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J U N E 2 0 2 2 | 65 Westview Residence West – Silvera at Glamorgan P H OTO G R A P H Y BY ROY O O M S – L I G H T WO R K S P H OTO G R A P H Y/CO U RT E S Y S I LV ER A FO R S EN I O R S; R EN D ER I N GS CO U RT E S Y S2 A RC H I T EC T U R E WESTVIEW RESIDENCE WEST – SILVERA AT GLAMORGAN by LAURIE JONES W hen it comes time for seniors to move to a residence that suits their changing needs, but still maintains a sense of style, choosing a home can be a challenge. But for residents of Calgary, the five- storey, 82-unit Westview Residence West checks many boxes, and some that weren't even on the radar. Located in the Glamorgan neigh- bourhood in southwest Calgary, Westview Residence West is part of the Westview campus, which includes the Westview Town Suites support- ive living complex. "This project was funded by Silvera and supported through the National Housing Strategy and co-investment funds," says Lorne Robertson, chief development officer with the Silvera for Seniors organiza- tion. "Westview Residence West is a mix of one- and two-bedroom rental units, with 30 percent being offered at below-market rate for low-income seniors, and the other 70 percent are at well-priced market value," Robertson says. "It provides seniors with a bridge in housing between independence and supported living, and helps them through the aging process." Robertson says nine suites have been designed with barrier-free options and all suites are designed to Universal Design standards to sup- port mobility and access. All units are self-contained, including kitchens, but residents have a dining package for some of their meals prepared by pro- fessional chefs and access to activities at the adjacent Westview Town Suites con- nected through immediate adjacencies and 12-month, safe access through energy efficient heated sidewalks. Within the building, two common area spaces were created to encourage resident engagement. "One is a living room type of environment that has beautiful southwest views of the Rocky Mountains and the Elbow River Valley, and the other encourages participat- ing in indoor or outdoor activities. These areas can be transformed to support a multitude of activities from family gatherings to card parties to movie theatre," Robertson explains. "In addition to these, residents have full access to the Westview Town Square, with a corner store, salon, creative space, fitness area, planting room, and the Learning Centre." Madeleine Schmidts, principal at S2 Architecture, says many resi- dents have their own tablets so they can use their own secure network within the suite or use the public net- work in the building. "Residents can take part in live learning opportuni- ties from universities, libraries, and Silvera supporting lifelong learning and engagement with other Silvera Communities," she says. The interior design speaks to cre- ating a relaxing and interactive environment, keeping safety for the seniors in mind. "For the amenity spaces, we used luxury vinyl tile that looks like hardwood flooring and is coved up the wall for easy cleaning and sanitation," says Schmidts." At each level, the elevator lobby offers seating areas so residents can leave their suite and interact with neigh- bours, or just enjoy reading in a quiet area with beautiful mountain and river valley views. "We speci- fied beautiful mural wall coverings on each of the floors so as the elevator door opens, people will see a differ- ent mural that matches a specific colour palette, including matching furnishing. This makes it easy for the residents to recognize their floor." Genevieve Giguere, principal with S2 Architecture, led the design team for exterior features at Westview Residence West. "The cladding is a mix of cultured stone and phenolic panels – souvenir cladding with a wood grain to warm up the building," she explains. "It also ties into the comprehensive master plan approach for the exterior materials. All the Westview buildings will be similar, but not identical." Between the two current build- ings is a plaza that features outdoor seating among a mix of soft landscape and hardscape with pergolas, giving residents a choice of sunny or shaded area. "It just offers diversity in terms of being able to enjoy the outdoors," says Giguere, noting another enter- tainment feature includes picnic tables that double as game boards. "We also included a loop of heated sidewalks to promote mobility during the winter without snow and icy sidewalks. This provides safety for the residents as they move between buildings." Adding to the exterior design is a herringbone heated concrete ramp leading to the underground parking area. "The building has an under- ground parkade, storage lockers and bike/scooter storage, along with elec- tric car and scooter charging," says Nicholas Elliott, project manager at Bird Construction. Elliott adds another feature is the emergency generator that will keep all the life safety items including elevators and suite elec- trical running for 24 hours. A LOCATION 5000 - 50 Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta OWNER /DEVELOPER Silvera for Seniors ARCHITECT S2 Architecture: Architectural and Interior Design GENER AL CONTR ACTOR Bird Construction STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT Entuitive Consulting Engineers MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Remedy Engineering ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT SMP Engineering L ANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Urban Systems CIVIL CONSULTANT Veritas Development Solutions TOTAL SIZE 67,000 square feet TOTAL COST $51.9 million

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