[Wooster]

New thread - http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=131013

59 floors 810' - EnCana - One of Canada's largest corporations is building this one.

Edited to include renderings.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/joshwhit/development/bow1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v98/bokimon/Architecture/Bow-1.jpg

http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/4198/thebow20070312or3.jpg


http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/9307/screenshot12102006102255ampz1.png

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/7020/thebow2rp7wv0.jpg

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/gallery/121006_encana/building_03.jpg

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/5334/encanasitecfcn001copyri2.jpg


Here is the previous one at street level
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/8779/000000encanaplanaaf6.png


http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/7647/encanaelevationcfcnuo1.jpg




Here's some shots for anyone that doesn't want to download the model (and the other 28 Calgary buildings :-)

Not completely blocking out PCC from Memorial (which I think is good)...

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c126/intothewest4222/skyline8.jpg

From the Beltline...

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c126/intothewest4222/skyline7.jpg

From the south...

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c126/intothewest4222/skyline6.jpg

And, around Stampede...

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c126/intothewest4222/skyline5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v229/Gingerbread_Man/encana3.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/157/397275241_726b9adbc6_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/158/397275242_e57ff635c5_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/149/397275244_7f7321b727_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/146/397275247_39e4d3d3c4_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/166/397275249_a1cde5d420_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/155/397275252_7bf34c7961_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/158/397277914_053de81030_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/173/397277919_a8be8e938f_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/166/397277921_7d67742ab4_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/149/397277924_1a0798e4aa_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/146/397277925_126e33f84c_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/188/397277927_04b680e463_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/181/397280322_dfc05af7ee_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/137/397280325_881a0b07b9_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/147/397280327_e6d784c488_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/148/397280330_ebadd40f28_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/135/397280333_2f1bba73cd_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/151/397280335_63f8f81cd0_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/188/397281611_dad3497848_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/34/397281612_ea6b5c3885_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/170/397281615_b5670d2f8f_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/182/397281616_a1f50b095f_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/126/397281617_71d9687bec_o.jpg

[MolsonExport]

Cool. I look forward to seeing renderings, and details about height/storeys, etc.

Hope Calgary gets a 70-storey tower.

[giovanni sasso]

whattaya know about that? congrats, calgary.

[Jonovision]

Awesome news for Calgary! Wow, a Foster tower in Canada! It will be amazing!

[Wooster]

For those who don't know. It will be located here, the main tower in the big parcel, and likely another tower on the smaller parcel. EnCana is in negotiations to purchase more of the properties on the block with the smaller parcel. Right across the street from Calgary's current tallet Petro Canada Centre.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/joshwhit/sturgess2.bmp

[Creature78]

Awesome!
Very exciting tone coming out of EnCana. Could be an incredible project of international stature.
Norman Foster and two other firms.....excellent.

Can't wait for first renderings.

[Wooster]

EnCana selects top architectural firm
British company lead designer of city tower
Colette Derworiz, Calgary Herald
Published: Wednesday, December 14, 2005

The lead architect hired for EnCana Corp.'s downtown office tower has designed some of the world's best known buildings, including the British Museum and a London skyscraper known as the Gherkin.

Foster and Partners, led by famed architect Lord Norman Foster, was selected a week ago as the primary architect for a multimillion-dollar downtown office tower project being built by EnCana, Canada's largest oil and gas producer.

"We were looking for people who had done a project of this scale and magnitude in the last decade and they obviously fit that bill," said EnCana spokeswoman Almas Kassam.

"And the unique thing about Foster and Partners is that they have the ability to not just build our building, but to transform the area and expand the downtown.

"They have a reputation to work with the company's brand and to build unique and distinctive buildings."

In a statement released Tuesday, Foster said it would do exactly that in designing the EnCana project.

"We are thrilled to have this opportunity . . . to capture the collective consciousness of Calgary," he said.

"We hope to set a bold precedent for high-quality, environmentally sustainable development of the downtown area while responding to the civic values of the city."

Foster and Partners, formed in 1967, has decades of award-winning designs in its portfolio, including the Swiss Re Headquarters that has become known by Londoners as the Gherkin -- or the pickle.

The firm also designed London's Millennium Bridge, the headquarters of Commerzbank AG in Frankfurt and the Reichstag building in Berlin. It has been hired to work on the new World Trade Center.

Foster himself won the 1999 Pritzker, the world's most prestigious architecture award.

Ald. Druh Farrell, who represents the area where the EnCana project will be built, said it's the first time Calgary has ever seen an architect of Foster's calibre work on a local building.

"This is huge," she said. "It will put Calgary on the architectural map."

EnCana Corp. hasn't revealed the "signature" project's cost, but industry insiders have estimated it at $540 million, including land.

The company has bought two downtown parking lots and the historic York Hotel as the future site of its tower project, which will boast about two million square feet.

Nigel Dancey, a senior partner at Foster and Partners, is in charge of the EnCana project. Dancey said he was looking forward to talking about the design of the building when he meets with Calgary architects in London next week.

"They will help to understand better the issues that have to do with the site and also the possibility for the podium buildings and what may go in them," he said.

The firm will work closely with architects at Calgary-based Zeidler Partnership, one of Canada's largest and most respected architectural companies, which will be responsible for implementing the design concept. Sturgess Page + Steel, another local firm, will work with Foster and Partners to design the public realm.

Jeremy Sturgess, who will be flying to London on Friday to meet Foster and Partners over the following five days, said his job is to pay attention to the street-level design, including the sidewalks and perhaps even a public square.

"If you can trap sun and break the wind, you can make really wonderful space," he said.

In preparation for the design meeting, Sturgess said he's trying to envision great public spaces in other cities -- such as Rockefeller Center in New York -- as models to consider.

The well-known Calgary architect said he's thrilled to work with Foster and his team.

"His firm is a firm that I have the highest regard for," Sturgess said. "Their buildings are very sophisticated technically, environmentally and from a design perspective, they are always very provocative and they are also very sensitive, I think, to their context."

Sturgess added that he nearly fell over when he heard Foster and Partners was selected.

"I thought, 'This is a great day for Calgary . . . Calgary is getting a Foster building,' " he said. "Calgary is doing such remarkable things in the way it's becoming a national leader. This is a physical manifestation of that. . . . It's really time that we have a world-class building."

But will Calgary get its own pickle? No, according to EnCana's spokeswoman.

"That particular building was a reflection of the client's building program and location," Kassam said, "but we don't anticipate our office complex will be anything like that."

cderworiz@theherald.canwest.com

© The Calgary Herald 2005

[James Bond Agent 007]

Whoa! Great news!

Is it my imagination, or does Calgary seem to have an unusually high number of double (and even triple) office tower complexes?

:???:

Also . . . I WISH THEY WOULD RESURRECT THE KPF DESIGN FROM THE 80's FOR THIS SITE!!!!!!

There, I had to get that off my chest. ;)

[Creature78]

YES!! My point exactly. There are too many double towers in Calgary. It's not that I don't like the concept of a double tower, it's just that they could get way more height out, and space efficiency, from consolidating the office space of two towers into one.
But, there are cost issues with building really tall 'scrapers, as well as municipal height restrictions, right? I don't know if Calgary has height restrictions on dowtown highrises.

[Bassic Lab]

YES!! My point exactly. There are too many double towers in Calgary. It's not that I don't like the concept of a double tower, it's just that they could get way more height out, and space efficiency, from consolidating the office space of two towers into one.
But, there are cost issues with building really tall 'scrapers, as well as municipal height restrictions, right? I don't know if Calgary has height restrictions on dowtown highrises.

Technically there was an unwritten rule about exceeding the height of the Calgary Tower but at this point it has been done so often that the rule really no longer exists.

I don't think land values are high enough to justify super talls in Calgary. There are still alot of surface parking lots down town. Most of them are north of what could be called the main CBD but there are still too many around for my liking.

[Claeren]

There are not many lots left actually.

Once you consider that there is already a proposal going ahead for a major commercial highrise development in one of the 4 remaining Eau Claire area lots (Next to Canterra), and a suspected residential development in the one kitty corner to that, on top if this project, the twin Livingston Towers, and the future Eau Claire redevelopment with buildings going in next to the cultural centre, at the greyhound bus station site, and on the last remaining on-site surface Eau Claire parking lot site - there is not much left.

Even south of the CBD land is being quickly accounted for. Arriva, the Stampede expansion, stampede station all take up huge swaths of land.

Of those that remains the 3 most signifact include the one that Esso owns, and two more out of the 4 big ones that are all (4) owned by Barclay (I think?), and whoever it is that owns them likely intends to build them when they complete the other two projects.


If land values are not high enough yet, they will be soon.

But more importantly, the value gained in being first to market with space (with a virtual 0% vacancy rate in the city) offsets any other downsides to a super tall.


Claeren.

[Creature78]

I agree. I understand that Calgary has much more land and room to grow than say NYC or even Toronto, but my main point is that land conservation should begin now.
One of the biggest issues facing the ever-expanding Calgary is urban sprawl. People working for the city have publicly stated that the city needs to build inward more than outward. So, what's the best way to do this? Answer: increase density in the CBD through higher buildings on smaller parcels of land.
It's not just that I want to see supertalls in Calgary. Consolidating office space in one tower as opposed to two saves much more land for future expansion (of which there will be much).
Also, cost issues are a factor for building past a certain height, but come on, are you telling me that a monster corp. like EnCana can't afford those higher premiums?
Regardless, I think Calgary's CBD will eventually have to build upwards rather than outwards.

[Bassic Lab]

I agree. I understand that Calgary has much more land and room to grow than say NYC or even Toronto, but my main point is that land conservation should begin now.
One of the biggest issues facing the ever-expanding Calgary is urban sprawl. People working for the city have publicly stated that the city needs to build inward more than outward. So, what's the best way to do this? Answer: increase density in the CBD through higher buildings on smaller parcels of land.
It's not just that I want to see supertalls in Calgary. Consolidating office space in one tower as opposed to two saves much more land for future expansion (of which there will be much).
Also, cost issues are a factor for building past a certain height, but come on, are you telling me that a monster corp. like EnCana can't afford those higher premiums?
Regardless, I think Calgary's CBD will eventually have to build upwards rather than outwards.

The question is why would it pay those premiums when it doesn't have to. To grow upwards instead of outwards doesn't require 100 story towers, it requires the elimination of sprawl.

[Creature78]

You're right, 100 story towers are not necessary.
However, in order to quell urban sprawl, inner city density must increase. In order to do so, inner city land must be conserved by highrise developments which use one parcel of land instead of two or more. This would leave room for more future inner city projects. In other words, why build two identical buildings over two parking lots (e.g., Livingston) when the office space of those towers could be incorporated as one?

Also, sprawl in Calgary will not stop, at least not for a while. Calgary is not bound at its city limits (with the exception of Tsu Tina Reservation). As a result, suburbia will continue to expand because it can.
Vancouver has an incredulous number of downtown apartment highrises. Did that stop its sprawl? What about T.O., or NYC and all its boroughs?
All that can be done is to increase inner city density as much as possible in order to slow down sprawl. It's extremely difficult, if not impossible, to have steady population growth and no sprawl. Eventually people start "spilling" over the rim.

[cityguy]

With Fosters on board this should be a great project,good news for Calgary.

[Wooster]

Saturday, Dec 17, 2005

EnCana zeroes in on key downtown Calgary properties

Bob Beaty
For mytelus.com
CALGARY - It's the ultimate Christmas shopping spree - at least if downtown real estate is your thing.

Agents for EnCana Corporation, Canada's biggest natural gas producer, are telling some of the few remaining property owners in a two-block area of this city's downtown core that all land deals with them have to be tied up six days before Christmas.

That's when EnCana Corporation is set to hold the first formal meeting of its three architectural firms for the biggest urban renewal project in Western Canadian history. The three-day meetings, involving two Calgary architectural firms, start Dec. 19th and will be held in London, England, the hometown of EnCana's "signature" architect, Foster and Partners.

According to Neil Richardson, one of the few remaining property owners who hadn't yet agreed to sell, EnCana's agents were pushing hard to sew up the three buildings he owns at the corner of 1st St. S.E. and 5th Ave before those meetings begin.

"It (negotiations) seems to be heating up," Richardson said. "There is no question about that."

In the second block just south of the block Richardson is in, EnCana has yet to purchase the police headquarters, CUPS - a non-profit group that helps the destitute - and an old hotel called the Regis Plaza. Those sales would complete its purchase of over 90 per cent of the properties in the two-block area.

Wayne Krywko, owner of the Regis hotel at 1247-7th Ave. S.E. said he is still involved "in the dance" with EnCana's agents and probably won't know if he has a deal to sell until next week.

Once all the deal making is done, industry sources believe EnCana will spend a minimum $540 million – including land purchases – to develop the two office towers, one of which will surpass 60 stories and thereby claim rights to the highest tower in Calgary.

And given that a new headquarters may have to be built for police and a new home found for CUPS, EnCana's development could speed up demolition of the entire block north of City Hall where the main Library branch, the provincial court, a parkade and the old police headquarters building sit.

Rising from the rubble in the latter block could be a new main library branch, a new home for Bow Valley College, part of the planned University of Calgary downtown campus, possibly a new police headquarters and new home for CUPS, a variety of players said.

The plans have many staggered over the enormity of the EnCana project and other urban renewal developments that it may inspire. Lynn Webster, past president of the Alberta Association of Architects and a partner of the Calgary architectural firm of Cohos Evamy, said it could put Calgary on the international map.

EnCana's choice of world-renowned architect Norman Foster – the designer of Germany's federal Parliament building in Berlin – bodes well for EnCana's hopes of creating a world-class project, she said.


"It's a great civic urban design opportunity that is remarkable in its promise," Webster said, adding it will also move, "the direction of the downtown core towards the east, and the revitalization of that area."

EnCana's land is located east of Centre Street – the north/south dividing line in Calgary – that commercial developers have so far avoided like the plague.

As a result, the two blocks EnCana is still trying to secure have a disproportionate number of surface parking lots and run-down buildings. Richard White, executive director of the Calgary Downtown Association, said it is exciting that EnCana sought such a renowned architect for the project.

"This is iconic in nature," White said, that of the roughly 10 office towers either under construction in this booming city or on the planning boards adding, EnCana's project "is the icing on the cake."

In addition to the 10 or so office towers planned or under construction, White said there are another 20 large condominium towers in the works . "It is unbridled optimism," he said of the building boom here that has resulted in a shortage of labour and some construction materials, such as concrete.

Because Calgary is so dependent on oil and gas, it has suffered a number of jarring economic busts and that had White throwing up a cautionary flag.

"These (booms) can't last forever," he warned. "So the question is, 'Are we booming or are we blooming right now?'"

Two aspects of EnCana's push to purchase most of the remaining properties have caused Mayor David Bronconnier to go uncharacteristically mum - the sale of the city-owned police headquarters building and the search for an alternative location for CUPS that it will accept.

Knowledgable sources said CUPS is in a strong bargaining position because it owns its building, which sits in a corner of one of the two blocks that faces out onto the major downtown park in front of City Hall. EnCana wants an uncluttered view of City Hall and Olympic Park, the sources added.

Early in the negotiations, there were some exploratory talks to move CUPS to the downtown Billingsgate Fish Market that sits east and north of City Hall. There were also discussions held with the University of Calgary to move CUPS into its planned campus, which the university hopes to build east of City Hall, and a relatively smaller portion over to the block just north of City Hall.

Meanwhile, the search continues for a good location on which to build a new police headquarters.

Gillian Lawrence, the manager of strategic services for City Hall's Corporate Properties and Buildings department, said everything is in the "exploratory stage."

"As we are still in the investigations, it will probably be another four months or so before we have anything to confirm," she added.

[Creature78]

This certainly is the biggest urban renewal project in Western Canadian history.
It will be interesting to see where CUPS will be relocated to, as well as what will happen with the library site.
Hopefully some news of next week's meetings b/w EnCana and Fosters will be available regarding the project's direction and scope.

Regardless, this project is HUGE :eek:

[ProudlyCanadian]

Man this is freaking awesome! :tup:

Let's hope imperial oil follows suit.

[Arriviste]

December 22nd, 2005: From ffwd

Link (http://www.ffwdweekly.com/Issues/2005/1222/view.htm)

VIEWPOINT
by MICHAEL IRETON
Renowned architect to raise the bar
EnCana blazes the trail in Calgary with planned project by Norman Foster
Calgary just got a fantastic architectural Christmas present. The news that EnCana has hired Foster and Partners from London to design its new headquarters complex is incredibly exciting. It is a bold and long overdue move for the quality and calibre of Calgary’s built environment.

Norman Foster started working as an architect in the early 1960s. His first project to attract significant attention was a new building for the Willis Faber & Dumas insurance company headquarters in Ipswich, England in 1974. The client wanted to restore a sense of community to the workplace – to make it a better place. Foster’s solution included open-plan office floors (long before they were commonplace), roof gardens, a swimming pool and a gym. The building is wrapped in full-height glass and follows the existing medieval streetscape, which means it curves and bulges in unusual ways. It won numerous awards for architecture and energy conservation, and is now listed as a Grade 1 (the highest level) resource by the British Department of National Heritage – the youngest building in that category. Foster has said the building addressed four important relationships – "to history, the social dimension, energy use, and the appropriate use of technology" – which have continued to form the basis of the work he has done over the 30 years since.

Other major, world-renowned projects in Lord Foster’s portfolio include: the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank headquarters and Chek Lap Kok International Airport (the world’s largest) in Hong Kong; the Commerzbank headquarters in Frankfurt (the world’s first "ecological" high-rise building); the Millau Viaduct in France (the world’s tallest bridge); the New German Parliament at the Reichstag in Berlin; and the London Millennium Bridge (the first new crossing on the Thames in more than 100 years) and the Swiss Re Building, or 30 St. Mary Axe, in London. He has one other project in Canada, a new building for the faculty of pharmacy at the University of Toronto, which is on the verge of completion.

Foster is one of the most highly decorated architects in the world. He won the Pritzker Prize (generally considered "the Nobel Prize of architecture") in 1999. He has won the Stirling Prize, Britain’s highest architectural honour, twice – most recently last year for the Swiss Re Building. He won the American Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal in 1994. He was knighted in 1990 and made a life peer in 1999. In other words, an awful lot of people who know an awful lot about architecture think his work is pretty special.

His work is definitely modern, and usually categorized (for what it’s worth) as "high-tech" architecture, although he rejects the label, saying architects have always worked with the latest technologies in materials and methods. In his own words, "You can't separate technology from the humanistic and spiritual content of a building." Foster’s buildings are not as immediately and obviously recognizable as something by Frank Gehry, but they do tend to have a visual signature of extensive glazing in a light metal frame, with the structural system of the building being clearly expressed on the exterior.

To my mind, though, the more significant aspects of his projects are their commitment to the environment and their social and historical contexts. The Reichstag project in Berlin probably best encapsulates all three of those things. Foster won the job to rebuild the German Parliament building after the reunification of Germany and the decision to move the capital from Bonn to Berlin. The original 19th century building had been long neglected and had been extensively damaged by war and fire. The construction of a new national parliament was an incredibly sensitive and emotional project, with obvious and profound social and historical implications.

Foster preserved the original exterior and even many of the paintings from the Soviet era of East Germany. But he also created an entirely new interior, under a glass dome. True to his ongoing dedication to "green" architecture, the finished building is entirely energy self-sufficient. It burns only renewable fuels such as rapeseed oil to provide both heating and electricity. It uses geothermal technology to store heat below ground in summer, ready for use in winter. The new parliament is crowned with an enormous glass dome, which simultaneously makes historical reference to the building's original 76-metre dome and acts as an evocative symbol of democracy. The dome is accessible to the public, and the German people are welcome inside either to gaze out across their city or down from the helical access ramps into the main chamber to watch their parliament in session.

The building acknowledges and respects its historical context, but the transparency of the structure makes a deep and important symbolic statement about the social context – the transparency and accessibility of democratic politics. And all of this takes place within a building that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 94 per cent. Social, historical and environmental sensitivity in an incredibly challenging project – this is what architecture is capable of doing, and why the prospect of a Foster building in Calgary is so tremendously exciting.

In one fell swoop, EnCana’s selection of Lord Foster to design the company’s new headquarters has raised the bar for high-profile architectural projects in Calgary to the highest international standard. As Ald. Druh Farrell has aptly said, this will indeed put the city on the international architectural map. It’s high time public and private entities in Calgary took this kind of step to produce architectural representations of its growing global presence as a centre of creative and commercial excellence and innovation. Full marks to EnCana for, to use a good western metaphor, blazing the trail.

If – nay, when – other major projects in Calgary (a new public library, the University of Calgary’s Urban Campus Initiative, and any number of other public and private projects) follow suit, the next few years could be remarkable for the growth and development of the city’s built environment. The excitement and spin-offs will be fantastic. I just hope and pray that EnCana’s relationship with Foster does not fall apart. If it does, it could have precisely the opposite effect, with devastating consequences for the cause of architecture in the city. It would be a tragedy to come so close and fail.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The writing is a little suspect, but a somewhat interesting read none the less.

[Benhamin]

Congrats to Calgary, it sounds like this will alter the city in a very good way.

[jeffwhit]

Update:
An unofficial but reliable source (a local architect who has been to meetings regarding the project) has stated a figure of 63 stories. He wrote an article in the local rag and then confirmed via email. Read about it here. (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=88836&page=17)

[biguc]

doesn't calgary have a density related height restriction, where a building can't excede a certain ratio between height and footprint size?

[Wooster]

doesn't calgary have a density related height restriction, where a building can't excede a certain ratio between height and footprint size?

Yes, there are density limits, however EnCana purchased the York Hotel on the adjacent block to transfer density from its site to achieve higher density and hieght for the tower.

[Stu]

The 60+ storie building could easily go over 900 ft if you look at such modern examples as the Comcast Tower in Philly or some of the stuff that went up in Shanghai recently.

[Wooster]

10 days to go until the unveiling!

Here's what we have heard so far:

-At least 60 floors - rumours of 70.
-2.1 million sq ft
-One or Two towers
-Similar glass skin to the Gherkin
-boomerang shaped floor plate
-possible inculsion of the Glenbow Museum (Calgary's largest museum)
-Massive glass atrium

more to come!

[Coldrsx]

cannot wait....this will be exceptionally impressive for a city like Calgary.

[williamphilapa]

Congrats Calgary :yes: also can't wait for the renderings.

[Wooster]

It has been confirmed that a press conference has been set for tomorrow (thurs oct 12) at 10:00 am mountain time for the release of the design to the public.

Keep an eye out for a new thread with all the renderings and so forth.

:tup:

[WonderlandPark]

About frigging time. Can't wait to see.

[foxmtbr]

Awesome! Congratulations, and I can't wait to see renderings!

[Thinner6]

Definitely looking forward to the renderings. All the rumblings about spires, atriums, floorplates and glass colors has got me wondering if it will all come together nicely. Thanks to EnCana's having the balls to get Foster, I think it will be stunning -- especially for a city of barely a million. This, alongside the massive Penny Lane, Centennial and Jamieson developments should launch Calgary to the next level. Let's not forget the huge condo projects looming...

[Dale]

This is actually quite cruel. I'm leaving town (and computer access) for a couple of days tomorrow at 9am MT.

Oh, well. I'm sure there will be a pic in the Daytona Beach newspaper. ;)

[Bokimon]

Big kudos to our city of Calgary. I like many of our fellow local forumers are excited and sensually stimulated in some aspects to this long awaited homecoming.

A city of our size which just barely made it to a million in July getting all these office towers.. At ONCE! Is not only stunning, but wow I just won't get over that fact for years to come. Simultaneous projects underway at once will really change this city with the Foster Tower being the new focal point for our citizens.

Looking forward to tomorrow.
Don't forget the other projects as well. If FCCll has a prime consultant my fingers are crossed that it will be SOM to finish what they began 20 years ago.

But this is Encana, so one skyscraper at a time :)

And thanks to everybody else from other centers to congratulating us. It is about time that we get one of those starchitects to design something for our city. I would like to see KPF design a office tower for Calgary someday. I look at projects going on at Philly, Shanghai, Dubai, NY, Chicago and love all the buzz and updates taking place on an HOURLY basis. What a community.

[Boris2k7]

Big kudos to our city of Calgary. I like many of our fellow local forumers are excited and sensually stimulated in some aspects to this long awaited homecoming.

I think you meant to say SEXUALLY... :banana:

[mczamalek]

exciting!

[Thinner6]

EnCana to unveil skyline addition

Kim Guttormson, Calgary Herald
Published: Thursday, October 12, 2006

EnCana will unveil the much-anticipated design of its new office complex this morning, a single tower expected to transform the city's skyline and spur development on the east side of downtown.

What the massive project, designed by the award-winning international firm of Foster and Partners, will look like has been a closely guarded secret.

But sources say the building will be curved -- it's been described as a boomerang and a horseshoe -- a departure from the straight-line office towers that fill downtown.

It will also be the tallest building in Western Canada, surpassing the neighbouring 52-storey Petro-Canada Centre.

The complex, which will house the company's 3,200 employees, will be the first office development east of Centre Street in more than a decade, viewed by many as the first significant step toward redevelopment of the eastern half of downtown.

"I think Calgarians will find it to be a spectacular, exciting addition to the city," EnCana spokesman Alan Boras said.

In 2005, industry watchers pegged the cost of the project at $540 million, including land, but given the city's heated construction market that has likely increased dramatically.

kguttormson@theherald.canwest.com
© The Calgary Herald 2006

[BANKofMANHATTAN]

I'm excited to see a render of it! Hope someone nabs one soon...

[Calgarian]

Foster Has Renderings On His Website!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:
I am not too impressed though, i would like to see a floorplate so i can make sense of the render
http://www.fosterandpartners.com/News/257/Default.aspx

[Creature78]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!:banana: :yes: :cheers: Bout time!!!!

[WonderlandPark]

Finally! I like the expressed structure on the outside. But we need LARGER PICS!

[Boris2k7]

I woke up at just the right time today. Lord Foster rocks my world.

The Bow

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/9500/thebowam9jr7.jpg
http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/7020/thebow2rp7wv0.jpg

[rds989]

I think it looks fantastic.

[Bigtime]

MIND BLOWN. PANTS SHAT.

And yes I'm posting this in every thread related to this project.

[Calgarian]

Wow the server is still up, come on people we have been waiting for over a year for this!

[Steely Dan]

i too would like to see a floor plan to get a fuller understanding of exactly what we're looking at in these renderings; the shape is bit difficult to get a grasp on. but i love what i'm seeing so far and perhaps the ambiguous shape is intentional.

[Capsule F]

That is one huge freaking building.

[canucklehead2]

Meh. Not as nice as I thought it would be. Kinda chunky and not at all what I thought it would look like.

[Taller Better]

It looks about 45-50 storeys tall, but in the rendering it seems to tower over everything else, including the 52 storey Petro Canada building. Difficult to read the shape from these pictures, but I am assuming it is, indeed, horse shoe shaped as indicated in the article.

[Bokimon]

Holy Shit! Guys remember that this is Calgary and not Chicago we are talking about.
Crescent or not, It is Good enough for me!!
I love it! Although I agree that this view does make it look a little deceiving. I want to see the view from the other side.
It is big, it is impressive, and for a city of our size and lackluster of design highrises, this is an honour for all of us.

Very Nice and I love it! Foster did it again!!! :D :D :banana:

[Coldrsx]

is it just me or do i not like this thing at all.....WAY TOO MASSIVE.....

[nasdaq]

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/9307/screenshot12102006102255ampz1.png

[CtrlAltDel]

I think it's pretty cool. At least there is no other building like it in the world. I was expecting a little more height though. Still a spectacular project for Calgary though!

[Thinner6]

I think it'll be a fantastic addition, I just wish they trimmed some of the bulk in favor of height. It still looks to be 262.0 meters as originally projected though.

[Coldrsx]

this angle looks very good...but the north face makes it look far too massive.

[Thinner6]

It may be arguably a "massive" building, but let's just take it in stride. This is Canada's greatest architectural design - HANDS DOWN.

[Coldrsx]

"It may be arguably a "massive" building, but let's just take it in stride. This is Canada's greatest architectural design - HANDS DOWN."

are you serious? Yes it is unique, but there are many "great architectural designs"

----------------------------------------------------------
Landmark EnCana building unveiled
Artistic rendering of the Calgary skyline with “The Bow”, EnCana’s newly unveiled skyscraper.
Photograph by : Courtesy EnCana
Article Tools
Printer friendly
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Font: * * * * Kim Guttormson, Calgary Herald
Published: Thursday, October 12, 2006
The veil has finally been lifted on what will become Calgary's tallest skyscraper, named "The Bow" by EnCana Corp., who will build the 59-storey, 1.7-million square foot tower.

The City of Calgary officially received EnCana’s submission to obtain a development permit for the tower today, with Mayor Dave Bronconnier calling the proposed 6 Ave. and Centre St. "significant."

“For Calgary, this is a very significant project. It will redefine our City’s core,” said Bronconnier. “This project marks the beginning of a very ambitious redevelopment of the east downtown, and soon, the EnCana building will rest at the heart of Calgary’s business centre.”

EnCana calls the Foster and Partners design a "significant mixed-use development east of Centre Street in downtown Calgary."

The company says the curved tower will offer generous social space for Calgary, offering a new cultural, civic and shopping destination.

In a release, Norman Foster said, "We are thrilled to be working with an enlightened client, to realise not only a highly innovative new headquarters building, but also a civic destination for Calgary that can be a catalyst for the regeneration of the surrounding area."

The first phase of the development comprises a tower for EnCana, a new public plaza with cultural and retail facilities and a podium building between 6th and 7th Avenue.

The company describes the tower as crescent-shaped, with the inversely curved south-facing atrium rising up the entire height of the façade, absorbing the sun's energy to create a tempered buffer zone which warms the tower.

Three skygardens divide the building into distinct zones. They form a series of destination floors with lobby areas, meeting rooms, communal spaces and a high-speed elevator service running between the lobbies.

Groundbreaking for The Bow is planned for the spring of 2007 pending City of Calgary approvals.

To see EnCana's official images of The Bow, go to
http://www.encana.com/whoweare/locations/calgary/bow-images.html


kguttormson@theherald.canwest.com

[Thinner6]

Ok, I'll rephrase for you. This is the most unique office design in Canada to date. Probably won't be disputed until some company in Toronto decides they need to challange that assesment. Surely Trump Tower Toronto is going to look great with its slender, tall design - but it doesn't compare to The Bow for originality.

Surely you can agree this building gives a taste of modern architecture with a twist of Foster? I think that if you're disappointed it's bulkier than you expected, that's fair enough.

[Beazley66]

The fact sheet is available on Encanas website as well. It lists it as 59 stories tall. I think there is a bit of perspectival magic happening in the renderings, as it sits somewhat in the foreground, making it look 70 stories.
No doubt fulfilling the minds eye'e expectation. I'm a little surprised with the height to " width " ratio. I agree with you guy's: the proportions make it a little heavy. I guess I'll reserve judgement until I se more.

A taper on one side might have been interseting.

[neilioo]

This looks amazing, i would rather of had a taller less bulky tower, but i think this works to, it will be very imposing..or impressive..either way people will look up at it and say "holy shyte that thing is HUGGEEE!!!"

As for being the best architectural design in Canada hands down.....i would disagree, i would put towers like the Four seasons, ritz and Hummingbird proposals in Toronto as being up there with EnCana, Trump to because its insanly tall lol. Anyway, im guesing its around 260m. I was hoping that Encana would go for Tallest in Canada, but i guess i got my hopes up abit to much :). This is still great news for calgary!

[neilioo]

double post

[Claeren]

I think it is silly to judge which will be nicest until they actually get built.

Renderings are never a good judge. Some of the best renderings turn out hideous and some of the worst turn out gorgeous...


Claeren.

[WHISTLERINMUSKOKA]

[QUOTE=As for being the best architectural design in Canada hands down.....i would disagree[/QUOTE]


I would have to disagree with you. It may not be everybody's cup of tea, but this building will set a new standard for ofice space across the country. Some of the buildings you've mentioned are sleek but non go that extra step to create living and working enevironments that this tower will achieve. This I hope will have a positive impact for the rest of us :)

[WHISTLERINMUSKOKA]

[QUOTE=As for being the best architectural design in Canada hands down.....i would disagree[/QUOTE]


I would have to disagree with you. It may not be everybody's cup of tea, but this building will set a new standard for ofice space across the country. Some of the buildings you've mentioned are sleek but none go that extra step to create living and working environments that this tower will achieve. This I hope will have a positive impact for the rest of us :)

[shappy]

looks really good... not a complete mind-blower but close.

It also adds a whole new architectural dimension to Calgary which before this didn't have anything remotely as nice or interesting. A huge step up.


At least there is no other building like it in the world.
you mean shape-wise? What about this (http://www.colourblind.ca/images/20051002233012_toronto_city_hall_bw.jpg)?


Anyway, congrats, Calgary!! :banana:

[Wooster]

Some observations.

I think it has some pretty amazing features that will make it truly stand out from the rest. There is an entire two blocks of development, apparently some kind of wavy glass atrium, several levels for cultural and retail space. What we've seen is very incomplete. It's like trying to judge a meal by just smelling it. Foster's genius comes in the details.

I like the interesting shape of the tower (I wouldn't say unique because it is similar to Toronto's city hall).

The 810 ft tall atrium and skygardens will be unbelievably awesome. I love the glass skin all over the building. Classic Foster.

If I would put any criticism on the tower is that the floor area is a tad large making it appear bulky from angles like from the North. But renderings can be deceiving

Exciting day for Calgary!

[tokama]

I agree. The floor plate saize is the only fault I can find from these renderings. The northeast view looks VERY blocky but the south one is truly amazing. It will be interesting to see the flow of the building from ground to atrium over the whole base of the building. That could make or break the design for me. A great handling of the streetscape for both the 6th and 7th ave blocks could sell me on the possibly opressive nature of the tower.

[Stu]

It's a little uninspired IMO. The diagrid facade is rehash from Hearst Tower and it's rather fat. It's clunky, not graceful. It will be a landmark in Calgary though, as it's so different from the other corporate boxes that make up the skyline. It's a bit disappointing.

[Creature78]

It's a BEAUTIFUL building! I am very impressed with the design and thankful that FINALLY there will be a highrise in Calgary which isn't all right angles.

I have to admit, I was hoping it would be higher than 59 stories...I know, I know cost issues. But, I wanted this thing to at least crack the 60-70 story mark.
Nevertheless, GREAT design....I guess the rumors were true about the "boomerang" shape.
Once completed, the Bow will define Calgary's skyline. And with the Pennys on the way, as well as others, Calgary's skyline will be a sight to behold 5 years from now.
The wait is finally over........aaaahhhhhhhh

[spyguy]

http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/4886/1012thebowskyline500bigyt4.jpg
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/8996/bowtoweroc5.jpg

^Looks really cool - unique shape too.

[caltrane74]

Interesting...... very german looking.

[jeffwhit]

It's no bulkier than Commerzbank, I was not the least bit surprised by its massing. I love it.

[skrish]

I just love the fact that it will look like a different building depending on what angle it's viewed at. Great addition to the skyline.

[Visiteur]

It's interesting, but it gives the impression that it overpowers the Calgary Skyline in the renderings. I hope that in construction it has a more elegant, slender profile, because the sheer mass of the building makes it unattractive, to me at least. At least Calgary is getting a landmark tower.

[The Mad Hatter]

Nice design....but its not that original I'm a bit disappointed that most elements of the design can be found in fosters earlier works, but nonetheless its looks nice.

[1ajs]

wonder wat esso will come up with...

[feepa]

wonder wat esso will come up with...

a previous lot that used to have a gas station, that now sits vacant for 20+ years do to soil contamination? :banana:

[jbettcher]

The view from the N.E. leaves a lot to be desired because that is it's massive front, I think that will probably look crazy at sunrise although can't say much for the rest of the day. Although the S.W. view looks wicked I, I'm torn though on the design it is better than anything we've seen here but it's nothing world class. It's just my opinion I think this is great for Calgary.

[HK Chicago]

Any bad views are worth it for the full atrium. Looks outstanding.

[Thinner6]

^Well put!

And people, like yourself, from Chicago know that skyscrapers look far more impressive and convincing in person than they ever can on paper - or in this case, in an rendering.

Anybody out there feel like drawing this tower for the Calgary diagram?

[Calgarian]

This building is incredible! It would be better if were taller, But 250m is nothing to frown at. The bar has been raised very high, and nothing proposed comes even close. There is nothing in Canada like this building. It is unique in design in terms of aesthetic, and effeciency. The Atrium is almost unlike anything I have ever seen. Sky gardens and planter pods, thats Awesome! The Diagonal cross members supporting the outer wall of the atrium, look fantastic in contrast to the horizontal windows and cladding of Petro Canada Centre.

This building is DEFINATELY the nicest in Canada. I predict that many a movie will be filmed in this building. It looks like it belongs in La Defense, not Calgary. What Calgary needs now (as long as they actually build the damn thing, $1 billion is a lot of money, and the TO developer sounds nervous about the construction market right now) is a taller building to off set the breadth of this building. This building is definately going to be a landmark. Thank you Norman Foster & Partners!

[Taller Better]

Well, I think most would admit that it is overly optimistic to call it the best architectural design in Canada, but it is certainly going to be the best in Calgary and will give a focal point to the skyline. It introduces new shapes and colours to the skyline and will be a welcome addition. I'd have been happy to hear one like that was going to be built here! Congrats Calgary, you deserve it!

[Boris2k7]

^ You are right, it may be a bit optimistic to outright declare it the best (we can do it because we are homers). However, I do think that this design can confidently go toe-to-toe with anything else proposed in Canada right now. It doesn't really need to introduce anything new, really. It is a combination of everything that is Foster. Cross-bracings, glass skin, sky-decks, huge atriums, pods, etc. All in one neat package. Add to that the sheer impressive mass that is an expression of Encana's corporate power and you've got yourself a wonderful tower.

[Spocket]

On the one hand, I sorta love the building for its design and height but darn it all...it's so bulky ! I'm really happy that Calgary is getting this but it just doesn't fit. Not that I would say no if I lived in Calgary...of course I'd be clapping for it too. I dunno...I guess I'm mixed on it because I had hoped for something a little more slender. More to the point, I hadn't expected anything this massive.

But I'm not trying to rain on anybody's parade. Oddly enough, I consider it a bit of a western Canadian parade today so my hat goes off to you Calgary ! :yes:

[Canadian Mind]

I think its mass is unique and actually makes the building look better. Its akward for me to imagen it even only 3/4 as wide as it is right now, just wouldn't fit right.

BTW - jameson house is best in Canada hands down, but I believe the "Bow" (lame name eh?) is tied for second with shangri-la... Maybe a bit better than shangri-la, but thats only because of the atrium, followed by 1133 west georgia (build the damn thing already).

Congrats to Calgary, my old home town, hope to visit you folks when this building is done.

[Wooster]

We're starting to think the renderings are a bit decieving. If you look at the site plan the building if measured in width is about the width of the block. The building below is currently our bulkiest highrise the TCPL tower, which also has a large floor plate and takes the entire width of the block. It is 38 floors and 200ft shorter than this building. Not really considered all that bulky even at that height. If anything EnCana's tower will look much more slender, even if veiwed at the most blunt angle (it is more wide than deep).

Take a look.

site plan: rotate 45 degrees and it is the width of the block:
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/8779/000000encanaplanaaf6.png


TCPL a block away. Also width of the block.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/joshwhit/development/transcanada.jpg

[Spocket]

^Hmmm...you're absolutely right. However, when you look at the footprint of the Petro Canada Center you can see why this building will look so wide. As I'm sure you've noticed before as well, when you look at the PCC from the north east or south west, it also dominates in terms of width and "doesn't fit". Well, that's always been my impression of it from those angles anyway. Really , maybe the issue isn't that this new tower is so wide but so many others in Calgary's core are so slender.

[Spocket]

^Hmmm...you're absolutely right. However, when you look at the footprint of the Petro Canada Center you can see why this building will look so wide. As I'm sure you've noticed before as well, when you look at the PCC from the north east or south west, it also dominates in terms of width and "doesn't fit". Well, that's always been my impression of it from those angles anyway. Really , maybe the issue isn't that this new tower is so wide but so many others in Calgary's core are so slender. That could be fixed with a few new additions along the same scale (width wise I mean) in future I guess.

[staff]

Wow, that looks like a huge building.
Kinda like the design too! Nothing really special, but sure very prominent in Calgary's skyline!

[Thinner6]

Can't wait to see what competition this building inspires in Calgary and even the rest of the country.

[GoflamesGo]

Could somebody post Ctrlaltdel's rendering along with the skyline in the calgary thread?

[Thinner6]

Ask and you shall recieve:

http://img394.imageshack.us/img394/8673/calgarynightir8.jpg

Courtesy CtrlAltDel

Josh
Would you mind putting the EnCana pictures on the first post of this thread so that people who want to see the renderings don't have to chase through the four or five pages of this thread to find them? That might be detracting from the attention of this thread.

[WonderlandPark]

What a skyline, nice job.

[Stu]

http://img394.imageshack.us/img394/8673/calgarynightir8.jpg

This is awesome but is it honest? The Bow seems to be less wide here.

[jbettcher]

^ That would be right. The NE view that is seen in all the renderings is it's most massive front because it faces NE so the whole outer curve of the building is exposed, from here we only see half of that.

It sits at a similar angle to the Petro Canada complex which at this angle is seen to be very slim.

[vid]

What is the building in the middle with the pink on top?

[The Chemist]

What is the building in the middle with the pink on top?

That's Jamieson Place - 38 stories, construction expected to begin in the spring.

[CtrlAltDel]

City Centre will go in there, so it will block Jamieson completely I'm sure. Once a rendering becomes available, I'll add it.

[Stu]

^ That would be right. The NE view that is seen in all the renderings is it's most massive front because it faces NE so the whole outer curve of the building is exposed, from here we only see half of that.

It sits at a similar angle to the Petro Canada complex which at this angle is seen to be very slim.

I see. Thanks. I think this is my favorite angle of the Bow.

[Calgarian]

I want to see some renderings of the inside of that atrium. i bet the top sky garden would an amazing view.

[arkhagello]

http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/4886/1012thebowskyline500bigyt4.jpg
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/8996/bowtoweroc5.jpg

^Looks really cool - unique shape too.


I like it very much, congrat!