Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1506758
64 | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 3 Civic 66 of its sunburst pattern inset into the precast concrete podium, etched into the balcony guards, and perforated into the windscreens." Rebecca Mayburry, ABA's senior interior designer, adds, "The sunburst pattern was also represented in the lobby with circular light fixtures, and we augmented this with lots of fun colours and patterns representing the arts and entertainment components of Kitchener's downtown." Melloul-Blamey broke ground on the site in late 2020, and Brent Smith, ABA's architectural project man- ager, says, "Drilling extended as deep as 600 feet for the geothermal sys- tem; and since construction was at the height of the pandemic, labour shortages and cost escalation of mate- rials had to be dealt with. There were challenges interfacing the traditional underground parking lot with the pre- cast building components, but precast provided many benefits to construc- tion, one of the most obvious being that the panels arrived on site ready to be installed, with no pouring necessary." Another challenge Melloul-Blamey is credited for handling deftly thanks to precise scheduling was the site itself. "There were significant con- straints given that our project flanked a busy main street," Smith explains, adding that careful consideration was also paid to landscaping the edge of the property to help preserve the privacy of the neighbouring single- family residences. Comparatively small undertakings were executed with equal care. "The heritage home was renovated and repurposed as a two-storey duplex," says Andrew Bousfield, ABA's president. For her part, Curtis is excited by the finished results. "In addition to providing fantastic tenant spaces and urban-style touches such as a garage door-style opening to tenant spaces on the northeast side, Civic 66 ful- fills its goal of being a transition from Kitchener's residential neighbourhood to downtown," she says. "The architec- tural details are truly outstanding." A LOCATION 66 Weber Street E., Kitchener, Ontario OWNER /DEVELOPER Killam Apartment REIT ARCHITECT ABA Architects Inc. GENER AL CONTR ACTOR Melloul-Blamey Construction STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT MTE Consultants Inc. MECHANICAL /ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT DEI & Associates Inc. L ANDSCAPE ARCHITECT MHBC Planning Limited TOTAL SIZE 164,000 square feet TOTAL COST $48.5 million P H OTO G R A P H Y BY RO B J ACU K /CO U RT E S Y K I L L A M A PA RT M EN T R EI T