From the Journal:
Epcor to build new office tower downtown
edmontonjournal.com
Friday, December 07, 2007
Artist's rendition of Epcor's new downtown office tower.
EDMONTON - A new Epcor Tower will rise 28 storeys near the northeast corner of 104th Avenue and 101st Street to open in 2012 as the downtown's first office tower in 22 years.
Epcor president Don Lowry announced today 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 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.
Bob Walker, vice-president of general contractor Ledcor Construction, said work will start in January 2008, on the $250 million building. Completion is promised by January 2012 when Epcor's current lease at Epcor Centre, 10065 Jasper Ave., runs out - and its 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's 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.
But he praised the announcement. "I think this is the first of many that will happen in the next little while."
The building is expected to receive a silver LEEDS 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 adjacent to bus stops for 33 Edmonton Transit routes and is 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 to the west.
Taylor thought Epcor Tower could help to define the east side of 101st Street as commercial, with residential on the west side.
"This may be a message to the Baccarat Casino that they're on the wrong side," he said - suggesting it could move from the west side of 101st Street to the east side.
Mandel would not comment on whether Epcor Tower would enhance the prospect for a multi-use development including a new hockey arena. He is awaiting a feasibility report from his arena committee.
Cantor said he does not expect to develop an arena, which others have proposed for the old post office site south of Station Lands. He does hope, eventually, for additional towers with office, residential, hotel and retail tenants.
Epcor now has 1,200 employees in Epcor Centre and the TD Tower. Lowry said that number will rise to 1,400 by 2012, when they all will move to Epcor Tower.
Epcor advised that "the new building is not expected to have a material effect on power or water rates charged by Epcor" and "there will be no impact to the dividend paid by Epcor" to its owner, the city of Edmonton.
Commerce Place, at the northwest corner of Jasper Avenue and 101st Street, now is the downtown's newest office tower, built in 1990. Plans have stalled for proposed office towers at the southeast corner of 101st Street and Jasper Avenue, and on the south side of Jasper Avenue between 102nd and 103rd Streets.
© Edmonton Journal 2007
Copyright © 2007 CanWest Interactive, a division of CanWest MediaWorks Publications, Inc.. All rights reserved.
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