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Firm hopeful Erickson tower will be completed – Metro US

Firm hopeful Erickson tower will be completed

There are hopes that a 60-storey skyscraper design by the late Arthur Erickson can still be constructed in downtown Vancouver, according to the firm developing the project.

Erickson’s twisting tower, The Residences at the Ritz-Carlton, was slated to rise on West Georgia Street this year.

However, the building was halted in the wake of the global economic crisis. Those who purchased condominiums at the project are going to have their deposits returned.

Speculation has been rife that the eye-catching Erickson tower will be shelved in favour of a less ambitious design, if anything is built at all.

But in an interview with Metro, Holborn Group president Joo Kim Tiah said his company still wants to see the Erickson skyscraper plan rise on the prime downtown site — if the City of Vancouver wants to work with him.

“We’re telling the city that we want to keep the design,” he said. “If I can make it happen, that’s what I want to do.”

The developer is looking to re-price the project by taking advantage of lowered costs for construction and raw materials. “We need to bring the cost down on this building,” he said.

The recent passing away of Erickson, one of Canada’s most accomplished architects, has put a new focus on shoring up the Vancouver native’s hometown legacy.