Brookfield Office Properties Inc. has announced it will commence construction of a 2.4-million-square-foot office development project in downtown Calgary to be named Brookfield Place Calgary.

Cenovus Energy Inc. has agreed to lease one million square feet of the 1.4-million-square-foot east tower, which, upon completion, will be the tallest structure in Western Canada at 56 storeys or 247 metres in height.

Brookfield Place Calgary, previously known as ‘225 Sixth’ and the former site of the Calgary Herald building, is a full-block development site in the heart of the city, bounded by 1st and 2nd Streets SW and 6th and 7th Avenues SW.

The development will be constructed to a high standard of sustainability and is expected to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold rating for Core & Shell (LEED CS) development.

Construction of the east tower is scheduled to begin in September, with completion expected in the latter half of 2017.