It may be subtle or sometimes bold but the look and feel of Edmonton’s downtown is transforming. This is seen in Station Lands, the Peak Tower, the stunning wedge-shaped MacEwan University School of Business building, the recent upgrades to ATB Place and Manulife Tower and the Milner building.
Each has a certain uniqueness, look and feel but all are exciting examples of the transformation of downtown Edmonton architecture. There isn’t one consistent “Edmonton look,” when it comes to downtown.
“Categorizing Edmonton’s downtown architecture can be difficult,” admits Todd Brooks, architect and instructor of architectural technology at NAIT. “The design trends in Edmonton’s downtown are a snapshot of periods of time when Edmonton experienced significant economic or population growth. Most recently, the closure of the municipal airport and the development around the new downtown arena have resulted in the tallest buildings that have been seen in Edmonton.”
He points out that architecture trends in Edmonton are also varied depending on the client and the building type.
“The City as a client has encouraged designers from across the country to impose their iconography in many one-off designs (libraries, community recreation centres, fire stations, etc.) with varying degrees of success in reflecting the culture and condition of Edmonton. Many of the new facilities are award winning and considered to be examples of good architecture.”
As savvy architects and members of The Alberta Association of Architects (AAA) point out, there are several contemporary factors, beyond changing styles and trends, which impact the updates and the changing design, the look and the functionality of downtown Edmonton architecture.
“Architects designing in Edmonton really need to bring their creativity and skill in balancing the many design considerations that go into the making of a building and the enhancement of a complete urban realm,” says Tai Ziola, architect and partner in DIALOG and chair of Consulting Architects of Alberta (CAA).
“This means coordinating with the many engineers involved, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and building envelope, as well as interior designers and landscape architects to make sure the project enhances the lives and experiences of building users and makes a positive contribution to the public realm of the city.
“It means rising to the challenge of doing more with less, meeting the many requirements for public safety and complying with the building code, as well as transitioning to a lower-carbon world by increasing building performance and even generating electricity on site.”
Ziola also mentions architecture, design and some other intangibles.
“We have certainly seen a shift towards a more competitive leasing and rental environment, which has played out in an increased focus on amenities in both commercial and residential projects, including social spaces, commercial amenities like coffee shops and physical wellness focus such as gyms.
“User health and improved amenities are a major priority for building owners to draw people back into the workplace post-pandemic. In order to stay true to their values and corporate commitments, a lot of residents and tenants are demanding higher sustainability performance as well, so high-efficiency, LEED® or WELL Certified buildings and net zero buildings are becoming more and more common.”
Since the bottom line is that architecture is also a business, she adds that it must be done within the constraints of the owner or client’s business pro forma for the project, responding to the needs of target users and providing an inspiring experience.
The over-simplified “new architecture” category refers to a stereotype of moving away from towers of glass and steel. However, professional architects explain that it is much more complex than that.
“With the introduction of the new building code, especially with enhanced energy requirements, we are seeing architects and their clients pay more attention to building performance and efficiency over the lifetime of the building,” Ziola explains. “With this comes a better awareness about how much glass is appropriate in our Edmonton climate, as well as more innovation in integrated envelope design and new cladding materials.”
Edmonton area architects are also impacted by technology and sustainability, particularly in commercial architecture and design. As in most industries and in business, technology is a critical part of Edmonton architecture.
“The use of more powerful hardware and building information modelling is allowing architects and engineers to investigate multiple options and systems to better inform decision making,” Brooks notes. “This involves theoretical design and practice using software to create a virtual ‘empirical’ condition that better reflects the real-life application.
“Artificial intelligence (AI) is also becoming more prevalent, not only in the scientific application (i.e., how a building will perform using various climate data) but also in the generation of multiple design iterations, material usage and in estimating software.”
It also continues to be resoundingly proven that, in architecture, sustainability is good for business. Ziola emphasizes that building owners are realizing a strong business case for sustainable design.
“It increases property revenue, improves marketability and reduces tenant turnover. Our clients are starting to move towards a more bespoke sustainability approach that balances specific initial investments with long-term payoffs.”
Details and specs are also vital aspects of the emerging trends in Edmonton’s new architecture.
“With a change in building fire codes, we are seeing a real increase in the use of mass timber construction,” explains Carol Bélanger, Edmonton’s city architect. “Mass timber buildings replace more carbon-intensive materials, such as concrete and steel. They also create a biophilic interior. Additionally, we are seeing an increased use of scrims and screens in building facades. They add to a building’s privacy, texture and shading.
“Another spec trend is the use of rough, raw materials in building interiors and exteriors. This includes materials such as rough hewn wood, corten (sometimes known as weathered) steel, cold rolled steel, stone, terracotta and rammed earth.
“Of course, sustainability and on-site renewable energy are also factors. More and more facilities are looking to lower the heating and power costs and are investing in solar, wind, geothermal and district energy.”
Perhaps one overlooked aspect of the new Edmonton architecture is the social factor of inclusivity. Bélanger explains that buildings and groups are looking to be more inclusive in regard to genders, race and sexual orientation.
“We are seeing buildings including features like gender neutral washrooms, family change rooms, prayer rooms and nursing rooms.”
Local architects agree that the popular urban planning trend of downtown conversions of existing buildings from commercial to residential is not yet a factor in Edmonton, certainly nothing like the hot conversion trend in Calgary, primarily since the City has not yet announced a subsidy program to incentivize viable downtown Edmonton conversions. However, Ziola highlights some specific ‘visuals’ which illustrate Edmonton downtown’s transforming architecture.
“There are several new residential/mixed-use towers in downtown, including Station Lands, the Parks and the Falcon Tower. Significant re-investment is also showing up in commercial building upgrades to Manulife Tower, ATB Place, the upcoming renewal to the Horne and Pitfield Building and upgrades such as HSBC Place and the recently-completed Revillon-Boardwalk Building.”