Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/331457
WestMount Court by Laurie Jones courtesy anstice communications C ontinuing with the initial success of the WestMount Corporate Campus in Calgary, Alberta, WestMount Court, a three- storey, glass-enclosed office complex, is the fifth building to be completed within the development. With a variety of smaller office spaces, the WestMount Court building features an upscale de- sign and three retail space units includ- ing a café with indoor and outdoor seat- ing on the ground floor. "The WestMount Court part of the project began in early 2010 and it was conceptualized as being a punctuation to the entire WestMount development as it is located at the end of the turn- ing circle," says David Vera, architect with McKinley Burkart Architects Inc. "Compared to the larger buildings in the development, it has a smaller, more human scale and integrates into the surrounding landscaping utilizing both soft and hardscaping." Vera says the f loor plan allows for five tenants on each of the two office levels. "A central, enclosed corridor leads to each tenant space and upon entering, the f loor to ceiling glazing across the office provides tremendous views. The café on the main level, which is located on the north end of the struc- ture, also has glazing on three sides," explains Vera. Adding to the fashionable look of WestMount Court is dark granite floor- ing in the lobby, with dark-stained Accoya wood on the main floor. Porce- lain tile was installed in the washrooms with carpet tile finishing the corridors and office floors. "We have allowed for the availability of individual tenants to design their own spaces in unique palettes," says Vera. While the natural light flows in for office spaces, pot lights and wall sconces provide sophisticated lighting in the corridor and areas lead- ing to tenant spaces. "WestMount Court has the smallest footprint on the WestMount Corporate Campus, but is the most unique out of all the structures," says Adam Irwin, project manager, Stuart Olson Domin- ion Construction. "The other build- ings have a large office-style look with tenants that take one or two complete f loors. The WestMount Court's f loor plan is divided into smaller, individual units – with the option of expanding to a larger space. Sixty per cent of the building has already been leased, with tenants including a doctor and dentist's office, a land surveyor, property man- agement and other businesses that have smaller leasing needs." Next to the café on the ground floor, an outdoor seating area with a paving stone patio and columns supporting the next level will be a relaxing, fresh air section for use by anyone in the complex. The exterior appearance of West- Mount Court also provides a unique fin- ishing approach, again distinguishing it from other buildings on the WestMount Corporate Campus. "While other build- ings have incorporated a lot of curtain wall systems with aluminum grid and vision glass, WestMount Court is all glass," says Irwin. Argon filled sealed insulated glazing units were used in the project. "There is a metallic coating on surface num- ber two of the units that is intended to soften the building against the back- ground sky," says Vera. Landscaping for the WestMount Court building was designed by land- scape architectural firm McElhanney Consulting Services Ltd. "Both hard and soft landscaping strategies came into play," says Vera. "The building was designed on a concrete plinth at ground level and below grade, then it was layered with planters and tall light bollards that run through the building to diminish the lines from exterior to interior." This finely finished concrete plinth base gives a strong founda- tion to the building and contains the underground parking. The appearance of WestMount Court incorporates several optical designs to draw the eye of people entering the building or those just driving by. "The retail level of the building is raised slightly up on the concrete base and is composed of a very transparent mul- lion-less glass that helps to erode the sense of enclosure on this level," says Vera. "This transparency opens the main floor to the landscape and pedes- trian pathways and makes a natural place for retail uses." Seemingly floating above this clear glass of the main f loor is the more reflective glazing of the block of offices. This glass not only helps to hide the chaos of interior office uses but also has great benefits in controlling the inte- rior temperatures and light glare in the offices without interfering with views. Weaving the three levels together are vertical shafts of concrete con- taining stairwells and elevator cores. "These concrete shaf t s are subtly curved to help signal the entrance," says Vera. "This curve, along with the board form surface treatment of these shafts, helps to accentuate them as a kind of sculptural counterpoint to the horizontal bands of the building." WestMount Cour t w ill incorpo- rate the latest in sustainable design principles. "The building will fea- t ure water-ef f ic ient landsc aping , innovative wastewater technologies and will strive to reduce overall water usage by 20 per cent," says Vera. T he building was const r uc ted using rapidly renewable materials and endeavoured to use regional materi- als wherever possible. A high indoor environmental quality was achieved through the use of low-emitting paints, carpets and sealants, and an indoor air quality management plan. Thermal comfort and quality will be controlled through sophisticated building technol- ogy. Its proximity to public transporta- tion coupled with a generous bicycle storage area will encourage users of the building to leave their cars at home. Located approximately 10 minutes from downtown Calgary, the WestMount Corporate Campus has easy driving access to most parts of the city, and is near rapid transit and bus routes. The Campus is also on the Calgary Pathway System, making it ideal for people to bike or walk to work. n Location 5010 Richard Road SW, Calgary, Alberta owner/DeveLoper bcIMC Realty Corporation DeveLopment manager GWL Realty Advisors Inc. architect McKinley Burkart Architects Inc. generaL contractor Stuart Olson Dominion Construction Ltd. StructuraL conSuLtant Grant Structural Engineering Ltd. mechanicaL conSuLtant Reinbold Engineering Group eLectricaL conSuLtant CWC Consulting Inc. LanDScape conSuLtant McElhanney Consulting Services Ltd. totaL area 34,600 square feet totaL coSt $10 million june 2014 /73 WestMount Court p.72-73Westmount.indd 73 14-06-03 10:16 AM