Award

A PR IL 2016 | 63 311 Portage & Alt @ Centrepoint PHOTOGRAPHY BY GERRY KOPELOW/COURTESY STANTEC ARCHITECTURE LTD. 311 Portage & Alt @ Centrepoint by PETER STENNING W ith tongue only partly in cheek, Longboat Development Corporation VP Scott Stephanson suggests that a feeling of horror spurred the creation of 311 Portage & Alt @ Centrepoint, one of the brightest jewels in a rapidly evolving (and improving) downtown Winnipeg skyline. That's because the people at Longboat, which developed Centrepoint, spent years observing the slow decline of this prime piece of real estate. "A hotel on site had tremendous history but was underutilized, and when an A & B Sound beside it went out of business, it left behind a hideous black, purple and white two-storey building that did nothing for the surrounding area," says Stephanson. He adds good-naturedly, "So yes, my colleagues and I observed all this with horror – especially when a discount store made noises about buying the property and keeping everything intact." Fortunately for Winnipeggers, Longboat acquired 311 Portage in 2009 with the intention of enlivening the avenue and developing something that would help the city's goal of attracting people to the downtown core instead of remaining in the suburbs. The investment has paid off in spades. Even at a distance, Centrepoint is visually remarkable – a 13-storey hotel tower set at an angle on a base podium to represent the city's street grid, which is not set at right angles. The five-storey office podium is in turn buttressed beside the historic stone and masonry Mitchell Copp facade, originally built for a bank in 1919; and this facade is framed by a dramatic yellow bordered curtainwall that also encompasses the podium. Located across from the MTS Centre and within walking distance from the Historic Exchange District, Centrepoint has south facing restaurant patios (one soon to belong to Browns Socialhouse) for street-level interaction; and the Alt Hotel lobby runs through the middle of the building, imparting a touch of elegance and a connection directly to the Merchant Kitchen. Centrepoint was co-developed by Artis Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), and Stephanson notes that early on it was decided mixed-use would be the best approach to take in revitalizing the property. "We also wanted above- grade structured parking to enable sufficient stalls for tenants and downtown event goers; the City of Winnipeg was enormously supportive from a planning perspective," he says. Fortuitously, when Longboat engaged Stantec Architecture Ltd. as the lead designers, Stantec also undertook a study to assess the possibility of being Centrepoint's anchor tenant. "Stantec became part of the development as the land was being assembled, and at the time, the developer considered looking at the entire block," says senior associate and discipline lead for architecture Michael Banman. "Our intention, early on, was to co-locate all of Stantec Winnipeg's offices into one location, and 311 Portage & Alt @ Centrepoint provided us with an opportunity to participate and invest in the city's urban resurgence. The podium was designed to engage the city offering panoramic views to the East while presenting a kind of public workspace theatre to Portage Avenue." The podium offices were raised from the ground, providing an open transparent public zone while giving the illusion of a floating box. Stantec also designed the hotel tower to be raised from the podium, to further impart a sense of weightlessness. The extensive glazing served numerous purposes: as Banman suggests, the open concept of the offices contributes to the lively pedestrian traffic; but it also provides building occupants with natural daylight. Stantec ensured that light would be brought deep into the building via two multi-storey lightwells and clerestory glazing. Long expanses of glass on the east and partial west facades would provide daylight plus panoramic views. Stantec would eventually take up 57,000 square feet, with space demised or created with freestanding millwork elements in lieu of walls and a simple colour palette of black, white and yellow, and the use of natural materials such as concrete, walnut, steel and glass reflecting those of the exterior architecture. "The visual intent of Centrepoint was to juxtapose elegant materials and sophisticated details with the rawness of the exposed building materials and systems," says Banman. Stephanson notes that while bold juxtapositions of old and new building elements often come across as garish, "We were sold on Stantec's concept the moment we saw it, and the yellow-lined curtainwall encompassing the podium and historic facade was brilliant." The most unusual aspect of the construction process was that due to economics, the podium was a precast structure and the tower was cast in place. "Our structural engineer played a significant role in reinforcing the precast design to accommodate the loads of the tower," says Banman. Stephanson says another unusual aspect of the project was that "While we owned the podium and used our sister company, Nova-Con Projects Ltd, as the general contractor, the hotel managed its own construction. However, everything worked out in the end." Centrepoint's visual appeal, combined with being across the street from the MTS Centre and within the new sports, hospitality and entertainment district, has already made it a popular destination for Winnipeggers. And it's also earned accolades in the form of a Heritage Winnipeg's Special President's Award 2016 for the restoration of the Mitchell Copp facade and its integration into the new building. To date, the Stantec office has received the Manitoba Premier's Award for Design Excellence and The Merchant Kitchen & Bar received the 2015 Grand Jury Commerce Design Award, all designed by Stantec Architecture. Stephanson says, "We lost a lot of sleep deliberating how best to redevelop 311 Portage, but I think we went down the right path. We're enormously proud of Centrepoint." Looking out onto the busy Portage Avenue from his podium office, Banman is equally enthusiastic about the outcome. "It was a rare project to design, considering we would also be tenants," he says. "We are proud to have had the opportunity to be involved in this development and fortunate to be able to work here." A LOCATION 311 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba (podium) 310 Donald Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba (hotel) OWNER/DEVELOPER Longboat Development Corporation / Artis REIT ARCHITECT Stantec Architecture Ltd. GENERAL CONTRACTOR Nova-Con Projects Ltd. STRUCTURAL/MECHANICAL/ ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Stantec Consulting Ltd. INTERIOR DESIGN CONSULTANTS Lemaymichaud Architecture Design (Alt tower) Stantec Architecture Ltd. (podium) TOTAL SIZE 210,000 square feet TOTAL COST $130 million 3:55 PM 8:18 AM

• Cover