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The Bow (skyscraper)
Encyclopedia
The Bow is a 158,000-square-metre (1.7 million sq ft) office building currently under construction for the headquarters of EnCana Corporation
. It will also be occupied by Cenovus, which was spun off of Encana in late 2009. The skyscraper
is being built in downtown Calgary
, Alberta
. The building will be the tallest office tower in Canada outside Toronto, a title currently held by the Suncor Energy Centre's West tower, also in Calgary. The Bow is also considered the start of redevelopment in Downtown East Village. It is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2012.
, the Suncor Energy Centre (also in Calgary). Conflicting reports suggested that it would be one single tower around 70 stories tall and possibly over 1000 feet (304.8 m), making it the tallest building in Canada. Other sources suggested a two tower complex spanning the entire surface of two blocks, with a second tower of 40 to 50 storeys connected at sixth storey level over 6th Avenue. Official statements declare that the tower will be 58 stories, or 247 metres (810.4 ft) tall.
The management company in charge of the project is Texas-based Matthews Southwest, with architectural services being furnished by UK-based Foster and Partners
& Zeidler Partnership Architects of Calgary.
shape and the view of the Bow River
. On October 12, 2006, Foster and Partners revealed the first designs for the new tower.
The project will eventually house two separate companies both equally occupying the space. Encana Natural Gas with over 3,000 Calgary-based employees and Cenovus Energy's more than 3,600 Calgary based staff. Both companies are presently located at multiple sites throughout the downtown core. With an estimated 158,000-square-metre total office space, the complex is expected to be the city's largest. The towers will be Canada's tallest-built since Toronto's BCE Place
, completed as Canada Trust Tower in 1990. Construction costs are estimated to reach $
1.4 billion. Construction started in June 2007, and is expected to be completed by 2010. The tower was lowered down to 236 m due to shadowing concerns. When the tower is completed it will become the 149th tallest building in the world.
On February 9, 2007, EnCana sold The Bow office project assets to H&R Real Estate Investment Trust for $70 million, while signing a 25-year tenant lease agreement that would start after the project's completion in 2011.
In late June 2007, the company announced that the Portrait Gallery of Canada
would not be moving from Ottawa into the Bow.
and 1st Street E. Sixth Avenue is being excavated, after closure of the block (August 21, 2007) and the six level underground parkade will be constructed on a two block area, on both north and south side of 6th Avenue.
A neighbouring historic building - The York Hotel, that was built from 1929 through 1930 using the Edwardian Commercial Architectural style was demolished to make room for the new building. Because of the historical significance of the York Hotel it was important to save as much as reasonable to incorporate into the new building "The Bow". Between 70 to 80 per cent of the bricks have been saved and will be used to reconstruct two of the hotel’s exterior walls. The brown brick originally supplied by Clayburn Brick in Abbotsford
and the cast-in-concrete friezes have been removed, numbered and graphed to show the original location the brick and friezes will be put on the new building in the original locations. The remainder of the building was demolished ahead of schedule by Calgary based demolition and environmental contactor Hazco
. A large crane was used to lift an excavator on to the roof of the York and it was used to demolish the building floor by floor.
The concrete foundation was continuously poured over 36 hours on May 11 and 12, 2008, being the largest of its kind in Canada, and third largest in the world after the Howard Hughes Center
in Los Angeles and the Sama Tower (Al Durrah Tower) in Dubai. Some 14000 cubic metres (18,311.3 cu yd) of concrete filled the 3000 square metres (3,588 sq yd) foundation.
Erection of the above ground steel superstructure began in October 2008 with the installation of the first of two Favelle Favco heavy lift tower cranes.
Construction was briefly halted in December 2008 due to a $400 million shortage of financing needed to finish the job. The project continues to move forward, despite the unresolved financing issues.
In April 2009, a secondary tower in the project, the 200000 square feet (18,580.6 m²) building planned for a block south of the main tower, was put on hold for at least two years. The main tower, however, is set to continue, having secured the remaining $475 million required for completion of the structure.
On July 8, 2010, the Bow surpassed Suncor Energy Centre as Calgary's highest building. The 215 metres (705.4 ft) tall Suncor Energy Centre was the highest building in Calgary since 1984. The addition of a steel girder, part of floors 55 to 57, raised the Bow tower to 218 metres (715.2 ft).
, an artist most famous for the Crown Fountain
in Chicago, has been chosen to complete two major public art installations for the project. Designs of the artwork are yet to be unveiled.
EnCana Corporation
Encana Corporation is one of North America's largest natural gas producers, with about 95 percent of its production being natural gas. Its strategy is to be the lowest-cost, highest-growth senior natural gas producer in North America. The company produced approximately of natural gas in 2010.The...
. It will also be occupied by Cenovus, which was spun off of Encana in late 2009. The skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
is being built in downtown Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. The building will be the tallest office tower in Canada outside Toronto, a title currently held by the Suncor Energy Centre's West tower, also in Calgary. The Bow is also considered the start of redevelopment in Downtown East Village. It is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2012.
History
Early project
The proposed highrise was announced in 2006 by EnCana Corporation, North America's second largest natural gas producer. Early designs suggested that the project would consist of a complex of towers (perhaps two or more) over two blocks. The tallest of these towers could be 60-stories tall, which would make it taller than the current tallest tower in Western CanadaWestern Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces and commonly as the West, is a region of Canada that includes the four provinces west of the province of Ontario.- Provinces :...
, the Suncor Energy Centre (also in Calgary). Conflicting reports suggested that it would be one single tower around 70 stories tall and possibly over 1000 feet (304.8 m), making it the tallest building in Canada. Other sources suggested a two tower complex spanning the entire surface of two blocks, with a second tower of 40 to 50 storeys connected at sixth storey level over 6th Avenue. Official statements declare that the tower will be 58 stories, or 247 metres (810.4 ft) tall.
The management company in charge of the project is Texas-based Matthews Southwest, with architectural services being furnished by UK-based Foster and Partners
Foster and Partners
Foster + Partners is an architectural firm based in London. The practice is led by its founder and Chairman, Norman Foster, and has constructed many high-profile glass-and-steel buildings....
& Zeidler Partnership Architects of Calgary.
The Bow announced
The project filed for development permit application is called The Bow, for its crescentCrescent
In art and symbolism, a crescent is generally the shape produced when a circular disk has a segment of another circle removed from its edge, so that what remains is a shape enclosed by two circular arcs of different diameters which intersect at two points .In astronomy, a crescent...
shape and the view of the Bow River
Bow River
The Bow River is a river in the Canadian province of Alberta. It is a tributary of the South Saskatchewan River, and is considered the headwater of the Nelson River....
. On October 12, 2006, Foster and Partners revealed the first designs for the new tower.
The project will eventually house two separate companies both equally occupying the space. Encana Natural Gas with over 3,000 Calgary-based employees and Cenovus Energy's more than 3,600 Calgary based staff. Both companies are presently located at multiple sites throughout the downtown core. With an estimated 158,000-square-metre total office space, the complex is expected to be the city's largest. The towers will be Canada's tallest-built since Toronto's BCE Place
BCE Place
Brookfield Place is an office complex in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, comprising the 2.1 hectare block bounded by Yonge Street to the east, Wellington Street West to the north, Bay Street to the west, and Front Street to the south...
, completed as Canada Trust Tower in 1990. Construction costs are estimated to reach $
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
1.4 billion. Construction started in June 2007, and is expected to be completed by 2010. The tower was lowered down to 236 m due to shadowing concerns. When the tower is completed it will become the 149th tallest building in the world.
On February 9, 2007, EnCana sold The Bow office project assets to H&R Real Estate Investment Trust for $70 million, while signing a 25-year tenant lease agreement that would start after the project's completion in 2011.
In late June 2007, the company announced that the Portrait Gallery of Canada
Portrait Gallery of Canada
The Portrait Gallery of Canada is a Canadian art collection specialising in portraiture. It was established on 23 January 2001 by the Government of Canada as a program of Library and Archives Canada....
would not be moving from Ottawa into the Bow.
Construction
Groundbreaking took place on June 13, 2007, with work starting on both sides of 6th Avenue S between Centre StreetCentre Street (Calgary)
Centre Street is a major road in Calgary, Alberta.The northern part extends from the Bow River to Bergen Road/Beddington Drive, after which it becomes a local arterial street before it becomes unavailable to private vehicular traffic north of Bergen Crescent...
and 1st Street E. Sixth Avenue is being excavated, after closure of the block (August 21, 2007) and the six level underground parkade will be constructed on a two block area, on both north and south side of 6th Avenue.
A neighbouring historic building - The York Hotel, that was built from 1929 through 1930 using the Edwardian Commercial Architectural style was demolished to make room for the new building. Because of the historical significance of the York Hotel it was important to save as much as reasonable to incorporate into the new building "The Bow". Between 70 to 80 per cent of the bricks have been saved and will be used to reconstruct two of the hotel’s exterior walls. The brown brick originally supplied by Clayburn Brick in Abbotsford
Abbotsford, British Columbia
Abbotsford is a Canadian city located in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, adjacent to Greater Vancouver. It is the fifth largest municipality in British Columbia, home to 123,864 people . Its Census Metropolitan Area, which includes the District of Mission, is the 23rd largest in Canada,...
and the cast-in-concrete friezes have been removed, numbered and graphed to show the original location the brick and friezes will be put on the new building in the original locations. The remainder of the building was demolished ahead of schedule by Calgary based demolition and environmental contactor Hazco
Hazco
HAZCO Environmental Services is a Canadian Environmental Services and Demolition Services Contractor.-Services & Projects:HAZCO's services include Environmental remediation, Facility decommissioning & Demolition, Waste management, Environmental construction, Environmental technologies including...
. A large crane was used to lift an excavator on to the roof of the York and it was used to demolish the building floor by floor.
The concrete foundation was continuously poured over 36 hours on May 11 and 12, 2008, being the largest of its kind in Canada, and third largest in the world after the Howard Hughes Center
The Promenade at Howard Hughes Center
The Promenade at Howard Hughes Center is an outdoor shopping mall located in Los Angeles, California. Opened in 2000, It is a two level outdoor mix-used center that features a blend of entertainment, dining and shopping...
in Los Angeles and the Sama Tower (Al Durrah Tower) in Dubai. Some 14000 cubic metres (18,311.3 cu yd) of concrete filled the 3000 square metres (3,588 sq yd) foundation.
Erection of the above ground steel superstructure began in October 2008 with the installation of the first of two Favelle Favco heavy lift tower cranes.
Construction was briefly halted in December 2008 due to a $400 million shortage of financing needed to finish the job. The project continues to move forward, despite the unresolved financing issues.
In April 2009, a secondary tower in the project, the 200000 square feet (18,580.6 m²) building planned for a block south of the main tower, was put on hold for at least two years. The main tower, however, is set to continue, having secured the remaining $475 million required for completion of the structure.
On July 8, 2010, the Bow surpassed Suncor Energy Centre as Calgary's highest building. The 215 metres (705.4 ft) tall Suncor Energy Centre was the highest building in Calgary since 1984. The addition of a steel girder, part of floors 55 to 57, raised the Bow tower to 218 metres (715.2 ft).
Public art
Encana officially confirmed on June 16, 2008, that Jaume PlensaJaume Plensa
Jaime Plensa is an Spanish artist and sculptor.-Biography:Plensa was born at Barcelona. Plensa studied art in his home city, in the "Llotja" School and in the Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes de San Jorge....
, an artist most famous for the Crown Fountain
Crown Fountain
Crown Fountain is an interactive work of public art and video sculpture featured in Chicago's Millennium Park, which is located in the Loop community area. Designed by Catalan artist Jaume Plensa and executed by Krueck and Sexton Architects, it opened in July 2004. The fountain is composed of a...
in Chicago, has been chosen to complete two major public art installations for the project. Designs of the artwork are yet to be unveiled.
Building details
- Height: 236 m (774 ft)
- 58 stories
- 2 retail floors - 200,000 sq ft (19,000 m2)
- 3 floors - sky gardens, spaced approximately every 18 floors (sky lobbies), served by express elevators
- 53 office floors - 1,700,000 sq ft (158,000 m2)
- 4 mechanical floorMechanical floorA mechanical floor, mechanical penthouse, or mechanical level is a storey of a high-rise building that is dedicated to mechanical and electronics equipment. "Mechanical" is the most commonly used term, but words such as utility, technical, service, and plant are also used...
s - In total over 84000 square metres (904,168.5 sq ft) of glass
- Footprint: 190,000 ft2 (17,700 m2)
- Parking: 1,400 parking stalls (6 level parkade, spanning two blocks on both sides of 6th Avenue)
- +15+15The Plus 15 or +15 Skyway network in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is the world's most extensive pedestrian skywalk system with a total length of and 59 bridges. The system is so named because the skywalks are approximately 15 feet above street level...
skywalk connections to neighbouring buildings (Telus building, Suncor Energy Centre, Hyatt Regency Calgary)
- Source: Encana Corporation