Award

68 | A PR IL 2017 Fox Towers – Fox Two RENDERING COURTESY KENNEDY Fox Towers – Fox Two by ROBIN BRUNET N ew developments in heritage neighbourhoods are usually greeted with suspicion, but Fox Towers is widely regarded as one of the more esthetically pleasing projects to grace the Edmonton skyline, located in a historic area of eclectic shops, restaurants and a farmers' market recently dubbed the world's best farmers' market by National Geographic. And while an enormous amount of planning by Kennedy architecture and a host of talented trades is responsible for Fox Towers' success, the impending completion of the second and final residential tower is accompanied by praise for one person who steered the project from inception to completion with an unwavering commitment to raise the bar of quality: Reza Mostashari, president of Langham Developments Ltd. Well known for only developing projects that he would want to live in, Mostashari previously made substantial contributions to Edmonton's inventory of high-rise residences with The Omega as well as the Icon Tower I and Icon Tower II. For the 28-storey Fox One and 33-storey Fox Two (which contain 320 condominium units altogether), Mostashari envisioned the towers sitting on two five- storey podiums featuring retailers, restaurants and office spaces that would blend with the urban vibe of their immediate surroundings. "We came up with the concept for Fox Towers while developing Icon, and we received an extremely gratifying sales response as well as community reaction when the first tower was completed in August of 2015," says Mostashari. "This was augmented by the satisfaction of having LOCATION Corner of 102 Ave. and the 104 St. Promenade, Edmonton, Alberta OWNER/DEVELOPER/ GENERAL CONTRACTOR Langham Developments Ltd. ARCHITECT KENNEDY CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Graham Construction STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Protostatix Engineering Consultants Inc. MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Allen Wasnea Engineering Ltd. ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Implicit Engineering Ltd. TOTAL COST Undisclosed developed the project on underutilized space: an empty parking lot." The design of both towers was undertaken simultaneously and finished by early 2011, and Langham gave the go-ahead to build the second tower in mid-2013. As of March 2017, Fox Two was nearing the occupancy stage, and Edmontonians who had appreciated how the podiums with their elaborate architectural flourishes were a stylistic "fit" for the neighbourhood could now enjoy the visual contrast between the podiums and the towers. "I'm delighted by how strongly the two towers step back and open up, reminiscent of many buildings I admire in New York City," says Fraser Brinsmead, who presided over Fox Towers before retiring as a principal from what was then Brinsmead Kennedy Architecture. "While the towers would impart a massive and soaring visual quality, the mass of the podiums were broken down with lots of entrances and retail in order to be inviting to pedestrians as well as complement the nearby historic structures," says Brinsmead. The exterior facades of the podiums, which appear as a single unit to pedestrians, were constructed of brick with Tyndall stone accents to resemble the older existing buildings in the vicinity. Kennedy and Langham staggered the towers so as to provide optimum views for its residents: the first tower maintains predominantly southern views, while the second tower's views are mainly to the west. "Rather than pointing the towers in the same direction, they are back to back," says Brinsmead. "Also, while the entrance to Fox One is off 104th street, the entrance to the second tower is on 102nd – which is also directly accessible to the parkade – thus helping impart a sense of individuality to each building." As was the case with Fox One, many challenges arose in creating Fox Two. "The building had to have a strong value, so we had to create many different types of floorplates for the one- to three-bedroom units, with similar column spacing," says Brinsmead. "It's always a challenge to make spaces open and inviting, but we were successful." Every fixture and finish in the homes was selected to ensure timeless quality and longevity; architectural nuances include quartz kitchen countertops paired with colourful high-gloss kitchen cabinets, and attention to detail extended to the provision of heated parking stalls (at least one per residential unit). As suggested, an enormous amount of planning was required to orient the towers perfectly on the podium. "They had to complement each other but at the same time be out of each other's way in terms of views as well as entrances, access to parkade and other considerations," says Brinsmead. Of the differences between Fox Two and Fox One, Mostashari says: "We changed suite sizes and layouts, and Fox Two overall is bigger in terms of floorplates, with a significant upgrade in materials. Fox Two also has an extra elevator, which makes sense in light of the fact it is five storeys taller than the first building." Langham was the general contractor for both towers, the exteriors of which were constructed of an exterior insulation and finish system (EIFS), full-height curtain wall sections and pvc/aluminum hybrid windows. Langham retained Graham Construction as the construction manager, a relationship that dates back to Icon. In addition to their skill as builders, Mostashari notes that Graham and project manager Joel Isaac "have stringent regulations for safety, and they ensured that a safety officer was on site. When you do a project of this size, you have to be this careful." Colin Middleton, principal for Allen Wasnea Engineering Ltd., says careful planning was the priority in developing Fox Two's mechanical systems. "All the residential suites are heated by a dependable baseboard radiation system and ventilated with a corridor pressurization system," he says. "For the retail spaces in the podiums, we used individual fan coils with condensing units on the roof for heating and cooling, as well as heat recovery ventilators for ventilation." As the second tower nears completion, Mostashari is excited by what's in store for residents. "The condominiums and the location will offer residents luxury and a lot of convenience, almost like living in a hotel in some ways," he says. "We've worked hard on this project for many years, taking lessons learned from past projects in order to deliver the very best outcome. We're happy with the final result." A

• Cover