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OCTOBER 2015 | 95 Agriculture Place RENDERINGS COURTESY GIBBS GAGE ARCHITECTS Agriculture Place by IRWIN RAPOPORT "T o incorporate effective urban design strategies into the new develop- ment and make the downtown core more user friendly is the most signifi- cant impact you can have," says archi- tect Vince Dodds, when describing the new $60-million, 11-storey Agriculture Place – a Class A office tower in down- town Regina. Dodds and his team at Gibbs Gage Architects were the architects on this striking new development, which is owned by Harvard Developments Inc. in partnership with Greystone Managed Investments Inc. on behalf of their insti- tutional pension fund clients. The 160,000-square-foot tower has three levels of underground parking – 145 stalls connected with the adjacent Farm Credit Canada Tower (FCCT) and the Mosaic Potash Tower at the south end of the block – a ground level that houses commercial space and home to the locally coveted Green Spot Café, nine storeys of office space and a penthouse floor with a 2,000-square-foot patio and conference facilities. Agriculture Place is located on a 45-degree angle and lies symmetrically with the FCCT to create a campus feel- ing. In fact, both buildings, similar in design, are connected via the first and second floor and a sky bridge on the seventh f loor. This was done on pur- pose as Farm Credit Canada occupies 100 per cent of the FCCT along with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) on the main f loor, and it will occupy 60 percent of Agriculture Place, with Stantec occupying the rest. The project, built on land that housed a smaller commercial building, was acquired at various times by Harvard Developments. "We built the first tower when FCC moved from Ottawa to Regina and subsequently that organization has grown rapidly; over the years we have placed them in a number of buildings," says Rosanne Hill Blaisdell, Harvard's managing director and VP of leasing. "They made a decision four years ago that they wanted to consolidate into one structure, and so we bought the whole block and proposed to create an FCC Campus with twin towers that would be connected. They went out to public tender and our proposal was accepted." The rectangular building features 135-degree focal corners and a diverse selection of glass. Carefully thought- out use of limestone, glass spandrels and floor to ceiling glazing help tie the building in with its surrounding. "It's a beautiful building; it looks like it belongs and not an afterthought of the first tower," Hill Blaisdell adds. "It absolutely demarks the skyline in a way that complements the other structures around it. FCC was involved in a num- ber of the design decisions and it really worked out. The design and the project evolved to what we have today." Dodds pursued the desire to create a campus atmosphere. "The AP tower is sympathetic to the FCC tower and ties into it from a massing and angu- larity point of view to correspond with it," he says. "This let us transform the new tower into a contemporary and clean version of the previous tower – it respects it, but has its own identity as well. Although the tower is located in the highest density and massing of the downtown, from most vantage points it would be very prominent and it has its place in the skyline of Regina." Employees and visitors enter into a substantive lobby that features amenity areas, conference facilities and a restau- rant. "The lobby is intended to act on its own as a distinct and effective entity for the tenants," says Dodds. The interior materials and finishes consist of high quality stone and wood to create a sense of warmth, as well as artistic features and spaces to exhibit art throughout the year. "It's a very ver- satile space that can adapt over time," says Dodds. "The materials are very light, bright and contemporary to meet current expectations and standards. There are large windows at the street front that provide daylighting, so there will be ample light." The penthouse floor is a combination of conference facilities and a terrace. "It also provides access for additional day- lighting for the upper levels as the ter- race extends back," says Dodds. "There is extensive landscaping and treatment of the exterior decks. The siting of the building offers some extraordinary views of the city." Alliance Energy (AE) is adding a 2,000 amp distribution that will re- feed the existing FCC office tower. Also included is a new 500kw generator, life safety and non-life safety transfer switches and electrical distribution throughout all 10 f loors. AE is also installing the data/voice/fibre com- munication cables to complete the base building electrical installation. Other work includes the completion of the fire alarm and elevator upgrade to the exist- ing FCC tower. Agriculture Place is designed to be a LEED Gold building. "Extremely sus- tainable design principles are being used throughout, including water reten- tion, energy conservation and daylight- ing strategies," says Dodds. Extensive glazing on the tower also helps to create a positive work environ- ment. "The f loor plates are designed with depth from corridor perimeters and f loor-to-ceiling glazing to maxi- mize daylighting and views, and create effective and efficient depths for work- stations," says Dodds, "We designed effi- cient floor layouts to promote the range of tenants that will occupy the build- ing. It's the right solution for the proj- ect – it's not a skyrise or a typical super tower, but it provides a new standard for downtown Regina and the ability for tenants to have world-class facilities." Dodds adds that feedback from the public has been favourable: "The com- bination of the Mosaic tower and new tower has created an entire city block from the grade level up and has rein- vigorated an entire area to create a new and contemporary street that has very active edges and multiples of workers that will provide more active streets." The MKT Development Group Inc., a project management company, oversaw the project, with PCL Constructors Canada serving as the general contractor. A LOCATION 1820 Hamilton Street, Regina, Saskatchewan OWNER/DEVELOPER Harvard Developments Inc. PROJECT MANAGER MKT Development Group Inc. ARCHITECT Gibbs Gage Architects ASSOCIATE ARCHITECT/LEED CONSULTANT Stantec Architecture Ltd. GENERAL CONTRACTOR PCL Construction Management Inc. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT J C Kenyon Engineering Inc. MECHANICAL CONSULTANT MacPherson Engineering Inc. ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Ritenburg & Associates Ltd. TOTAL SIZE 160,000 square feet TOTAL COST $60 million 3:20 PM

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