Award

M A R C H 2 0 2 3 | 73 The Dorian P H OTO G R A P H Y [E X T ER I O R + TO P T WO I N T ER I O R S] BY P H OTO F US I O N M ED I A /CO U RT E S Y P BA G RO U P O F CO M PA N I E S P H OTO G R A P H Y BY E Y M ER I C W I D L I N G/CO U RT E S Y P BA G RO U P O F CO M PA N I E S THE DORIAN by ROBIN BRUNET I n the hospitality industry, new hotels are often designed before they are flagged by a brand, mean- ing this kind of development is especially complex. But PBA Group of Companies' efforts to develop The Dorian has paid off in spades, with the facility being a four-star Marriott Courtyard and Autograph by Marriott, and a unique addition to Calgary's accommodations portfolio. The 27-storey dual-brand hotel includes 306 luxury rooms (of which 137 are Autograph Collection rooms in the upper levels of the tower and 169 Courtyard Marriott rooms); a res- taurant and lounge on the entire 27th floor with an exterior patio (Calgary's first); a conference centre and fit- ness centre; a bistro; and a four-level underground parkade. The $110-million facility, which was designed by GGA-Architecture, also has two separate lobbies for the two brands: an elegant two-storey volume space for Marriott Courtyard, and a one-of-a-kind Autograph lobby. While much of the interior ambi- ance was inspired by the literary works of Oscar Wilde, the exterior of The Dorian is equally remarkable, consisting of non-traditional massing and canted elevations, with a unit- ized curtain wall and a frit pattern on the north elevation, and the east and west exterior walls made up of zinc- coloured panels with scattered light boxes. Having a distinctive design and sense of arrival was imperative to set the expectations of arriving guests, says Andrew Boblin, SVP of real estate and development for PBA. Vince Dods, partner at GGA- Architecture, says the project originated in 2014 with all parties determining how best to maximize the yield on site: "The property was a challenge in that it had limited access and street frontage, was situated mid- block, and was only 16,000 square feet – so it was imperative to create a stacked floorplate." Also, due to the proximity of neighbouring buildings, glazing would have to be oriented on the north and south sides only. GGA and PBA developed a variety of design iterations, and the one that was ultimately selected included active street integration and other elements. "Our goal was to invigorate the street, hence we located the bistro just off the street instead of deep in the interior, plus we incorporated extensive glaz- ing in the two lobbies so pedestrians could see interior activity," Dods says. Dods adds that the street level lobby for Autograph is really an entry to ele- vators that whisk guests to a lobby on the 27th floor. "It was a great solution to not having enough space to properly represent the brand on the ground level," he says. "With the 27th level lobby, guests are greeted with pan- oramic views of the city." CHIL Interior Design created design elements throughout Autograph that are reminiscent of the Victorian era, from the rich royal blue corridors to the penny mosaic on the floors indicat- ing floor numbers, as well as custom millwork, carpets, wall coverings, and matching fabrics drawing on the colours of a peacock. CHIL also gave the Prologue Café a heavily patterned classical mosaic floor reminiscent of a Parisian bar, and for the upscale Wilde restaurant on the 27th floor it incorpo- rated the green millwork found in the lobby and a custom-designed tile geo- metric floor pattern that mimics the façade of the building. Ground broke on the project in 2019, with EllisDon deftly surmount- ing the challenges associated with working on a tight site and, eventually, also adhering to the stringent safety requirements mandated by COVID. In June of 2021, EllisDon and PBA announced the official topping off of The Dorian; Jeff Fox, senior VP at EllisDon, pointed out that the mile- stone was accomplished "in large part due to the efforts of our subsidiary, EllisDon Forming. The concrete struc- ture has been topped off on schedule and been built with a high degree of quality and safety." Patricia Phillips, CEO of PBA, noted that not only will The Dorian cre- ate 150 jobs for the local economy but also benefit the hard-hit hospitality and tourism sector as it recovers from the pandemic restrictions. In addi - tion, The Dorian allows PBA to take a proactive part in the rebuilding and recovery of Calgary's downtown core. For his part, Dods regards The Dorian as the latest in a long line of successful collaborations between his firm and PBA. "They are fantastic cli- ents, and we love working with them because they constantly challenge us and help evolve great design ideas." A LOCATION 525 5 Street SW, Calgary, Alberta OWNER /DEVELOPER PBA Group of Companies ARCHITECT GGA-Architecture GENER AL CONTR ACTOR EllisDon Construction STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT Entuitive MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Remedy Engineering ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT SMP Engineering INTERIOR DESIGN CHIL Interior Design TOTAL SIZE 212,000 square feet TOTAL COST $110 million

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