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Brooklyn-based nARCHITECTS, which Architect Magazine has listed among the best design firms in the United States for the past three years, has proposed its first building in Canada. And Calgary will be the worthy recipient. The riverfront development was brought to our attention by Forum contributor UrbanWarrior, who posted a slew of renderings highlighting the sleek project. With a development permit approved and pending release, this fine-grained proposal by XYC Design + Development demands a closer look.
The petite quarter-acre lot has big potential owing to its prominent East Village location. With the newly developed RiverWalk serving as the front yard and the adjacent Simmons Mattress Factory, now a restaurant, boosting the area's liveliness, M2 ticks all the boxes presented by CMLC. The project proponents envision between 17,000 and 20,000 square feet of village-format retail and office space. With restaurants spilling out of the main floor and onto the public promenade, the development is an exemple of CMLC's desired retail strategy for the area, which calls for similarly scaled village-format and larger urban-format commercial spaces.
Though the creative form of the building is a direct result of strict zoning regulations affecting the site, it also opens up opportunities for ample outdoor spaces. To avoid shadowing the RiverWalk, the building's north facade is yanked back at each level. The outcome is a series of stepped roof terraces that give the structure a zig-zag appearance when viewed from above. Trapezoidal curtain wall window cutouts add flair to the charcoal-toned south elevation and the opposing chalky north face. The building's unorthodox geometry culminates with a sloped fourth floor bulkhead.
The oddly shaped site is a challenging one to work with, but nARCHITECTS has proven that a contemporary mixed-use typology can thrive in tight confines. These compact projects demonstrate that buildings don't have to be big to be bold. Calgarians should expect to see the avant-garde yet pragmatic M2 gracing the bank of the Bow River in the near future.
Additional images and information can be found in the Database file linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion or share your photos? Check out the associated Forum thread or leave a comment at the bottom of this page.
