Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1385297
J U N E 2 0 2 1 | 77 CX Grandin R EN D ER I N G CO U RT E SY C A N T I RO CX GRANDIN by ROBIN BRUNET T he CX Grandin residential tower in Edmonton is a smart and classy contribution to the rap- idly evolving Grandin neighbourhood of young professionals, students, and families. But the irony of the proj- ect is that it began life as a six-storey mass timber building, advanced to the point where Cantiro (previously Beaverbrook Developments) had sub- mitted for a development permit. Chris Felizardo, project man- ager at Cantiro, explains, "We had designed an $18-million hybrid mass timber project and had even launched presales in 2018 when the City of Edmonton updated its R A9 zoning in June 2018 to allow for much more den- sity on the site. At the same time, the owner of the lot beside us asked if we wanted to purchase his land, which made circumstances ideal for a tower. Four weeks later the purchase was made, and we were full steam ahead on designing a new 21-storey struc- ture, which was in keeping with other high-rises recently completed or in development in the neighbourhood." Located between two existing LRT stations and a host of other public amenities, GEC Architecture designed CX Grandin for ease-of-access and high-quality living experiences. The building's 222 homes range from studio to three-bedroom units to four-bedroom dorm units and three-bedroom townhomes, thus encouraging a mixture of family types and ages. Peter Osborne, partner at GEC Architecture, says the design benefit- ted from Cantiro's desire "to innovate with everything they do, hence the idea to create the 'CX Flats,' the co-living dorms on the second and third floors, and an amenities floor with mezzanine at the top of the tower. We worked very closely with Cantiro to ensure this floor would truly be special, with a café, fit- ness area, lounge, games room, and outdoor recreation spaces." To say the project moved quickly would be an understatement. "Our work began in the spring of 2019, and excavation on the site began in late 2019 with the demolition of two houses and a small walk up apartment build- ing," says Osborne. "A distinct benefit was that we had just finished the first two phases of the West Block project for Cantiro, so we better understood the company's design ethos. Also, we had worked in the past with ITC Construction and understood their process of building." The overall goal was to create a clean, modern, boutique-style appear- ance for CX Grandin, hence a bold black and white colour scheme for the exterior with pops of colour. A double- height entry and a plaza with sloping retaining walls imparted a sense of elegance. "The lobby has direct access to the townhomes, eight of which face 110 Street and whose porches with angled planters provide screening," says Osborne. As with any tower designed with a window wall glazing system, great care was taken to properly balance the window to wall ratio. "Heat recovery ventilation in each home allowed us to meet new energy efficiency require- ments, while providing floor-to-ceiling LOCATION 10022 110 Street NW Edmonton, Alberta OWNER /DEVELOPER Cantiro ARCHITECT GEC Architecture GENER AL CONTR ACTOR ITC Construction AB Inc. STRUCTUR AL / BUILDING ENVELOPE CONSULTANT RJC Engineers MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Reinbold Engineering MECHANICAL DESIGN/BUILD Master Mechanical P&H ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Nemetz (S/A) Engineering L ANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Design North Landscape Architecture GEOTECHNICAL CONSULTANT Shelby Engineering Ltd. TOTAL SIZE 16,950 square metres TOTAL COST $48.6 million