vancouver, 12.2%  Burnaby, 7.6%  North Vancouver, 7.9% Surrey, 6.9% Coquitlam, 5.1% North Vancouver city, and 5.2% New Westminister.

Although, there are a few areas where property value is going down.  Whistler, Pemberton and Squamish are down, with Whistler and Pemberton down by as much as 15% .  

To read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/business/West+home+values+soar+nearly+third/5943980/story.html

The housing issue in Vancouver is hard to ignore, with the latest Occupy movement drawing even more attention to it.  With rising rental prices and rental housing shortages, it comes as no suprise that Vancouverites feel driven away from living in their own city.

One developer, Reliance Properties, is determined to change this by introducing the first innovative ”Micro-lofts”.  This is the smallest unit design ever passed through Council, being only 270 square feet in size.  They will be built in Downtown Eastside, bringing people back into the heart of the city. 

These units provide a fold-down bed, a fold-away table, a galley kitchen and a small area dedicated for the shower, sink and toilet.  What makes this design remarkable is that these suites are not only affordable, with rent starting from $650 per month, or the fact that it is designed to allow a couple to live in comfortably, but it is also beautiful. 

VictorEric believes that any space, no matter how small, can be made beautiful and livable.  VictorEric is a true Vancouverite, supporting innovative solutions to the housing issues in our beloved city.

For the full article: http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100125/bc_micro_lofts_100125/20100126/?hub=BritishColumbia#.Tu-MR5HDyzY.email

With the Christmas season nearing, the daunting task of finding just the right present is upon us.

Why not alleviate the stress and do something good for the environment by purchasing an eco-friendly gift?  We don’t even need to leave our seats, we can go online and scroll through luxury gifts as low as $25. 

Take a look at www.treehugger.com today and stumble upon gifts that are both interesting and great for the planet.

There are huge polluting companies throughout the world, such as companies that manufacture cement or mine for coal.  However, there is one giant coal mining company in South Africa that is changing its ways to make their activites more eco-friendly for the world.

AngloAmerican has decided to make good use of their waste by-product called gypsum.  Gypsum is a non-toxic mineral that is soluble when wet, but also incredibly hard when dry.  They experimented with gypsum and found that when mixed with cement, it stays waterproof and can continue to stay dry.

From this, an eco-friendly brick can be made which is even better than traditional cement bricks because it is harder with greater sound and heat insulation.  As this brick is composed of less cement there is less of a need for cement manufacture which substantially reduces the amount of the pollutant carbon dioxide.

So far, AngloAmerican have built 62 houses with these eco-friendly bricks, and plan to build another 400 to house their entire workforce. 

Head of Minerals at the British Geological Survey, Andrew Bloodworth, is a little sceptical that gypsum is a safe material to use because it is water soluble and will lose its hard properties as soon as it gets wet. 

Peter Gunther, AngloAmerican’s head of sustainable development has responded to concerns saying “the brick mixture has been subjected to the most rigorous trials by the South African Bureau of Standards, and passed without any problems.”

For the full article: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/23/world/africa/coal-mine-gypsum-bricks-south-africa/?hpt=hp_c2

The amount of money that churns through the residential construction industry is mind boggling.  When you look at last year,  for 260 work days there was $14.9 billion, breaking down to an average of $57.3 million a day across BC.  It even dwarfs the ship building industry which is only worth $8 billion spread over 30 years.

The impact this has on the economy and the lives of every day people is substantial.  The steady stream of jobs means a stable support for families, even workers in secondary industries reap the benefits.  Unfortunately, the construction industry doesn’t get a lot of publicity, nor does it get enough support politically. 

The looming issue is that the ambiguous HST transition rules is expected to slow down the construction industy.  This is because new home buyers are struggling with tax and are desperate for tax relief from the government. 

The news is a little better for the rental housing industry.  After 2 years of steady work, the Coalition have slowly gathered support throughout different levels of government to collectively deal with the rental housing shortage and rising homelessness.  Their discussions at a conference that was held recently had resulted in positive support, however there  is still a long journey before any changes are instigated.

For the full article:  http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/home+buyers+need+relief/5738050/story.html

For the first time in 30 years, Canada has opened it’s first purpose-built law school in the University of British Columbia. 

This building design has moved away from the design of traditional Law faculties and embraced an open, inviting and flexible environment. It incorporates blond, butter-coloured bricks and Douglas fir millwork and panelling to bring a warm environment, coupled with the amazing views of Howe Sound and the coastal mountains.

Architecture firm, Diamond and Schmitt Architects, worked with CEI Architecture Planning Interiors of Vancouver to design this 141,000 square foot, five-story building.   The Law Faculty wanted to engage students and be part of the university, so the building was designed with a wide range of study spaces for its law students as well as a lecture hall to hold the entire school population.

It is no surprise that this $65 million building with its double height library and fourth-floor sculpture garden is in the running for a LEED Gold designation.

For the full article: http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=17658