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New Epcor tower to rise on former station site
Work begins next month on city's first downtown office project in 22 years
Ron Chalmers, The Edmonton Journal
Published: Saturday, December 08 2007EDMONTON - A new Epcor Tower will rise 28 storeys near the northeast corner of 104th Avenue and 101st Street to open in 2012. It will be downtown Edmonton's first new office tower in 22 years.
Epcor president Don Lowry announced Friday that Qualico Developments beat nine other companies to provide 265,000 square feet of head-office space for the city-owned water and power utility on the Station Lands site over the former Via Rail station by the CN Tower.
Ken Cantor, Qualico's commercial manager, said he will seek other tenants for remaining space in the 614,000-square-foot building -- with retail and restaurant tenants on the first two levels. The building will have day-care and fitness facilities, and 850 underground parking spaces.
View Larger ImageArtist's rendition of Epcor's new downtown office tower.
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Bob Walker, vice-president of general contractor Ledcor Construction, said work will start next month on the $250- million tower. Completion is promised by January 2012 when Epcor's lease at Epcor Centre, 10065 Jasper Ave., runs out. The Qualico lease starts with a 20-year term plus an option for a 15-year renewal. Lease rates were not revealed.
Lowry said 20 developers were invited to submit proposals. Ten were received and Qualico was chosen for its low construction risk, high environmental quality, and affordability. "This is not an opulent building."
City council, Epcor's sole shareholder, was not involved in the decision, said Mayor Stephen Mandel. He added, "I think this is the first of many that will happen in the next little while."
The building is expected to receive a silver LEED certification for low energy, water and resource use.
Its design will include an east-west orientation, giving its long wall a sunny southern exposure, high-performance glass to reduce heat loss and gain, and low-flow water fixtures.
The building is next to stops for 33 Edmonton Transit bus routes and across the street from City Hall, which connects to the Churchill LRT station.
Epcor Tower was designed by Kasian Architecture.
"We broke the mass into a series of smaller components so the building does not look so massive," said Bill Chomik, Kasian's partner-in-charge. Unusual for an office tower, he included balconies "to let the occupants go outside for a great view, fresh air, and to socialize."
The 14-foot floor-to-floor heights will create a more open and spacious interior effect, he said. They also can enable wiring and ventilation to run beneath elevated floors.
Walker called the Stations Lands "a dream site" where trucks and equipment will have ample room to move, park, and lay down materials and equipment. He expects 300 to 400 workers on the site during peak construction.
Jim Taylor, executive director of the Downtown Business Association, welcomed the announcement as bringing needed activity to the downtown's northeast corner.
"Of course this will help Aurora," he said, referring to the six-tower residential development underway immediately across 101st Street.
Taylor thought Epcor Tower could help to define the east side of 101st Street as commercial, with residential on the west side.