Telus announces new Calgary office building

Monday, July 8, 2013

Telus is planning to build a new environmentally-friendly office tower in Calgary’s downtown core at the site of the Art Central building.

Located at 100 7th Ave. S.W., the current building (owned by Allied Properties REIT) will be demolished to make room for Telus Sky. The new $400-million tower, created by world-renowned architects Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and Dialog, along with Westbank and Allied Properties, will be built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) platinum standards. It will feature a stormwater management system to recycle rainwater for washroom toilets and outdoor irrigation, reducing water use by millions of litres per year. When complete, Telus Sky will use 35 per cent less energy than similar size developments. Plans are underway to improve upon that energy efficiency, with Telus aiming for 80 per cent less energy use than similar size developments.

“Developing a LEED platinum building means taking a look at every aspect of design and having ownership that is committed to working harder to integrate those elements,” says Ian Gillespie, CEO of Westbank. “With Telus and Allied, we have assembled that team and we look forward to working to ensure that Telus Sky exceeds the LEED platinum requirements, including a whole block energy sharing centre.”

Cited by Telus as the most significant next generation property in Calgary’s history, the 58-storey mixed-use development will contain office, retail and residential space. The first 26 floors, or 750,000 square feet, will be allocated to office space, 430,000 square feet of which Telus will occupy. The 32 upper floors will be comprised of 341 residential rental units.

The tower will also include 15,000 square feet of retail space and a 5,500-square-foot public gallery.

The development is expected to be complete by 2017. Construction will commence next July.

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