Award

e nyone who has experienced Saskatchewan's big sky will agree that the "Land of Living Skies" is more than a marketing catchphrase or a licence plate slogan; it's the real deal. Residents of the province's capital city will soon have the opportunity to marvel at those dynamic skies from their very own perches on the edge of Regina's downtown. Centre Square Place is a 10-storey, 71-unit luxury condominium development designed to offer its occupants one-of-a-kind views of the living skies, historic College Avenue and Wascana Park – one of the largest urban parks in the world. The project is the result of an unusually close collaboration between Wayne Hydeman, president of Centre Square Developments, and Kirk Banadyga, lead architect on the project for Number TEN Architectural Group. "After discussing with city planners what their preferences were, I made some sketches and shared them with Kirk," says Hydeman. At Banadyga's urging, the project evolved from a 56-unit building to a more upscale building designed to be unique in the Regina housing market. "I've always admired architects," Hydeman observes, "and as Kirk explored what he thought might work, I said, 'Why not?' I didn't want anything overly dramatic, but I also didn't want just another box building." It's not often in an architect's career that a client takes a leap of faith and departs from the norm of the local marketplace. It was also a departure from Hydeman's original concept, but one that turned into "a great collaboration," says Banadyga. As the project evolved, Hydeman insisted on a few requirements: that the building be of soundproof concrete construction and that it be extremely energy efficient – both attractive sales features for the building's eventual condo owners. In addition, the building's site location and esthetic considerations also influenced some of the design choices. Banadyga used ellipses that curve out from the building's core on all four sides on the residential levels to give the building's facade a distinctive look. "With the distinctive look of ellipses and radius walls, a Dryvit Outsulation system with Sandpebble finish was chosen for the lower two floors, balconies and radius walls because of the greater design flexibility and Centre Square Place p70-73The Legends_Centre Square Place.indd 71 courtesy Number Ten Architectural Group A Centre Square Place by Bill Armstrong energy-efficiency performance that EIFS offers, which exceeds the latest building and energy code requirements," adds Tim Cameron, Dryvit Systems Canada sales representative for the Prairies region. "When it comes to sustainability, a Dryvit EIFS cladding is more costeffective throughout its lifecycle because the manufacturing process requires less energy than other common claddings. After application, Outsulation systems continue to keep heating and cooling costs low for the life of the building," says Cameron. The facade also features large expanses of glass on all levels, allowing light in and accentuating the views both into the building and from the interior to the environment outside. "Having been born and raised in Saskatchewan, I know how important the horizon and the sky are to people here, so why not feature the panoramic skyline?" Banadyga comments. "At the same time we wanted the ground level plaza space to be pedestrian-friendly. We have an extensive two-storey glass facade that opens visually to Broad Street, so that passersby will experience the retail shop activity inside on the main level and people inside will connect with street activity. The twostorey facade also makes for an impressive lobby area. We rejected abovegrade parking so that the building will better contribute to the neighbourhood and the downtown." Banadyga adds that in the residential units above ground level, he felt it was The cherry on top will be the breathtaking views from the building's 11th storey – a circular green roof that is the first of its kind for a residential building in Regina. It will feature a south-facing glass-enclosed fitness room plus an outdoor walking track, lounge and barbeque areas. "Having been born and raised in Saskatchewan, I know how important the horizon and the sky are to people here, so why not feature the panoramic skyline?" – Kirk Banadyga, architect Number TEN Architectural Group important that people make an immediate connection with the sky and the horizon. This is particularly the case in the corner units, he says, where, "the further you enter into the suite the more the skyline opens up to you and becomes more dynamic. I believe the corner living rooms will be spectacular, particularly during a Prairie thunderstorm, a Prairie sunrise or one of our famous sunsets." The building's mechanical equipment is situated on the north side, with the best views on the other three sides. The roof will collect rainwater for storage in a 40,000-litre underground storage tank, which in turn will provide irrigation water for the landscaped roof. Landscape architect Laureen Snook of Crosby Hanna & Associates chose decorative perennials and grasses, october 2013    /71 13-09-13 4:06 PM

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