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courtesy Al Stober Construction Ltd. while building on existing visual cues: a curtainwall design of spandrel glass and horizontal glazing caps plays off the precast concrete panels of buildings one and two and the all-glass design of buildings three, four and five; lightweight aluminum panel detailing offers a fresh, modern take on the concrete parapets of the older towers. The project also features a 446stall parkade, contained in a structure beside the building, rather than beneath it. "This allows the main floor of Landmark 6 to open directly to a generous pedestrian plaza, with opportunities for landscaping and public art for an improved user experience," Meiklejohn explains. "Rooftop services have been carefully organized and concealed by building elements to allow this highly visible building to present a clean and neat appearance to the community." The pedestrian plaza connects to a walking and cycling overpass, which offers users a safe crossing over the busy six-lane Highway 97, and encourages physical activity. "Many of the tenant employees in our buildings are professionals or working in technologybased companies who are striving for a balanced lifestyle which includes physical fitness," says Kumpf. The overpass also connects to Kelowna's new rapid transit service, which could provide strong incentive for reduced vehicular use and emissions. Structured around a cast-in-place concrete column and slab system (with the same materials used for the building's elevator shaft and emergency exit stairwells), the Landmark 6 is built to last. "Excellent ground conditions enabled the building to be founded on conventional footings," elaborates structural engineer Dan Bergman, principal at CWMM Consulting Engineers. "The central core incorporates the shearwalls, forming the lateral resisting system for the building. The rooftop mechanical space is housed within a two-storey steel braced frame structure atop the concrete building." For the exterior, high-performance vision glass was trimmed with preformed aluminum paneling for a modern, high-tech appearance. The full-height windows offer a steady stream of natural light – a pleasant feature for office workers, and for power conservation. Landmark 6 is aiming for LEED Silver or Gold status, but that's hardly surprising, given Landmark Centre's green reputation. "Other buildings on the campus were among the first office buildings in Kelowna to utilize ground-source heat pumps and heat recovery on air systems," says Al Stober, owner of Al Stober Construction. "Landmark 6 will expand upon the energy efficiency of the campus and exceed normal standards." The tower will feature power redundancy, "including dual sub-station feeds, access to on-site generators, route diverse and redundant fibre connectivity from multiple carriers." The curtainwalls are glazed for optimal insulation and lighting. A Direct Digital Control system is used to monitor and maintain temperature, while the heat pump ventilation system is configured to take advantage of heat recovery from interior spaces; outside, heat pipes do the job. "Central ground Landmark 6 by Stacey McLachlan he campus-style Landmark Centre has long been a hub for Kelowna's business community and technology sector. Currently, the five Landmark towers act as home for 100 companies and their 2,000 employees, and a brand new sixth tower, the Landmark 6, looks to provide even more space. "The vacancy rate at the centre has been extremely low for years, and many successful companies who make Landmark Centre their home have been growing their businesses," says Steve Kumpf, director of leasing for developer Al Stober Construction Ltd. "The addition of Landmark 6 will provide us with the space necessary to more effectively and efficiently assist our existing tenants manage their office space needs." "Kelowna for many years has been recognized as the business centre for the entire Okanagan Valley. The Landmark complex in Kelowna is located at the geographic centre of our city. We needed a signature building that gave the business park easy recognition," explains Kumpf. Luckily, as the tallest of the towers, Landmark 6 "had an opportunity to claim its place as the central defining piece in the development," architect Jim Meiklejohn of Meiklejohn Architects explains. The 18-storey building stands apart from its predecessors, T Landmark 6 p66-67Landmark6.indd 67 source heat pumps will offset large portions of the heating load by transferring heat from the Landmark 3 geothermal field," says Stober. "The minimal amount of fossil fuel heat required will be provided by high-efficiency condensing boilers." Office spaces are outfitted with compact fluorescents and LED lighting, as well as day-lighting controls and switching controls – and that's just the beginning, says electrical consultant Ian Grannary of Falcon Engineering Ltd. "No one's moved in yet, so it's a blank canvas. It'll be up to the tenants to decide what they want to do with their lighting. Daylight harvesting could be a possibility." No project is without its problems, of course. "Determining a suitable core configuration allowing for a variation of openings at the lower levels was the most significant design challenge," says Bergman, crediting coordination with the architect for a smooth process. For construction supervisor Harry Issler, the elevator pits posed the biggest problem. "They were below the water table by four feet. We had to get really creative with our pumps." With such a solid team and strong vision, though, these difficulties haven't slowed down the project: on schedule for completion and on budget, it looks like Landmark 6 is right on track. It isn't all business at Landmark Centre, though. The Landmark 6 tower will contain retail shops, services and amenities for the employees and other Kelowna residents who use the business park daily. "At the end of the day, it's not really about buildings," Kumpf reflects. "Landmark is about the thousands of people who come to work every morning. It's about a high-tech community. People with jobs provide energy for our community. People are the heartbeat of the Landmark business centre. They are the inspiration behind why we do and what we do, we design and build a business park for the benefit of all who live here." ■ LOCATION 1631 Dickson Avenue Kelowna, B.C. OWNER/DEVELOPER/ GENERAL CONTRACTOR Al Stober Construction Ltd. ARCHITECT Meiklejohn Architects STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT CWMM Consulting Engineers MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Stantec Consulting Ltd. ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Falcon Engineering Ltd. civil CONSULTANT CTQ Consultants Inc. TOTAL AREA 229,030 square feet TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST Undisclosed december 2012 /67 11/16/12 3:38 PM