New Tallest Tower?

[Eagle Eye]

I have been watching the rumours of this building at SkyscraperPage, but there is now an article to back these rumours up in the Hearld today.

http://www.canada.com/calgary/calgaryheral...ee-ebc0ad6ca3f9

I think it would be really nice to have another tall skyscraper in Calgary, I wish they would build an 80 storey building (not likely) so we could add an icon to the Downtown Skyline.

[Looger]

i don't know...

calgary's downtown is built on silt, isn't it?

[Bill Bumface]

Slowly but surely we are taking over the world!

As an aside, I didn't know that Petro was the tallest tower in Western Canada. I still remember people trying to tell my Bankers was taller, despite the fact you can easily see the size difference.

[Table 5]

Originally posted by hulkrogan@Jul 13 2005, 11:05 AM
Slowly but surely we are taking over the world!

As an aside, I didn't know that Petro was the tallest tower in Western Canada. I still remember people trying to tell my Bankers was taller, despite the fact you can easily see the size difference.

not just Western Canada, its the tallest building outside of Toronto. It's time for a new tallest though, Petro Can just isnt that great of a signature building.

[Stormchaser]

Wasn't ESSO moving their offices to Calgary and building in the downtown core too? Anyone got word on that? Good for Calgary overall

[Thunderball]

Originally posted by stormchaser@Jul 13 2005, 10:29 AM
Wasn't ESSO moving their offices to Calgary and building in the downtown core too? Anyone got word on that? Good for Calgary overall

here's what I know about both Imperial and EnCana:

Imperial is gonna build a building similar to the one TCPL (not the same design exactly, but similar stories and square footage) built on a parking lot they own downtown near Nathan's bar.

EnCana is going to do one of two things apparently: Either a twin tower "complex" around what is currently EnCana Place, or as mentioned in the article, one very tall building and a small one in Penny Lane.

I should add my source about EnCana (who is in a fairly reliable position), only said one very large building in Penny Lane, not two like the article said. So maybe some hope for the 80-storey monolith Downtown...

[I-Hate-Hulse]

First Canadian Place, the tallest in Canada is 72 stories... it would be interesting to see if Encana would entertain thoughts of going after the title...

Whatever the case, I hope they they really choose a design that's daring and long lasting, instead of the "build it cheap" approach. Not saying that we need a Petronas Towers type of thing but something a little bit more distinctive like Bankers Hall versus the humdrum of TransCanada's tower.

Looking at the available land in the area, I suspect the Penny Lane location to be the most likely for Encana. Somewhere along 9th is a possibility I guess, either on the old Post Office or the parking lot next to the Grain Exchange building.

[flamingchina]

I agree, something nice, like:
Bank of China building (HK)
Or
Lippo Center (HK)
Or
Sunjoy Tomorrow Square(horrible name)

[Table 5]

Originally posted by I-Hate-Hulse@Jul 13 2005, 01:56 PM
Looking at the available land in the area, I suspect the Penny Lane location to be the most likely for Encana. Somewhere along 9th is a possibility I guess, either on the old Post Office or the parking lot next to the Grain Exchange building.

The post office building site is undergoing its own construction soon, so that won't be it. The Grain Exchance parking lot is possible, but its not a huge chunk of land so it would have to be a somewhat slender tower.

I think the best location for something like this is still across the street from Petro Canada, where there are several huge parkin lots just crying out to be developed.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally posted by Table 5@Jul 13 2005, 01:52 PM
I think the best location for something like this is still across the street from Petro Canada, where there are several huge parkin lots just crying out to be developed.

Those are just a little too far out of the heart of downtown I suspect. PC is already a bit out of the way.

I'm guessing Encana Towers would need a good block of land. Penny Lane is probably the most central and likely candidate. I wonder if a narrow and tall bulding along the 9th Av parking lots would be feasible...

[Thunderball]

Sunjoy is a very cool looking tower, but the others are too tacky for Calgary's Downtown... they would look like giant eyesores.

I'd say something like Sunjoy, Petronas, Chrysler Bldg, Bank of America Seattle, Bank of America Atlanta, or Two Prudential Plaza in Chicago.

[Table 5]

Originally posted by I-Hate-Hulse+Jul 13 2005, 02:58 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (I-Hate-Hulse @ Jul 13 2005, 02:58 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Table 5@Jul 13 2005, 01:52 PM
I think the best location for something like this is still across the street from Petro Canada, where there are several huge parkin lots just crying out to be developed.

Those are just a little too far out of the heart of downtown I suspect. PC is already a bit out of the way.

I'm guessing Encana Towers would need a good block of land. Penny Lane is probably the most central and likely candidate. I wonder if a narrow and tall bulding along the 9th Av parking lots would be feasible... [/b][/quote]
Out ouf the heart of downtown? Perhaps a little, but not really. the piece of land is right across the street from two major energy players in TCPL and Petro-Can, a block away from Olympic Plaza and City Hall, and faces Centre Street, one of the busiest streets getting into Calgary.

Im thinking a building of this magnitude would be able to SHIFT the heart of downtown a little east, and thats not necessarily a problem. The eastern end of downtown has always been rather hagard, and this would give it a great boost.

It's a little empty no doubt, but in terms of it having great potential in serving a signature building, there is no doubt about it. Considering it would be next door to two of the taller buildings in the city, a tall building would create a nice pyramidal effect with them.

[shoestring]

Centre Street would be nice to see developed.
But what about the Bay Parkade and the Old Herald buildings.
And for that matter The Empress Hotel that has sat as a parking lot for
twenty years! Who owns that ?

[Winsor_Pilates]

First thing I noticed when I clicked the link was the Ad with the pic of a sand castle and at first glance I thought that was the design. That would be a sweet building. B-)

[Calgary Flames]

They should do one like the Transamerica building in SF.

[icarus]

Originally posted by I-Hate-Hulse@Jul 13 2005, 06:56 PM
First Canadian Place, the tallest in Canada is 72 stories... it would be interesting to see if Encana would entertain thoughts of going after the title...

Off topic, but I had the opportunity to go to a law firm's corner boardroom on the 72nd floor of First Canadian Place this year, with a direct, unimpaired view of the CN Tower. It was amazing. I think it is the best view from any building in Canada, CN Tower included!

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally posted by Table 5@Jul 13 2005, 02:12 PM
Out ouf the heart of downtown? Perhaps a little, but not really. the piece of land is right across the street from two major energy players in TCPL and Petro-Can, a block away from Olympic Plaza and City Hall, and faces Centre Street, one of the busiest streets getting into Calgary.

Im thinking a building of this magnitude would be able to SHIFT the heart of downtown a little east, and thats not necessarily a problem. The eastern end of downtown has always been rather hagard, and this would give it a great boost.

Fair enough - I've mainly worked in the Bankers Hall vicinity and the major problem with the Petro Can building is Plus 15 access.... you've got to loop down towards 5th Ave Place to get there. Not sure why the Bow parkade hasn't got a +15 to Bow Valley Place but it would sure help. Demoing that place and replacing it with a new tower wouldn't be a bad idea.

One bad problem with a 72 storey tower - walking down it. At Bankers we had a fire drill. Walking down from 40 in crowded stuffy stairwells was not fun at all. I wish North America would adopt some of the practices around the world that permit the use of elevators in evacuation. I saw a TLC show once that explored the challenges of evacuating people from sky scrapers in a certain period of time and the Asian tall towers were far faster than the North American ones that were limited to stairs. They also had dedicated high speed lifts for firefighters.

[Claeren]

Many of the new tallest towers now have 'safe floors' as well.

Taipai 101 for example; I believe every 11th floor is a sealed, fireproof, seperate air system serviced safe place for each of the 10 floors above to gather on before being evacuated by emergency personel.



Claeren.

[Bill Bumface]

^Wow! Thats alot of "wasted" real estate. Maybe wasted is the wrong word since its for safety, but you know what I mean.

[flamingchina]

Of course, it's also built on top of a fault line, was shoddily contructed, is going to be blown up by the Chinese, umm what other things have I been told
(of course, Taiwan is just a giant fault line
The only good thing about the 101 is the english bookstore there, Pages.