Award

D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 | 65 Landmark 7 R EN D ER I N G CO U RT E S Y M EI K L EJ O H N A RC H I T EC T S I N C .; P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E S Y A L S TO B ER CO N S T RU C T I O N LT D. LANDMARK 7 by ROBIN BRUNET K elowna's Landmark District is already one of the Okanagan's key employment communities, with more than 3,500 people working across a variety of industries ranging from technology to retail – and thanks to the successful recent completion of Landmark 7, it continues to grow. From the outset Landmark 7's developer, Stober Group, intended the District to be one of Kelowna's most desirable business addresses, a campus-style business centre offer- ing custom Class A office spaces and interiors augmented by trendy cof- fee shops and restaurants, retail stores, and professional services. Bob Dagenais, director of devel- opment at Stober Group, points out that, "In 2018 we experienced a 35 percent increase in leases at Landmark District, and the vacancy rate dropped from 15 to two per- cent within a year. This made Landmark 7 critical to our portfo- lio, and we resolved to act quickly." At approximately 450,000 square feet, Landmark 7 is comprised of a 23-storey office tower with 225,000 square feet of Class A office space plus 10,000 square feet of multi- purpose event space complete with a furnished roof, sited on a seven- storey parking structure (it is also the tallest commercial office tower between Calgary and Vancouver). Stober Group worked closely with the City of Kelowna to ensure that the District, of which Landmark 7 is a keystone, would live up to the city's vision and master planning for a mixed-use, high-density neighbour- hood and respond to a revised road and pedestrian network. The lat- ter was achieved partly by the new tower containing a large western urban plaza – with CRUs public art and a water feature – connecting to the other Landmark buildings and offering a direct connection to an existing pedestrian highway overpass. In order to lay the groundwork for the design of Landmark 7, Stober Group staged a one-day workshop with Meiklejohn Architects Inc. and other stakeholders to deter- mine site opportunities. Stoke Tonne, principal at Meiklejohn Architects Inc., says, "Developing the actual build- ing design followed in the spring of 2018, and the plaza – subsequently named the Tree of Hope Public Plaza – was an early consideration." Dagenais says, "We regarded Landmark 7 as the big sister of Landmark 6, but it had to be both visually different yet retain some design similarities." LOCATION 1700 Dickson Avenue, Kelowna, B.C. OWNER /DEVELOPER Stober Group ARCHITECT Meiklejohn Architects Inc. GENER AL CONTR ACTOR Al Stober Construction Ltd. STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT ROV Engineering Consultants MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Reinbold Engineering Group ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Falcon Engineering TOTAL SIZE 450,000 square feet TOTAL COST Undisclosed

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