Roughly ten years ago, a pair of projects at 12th Avenue and 5th Street SW promised to bring new eyes on the emerging cluster of buildings in the Beltline, now one of the most development-rich neighbourhoods in the city. Designed by Abugov Kaspar, the Citadel West and Castello developments saw the introduction of 78,000 square feet worth of office space and a 106-unit condominium tower propelling to a 19-storey height.

Stripping down the office building and digging for Castello in 2006, image by Kevin Cappis

The Citadel West project at the northeast corner of the intersection was an adaptive reuse of an existing four-storey office building. It was first stripped down to the base structure, with three additional storeys then installed on top. The project also included a retrofitted lobby and a new exterior clad in green-tinted glazing and prefinished composite rainscreen panels.

Citadel West approaches exterior completion as Castello rises in late 2006, image by Kevin Cappis

Citadel West completed and Castello rises in May 2007, image by Kevin Cappis

Citadel West was completed in 2007, just as Homburg-Centron Teamworks began above-grade construction on Castello. The residential tower replaced a surface parking lot that belonged to the original office building. A similar materiality graces the exterior of Castello, with angled balconies providing outdoor living space to residents. Another rainscreen panel on the uppermost storey forms an architectural bond between Citadel West and Castello.

The completed mixed-use project in October 2016, image retrieved from Google Street View

The completed Castello in April 2016, image retrieved from Google Street View

Completed in 2009, Castello has become just as entrenched into the Beltline landscape as its newer neighbours, and remains a hallmark of the neighbourhood's diverse land uses and building typologies.

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