Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/734400
OCTOBER 2016 | 59 Calgary City Centre – Phase 1 PHOTOGRAPHY BY INDUSTRYOUS PHOTOGRAPHY/COURTESY ZEIDLER BKDI Calgary City Centre – Phase 1 by JESSICA KIRBY C algary City Centre Phase 1 is a stunning mixed-use project that is as much a tribute to architectural excellence as a development destined as a downtown landmark. The 36-storey office tower features a retail podium and five levels of underground parking with 632 stalls. The larger mixed-use development will comprise office and retail space, a five-star hotel and luxury residences in its 3.2-acre, full city block location. But this is more than a business complex; it connects the city's business community with the office tower's second floor connected to the Plus 15 walkway system via three bridge connections. An expansive two- storey office lobby running along 2nd Street SW will connect 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue via a landscaped courtyard extending from the lobby. "When we acquired this city block in 1997, our vision was to extend the downtown core northward," says John Sullivan, president and CEO of Cadillac Fairview. "Taking the long-term view, we saw the unrealized potential of this area and created a master plan for an unparalleled environment tailored to the needs of Calgary business leaders, their teams and their clients." The design inspiration behind the project was to bring a true mixed-use feel to the site, says Vaidila Banelis, partner with Zeidler BKDI Architects. The design implements a large floor plate with over 27,000 square feet of growth, and because it is not a tall tower, proportions were a concern. Kevin MacLean, associate with structural consultants Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. (RJC), says the ceiling height on the typical office levels was maximized using a compact structural floor framing system. "Columns were pulled in from the slab edge creating a 15-foot cantilever with 30-foot backspan, which allowed for the use of an extremely efficient flat slab on tapered drop panel floor system," he says. "Since no beams were present, mechanical ducts were easily routed between the tower core and the tapered drop panels." To achieve the large cantilevers on the typical office floor, RJC employed state- of-the-art 3D finite element analysis to estimate slab deflections. "We worked with the construction manager, PCL, to overcome challenges created by large construction loads along the slab edge imposed by a climbing screen enclosure, which PCL used to accelerate their schedule and mitigate wind and weather on trades working on most recently poured slabs," says MacLean. The building's exterior is a curtain wall system – a double glazed system with low-E glass and alternating vision and spandrel glass and shades throughout. "East and west office facades were divided into three vertical wings, slightly kinked with zippers between them," says Banelis. "Each glass blade extends beyond the envelope to break down the mass and soften the edge of the building, creating an interesting crown condition with a series of steps toward the river that respond to the shading restrictions on the site." The top ten feet of each wing holds an LED screen or digital media facade (DMF) that acts as an art piece from sunset to midnight. Each of three screens on each of the east and west sides of the building feature a slow animation lightshow. "It becomes more interesting and quicker every 15 minutes," says Banelis. The building's DMF spans two floors from within the building and reaches another floor outside past the roofline. Invisible during the day, the DMF becomes the voice of the tower at night, communicating beautiful content to the entire downtown core. SACO delivered two kilometres of the product, arranged to flow along the building's geometry. The lighting component chosen is essentially a linear video screen system installed with custom carriers. The mounts for the carriers were installed into the curtain wall so that once the exterior was complete the plug and play system could be quickly installed. "We were able to adjust the brightness on the lower part to match the upper so the difference in tint doesn't come through," says Jonathan Labbee, EVP and CMO of SACO Technologies. Calgary's dramatic weather range offered a challenge in designing the system to withstand contraction and expansion due to extreme hot and cold. "We had to design a system with the flexibility built in to allow for that without affecting the building facade and the visual performance of the screen," says Labbee. "We designed the carriers with allocations for this so basically the LEDs stay in place and the carriers pick up the load." At the top of the building is a single building management crane on a track system that moves across the upper roof and slides into the mechanical space, tucking away so it is never visible except during use. RJC worked closely with Zeidler BKDI Architects to ensure sufficient space was available for the large amount of equipment being hidden behind the crown, which required that 30-foot-tall cantilevered steel trusses be used to support the cladding which formed the enclosure. Another unique design feature that required extensive collaboration was the feature architectural glazing at the tower lobby. Zeidler BKDI's bold design called for a 10-foot band of clear glass at the bottom of the two storey lobby glazing, says MacLean. The design vision was achieved by hanging 25-foot glass fins – ranging from 600 millimetre on one end to 1.5 metres on the other – from an elaborate steel truss system hidden in the lobby ceiling. The glass fins terminated nine feet above the ground floor level bracing the lowest panes of glass without the appearance of structure. The consultant team did a full sized washroom mock-up off-site to address the perfect plan for a space repeated throughout the building. This method helped the team identify the appropriate mechanical and electrical components and to understand constructability issues, lighting and materials ahead of time. "In the end, we had very few snags onsite," says Banelis. "Usually the first one takes forever and the schedule 9:04 AM 8:22 AM