Vancouver Bans the Skipping of "Unlucky Numbers" For Floors on New Buildings

[DonLever]

From CTV news:

The city of Vancouver has issued a bulletin requiring developers to abstain from omitting certain floor numbers from new buildings in an effort to simplify the work of first responders. In short, the days of skipping 'unlucky' numbers such as 4 and 13 are numbered.

As of Oct. 20, the city requires all new buildings to follow a consecutive, increasing number system for floor and suite lettering. Simply put: you can't skip any numbers

Existing buildings that have avoided a traditional numbering system may be required to change numbers on a case-by-case basis.

Certain buildings across Vancouver have omitted the number four or 13 from floors and suites as part of a cultural trend against "bad luck."

Thirteen has been long considered an unlucky number in Western culture. There's even a phobia called triskaidekaphobia where sufferers will avoid any use of 13.

In Chinese culture, the number four is considered unlucky due to its pronunciation sounding similar to "death."

"Four, 13 any other number people want to skip for whatever reason, we're putting back in and basically putting a normal mathematical sequence of numbers into a building design," said Pat Ryan, the city's chief building officer.

Ryan says the range of numbering formats was complicating the work of first responders and making it harder to respond.

"Particularly when they're doing external entry into a building, the last thing you need is them having some confusion over what floor they're responding to," he said. "We are just ensuring we don't have confusion at a critical point of time when you don't want confusion."

Real estate marketer Bob Rennie says the practice has long affected how companies construct buildings.

"For years, four has been left out," he said. "It's just something that is long overdue."

However, he doesn't expect the new rule to assuage the city's demanding real estate market.

"The big question is 'Is this going to hurt real estate?' Absolutely not," he told CTV Vancouver

[DonLever]

Finally, the City is acting on the overheated housing market.  Maybe now we can get cheaper prices on the 4th, 13th, and 14th floors

[inane]

I can't believe this is even a thing.

[Kragar]

 I wonder how much will get spent aligning existing buildings up to this new law.  But then, when you consider the impact to first-responders, I guess this really could save some lives.

[TOMapleLaughs]

Now the first responders will be able to get to the accursed 4th and 13th floor victims a lot faster.

Good work.

[Tre Mac]

Racist crackers

[DonLever]

Conversely, do condos on the lucky 7th and 8th (lucky for Chinese people) floors sell for a premium? 

Or do they sell out faster?

[Canada Hockey Place]

Good. 

 

 

  

[Hobble]

All the 14th floor people knew what floor they were really on.

[inane]

[Mr.DirtyDangles]

Curious does anyone know how any number is considered unlucky ?   I mean is 4 considered unlucky because it is the sum of the 2 digits in the number 13 , because people are freaked out about the number 13 ?  

[Lockout Casualty]

Curious does anyone know how any number is considered unlucky ?   I mean is 4 considered unlucky because it is the sum of the 2 digits in the number 13 , because people are freaked out about the number 13 ?  

Phonetically 4 sounds like "death" in Chinese. 5 sounds like "not".

5 is bad. 4 is bad. 54 is good.

[Neversummer]

Curious does anyone know how any number is considered unlucky ?   I mean is 4 considered unlucky because it is the sum of the 2 digits in the number 13 , because people are freaked out about the number 13 ?  

Ask your Chinese friend why.  

[Mr.DirtyDangles]

Phonetically 4 sounds like "death" in Chinese. 5 sounds like "not".

5 is bad. 4 is bad. 54 is good.

I see. So that is why 13 is considered a lucky number to the Chinese

"The digit 1 when it is in the position of tens sounds like the word 'definite' (shi or 实) in Mandarin and dialects such as Cantonese; while the digit 3 sounds like life, living or birth (生)

As a result, 13, which is pronounced as shisan in Mandarin, can mean 'definitely vibrant'.

 

[Lockout Casualty]

I see. So that is why 13 is considered a lucky number to the Chinese

"The digit 1 when it is in the position of tens sounds like the word 'definite' (shi or 实) in Mandarin and dialects such as Cantonese; while the digit 3 sounds like life, living or birth (生)

As a result, 13, which is pronounced as shisan in Mandarin, can mean 'definitely vibrant'.

 

Yeah, I learned some beginner basics of Mandarin just to get a grasp on how it works, and having four words that sound almost the same is effed up (because they have four tones, plus one neutral). If you've ever seen a movie or show where a white guy accidentally calls his mother in law a horse, that's why.

[surtur]

Good. 

 

 

  

finally I can get a room on the 69th floor.

[Mr.DirtyDangles]

Yeah, I learned some beginner basics of Mandarin just to get a grasp on how it works, and having four words that sound almost the same is effed up (because they have four tones, plus one neutral). If you've ever seen a movie or show where a white guy accidentally calls his mother in law a horse, that's why.

I was born with a Cyrillic trained mind and can barely comprehend logographic script never mind Asian dialect or tones lol.  Grew up in Van and was surrounded by Asian culture and never picked up on any of it because all my friends families asked for me to be as casual as possible vocab wise so their kids could learn faster.

 

 

[Lockout Casualty]

I was born with a Cyrillic trained mind and can barely comprehend logographic script never mind Asian dialect or tones lol.  Grew up in Van and was surrounded by Asian culture and never picked up on any of it because all my friends families asked for me to be as casual as possible vocab wise so their kids could learn faster.

 

 

Same here! Check out Korean, that's like a combination of Western and Chinese languages. 

[Mr.DirtyDangles]

Same here! Check out Korean, that's like a combination of Western and Chinese languages. 

Oh wow their alphabet is totally less complicated i had no idea ?  I heard so much Vietnamese growing up that i never even attempted learning any Asian

 

[inane]

After living in Korea, you can learn to read in a weekend, but to pronounce it...lol, I'd get so many blank stares pronouncing my subway stop as sangmun, when it was really ssangmun. But to my ear for the longest time...same thing.