West Campus Calgary

The site is located in Calgary University District within West Campus masterplan, a future vibrant, year-round destination for life, work, play and rest which imagines a new community that will build on the strengths and character of the neighbourhoods that surround the University, while aiming to strengthen the contribution that the University makes to the larger Calgary community. Sitting atop a naturalized slope, the southern portion of the site overlooks dramatic views of the Rocky Mountains, the Bow River and downtown Calgary. The main street along University Avenue will be a focal point and prime commercial amenity base for the community. The Avenue is intended to provide a broad mix of day-to-day services and fine-grained retail experiences. Main street connects to the central park via an urban-style hardscaped plaza and several other pathway connections. Together, the central park and main street make up the 'heart' of the new community, with The Commons Park being the open space ‘gem’ and focal point of the entire plan. The proposed building offers a covered public plaza at the North-East corner of the site which provides an urban threshold to the retail space. The central park forms a major landscape element which spans nearly an entire block and are the potential home for a farmers’ market, an outdoor skating rink, pop-up entertainment spaces and eateries. Clear pedestrian connections between the building and the park are designed to encourage people to meet, mix and enjoy a variety of social or solo escapes in year-round outdoor sanctuary. Those pedestrian streets, being the primary connections between the retail streets-cape and the park oasis, are designed as continuous active frontage with small scale retails, cafes, office, etc. The residential development located above podium level is organised around a courtyard topology, broken in two blocks to allow great natural light deeper into the courtyard while allowing for phasing of development. The overall building steps down towards the park in the form of a planted stepping roof terraces creating greater visual connection to the park and landscape beyond while providing unique communal amenities for BBQ, sun bedding deck, playgrounds, allotments, etc. All the apartments have a private semi-external terrace wrapped with a zig-zag glass veil which acts as a winter garden and weather protection against Calgary harsh winter while providing wide views towards the Rocky Mountains, the Bow River and Downtown Calgary. This faceted reflective façade glitters and constantly change during the course of the day under the sun, reminiscence of the stunning Calgarian iced landscape.

Project: Mixed use development
Size: 55 000 m²Client: Bucci Developments
Location: Calgary, Alberta - Canada
Budget: Confidential
Team: URBAN AGENCY