Award

DECEMBER 2018 | 67 CF Chinook Centre Food Court Modernization PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY CADILLAC FAIRVIEW CF Chinook Centre Food Court Modernization by ROBIN BRUNET E very public facility becomes dated after a while, some pleasingly and some awkwardly so, and arguably a public venue that is more susceptible to looking out of date than others is the shopping mall food court – as was the case in Cadillac Fairview Corporation Ltd.'s CF Chinook Centre in Calgary. Well kept and enthusiastically patronized but hopelessly garish, the food court would receive a $17-million revitalization. Paige O'Neill, general manager of CF Chinook Centre, told the press when the project was announced in 2017, "The food court was last done in 2000, so it's 18 years old and it's time for a redo." She added that the project would include expanding and modernizing units, enhancing décor elements like til- ing, upgrading furniture with communal tables and banquets, and the implemen- tation of sorting stations to improve the overall experience for guests. The project would also include a revamp of the Centre's existing outdoor patio – ultimately, the 30,000 square feet of redeveloped space would feature 835 seats and 20 dining options. The redevelopment would augment several projects at the property, such as a newly opened pedestrian bridge that connects to CF Chinook Centre (the mod- ernized food court would have direct access to this bridge, thus acting as a welcoming arrival experience for incom- ing shoppers). Another upgrade to the centre was a $4.5-million investment to the south portion of the facility, focusing on new tiling and railings. Ian Ross, Cadillac Fairview's senior director, architecture and design, remarks, "GH+A design studios was the designer and Zeidler Architecture the executive architect. GH+A devel- oped the design concept under close supervision from the internal CF Architecture and Design team, and Zeidler documented and adminis- trated the project. As well, Gabriel Mackinnon Lighting Design was an important member of the design team and process." Joni Vallon, project director at GH+A design studios, describes the task her company faced in bringing new life to the food court. "It was very challenging to modernize: it had thematic ambi- ance with a centrally located carousel and brightly coloured oversized ten- ant signs, along with a mixture of floor levels, odd shaped kiosks, and rustic materials," she says. "The space is vast, so the challenge was to make it easy to navigate while offering different styles of seating and environments on a more intimate scale." Ross agrees, noting, "The key design challenge was working with the exist- ing three level space, with careful consideration of sight lines to all retail units and factoring the addition of the new pedestrian bridge traffic flow lead to clearly defining circulation paths through the space. Increasing the seat- ing capacity of the dining hall was also important and addressed by infilling an existing floor opening. "Additional challenges also included working with the existing high open structure in the space, with the deci- sion made early in the design process to leave the space open and clean it up, putting emphasis on elements at the lower levels of the space." LOCATION 6455 Macleod Trail, Calgary, Alberta OWNER/DEVELOPER Cadillac Fairview Corporation Ltd. DESIGN CONSULTANT GH+A Design ARCHITECT Zeidler Architecture GENERAL CONTRACTOR PCL Construction Management Inc. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT RJC Engineers MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Smith + Andersen ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Designcore Engineering Ltd. LIGHTING CONSULTANT Gabriel MacKinnon Lighting Design TOTAL SIZE 30,000 square feet TOTAL COST $17 million

• Cover