It's been a while since we last checked up on The Hat @7th Ave development in downtown Calgary's west end. At that time the 66 unit residential project by Calgary based Cidex Group had just finished topping out, and most of the work was shifting on to the interior side. Despite the outside mostly finished there was still an important aspect of the building's exterior that hadn't yet been completed. Murals had been planned for both the west and side sides of the building.

East side mural, image by Kevin Cappis

Due to fire regulations, buildings that extend to the property line and are adjacent to another building sitting up to the property line are not allowed windows on the sides facing neighboring buildings. Because of this regulation The Hat @ 7th Ave was forced to have windowless walls on the building's east and west sides. Many buildings in this situation have plain uninteresting walls, but Cidex opted to facilitate a mural on each wall.

West side mural, image by Kevin Cappis

The mural on the west side of the building features a rather modern, techno type pattern that includes shadowing to give the squares some depth. The futuristic streamlined look appears to go hand in hand with the modern shaped metallic Kirby LRT station.

The east side of the building on the other hand took on a more artistic look with a women's face and some colorful abstract shapes. Both murals viewers offer a different look and feel

Techno metallic look, image by Kevin Cappis

Designed by NORR Architecture, The murals aren't the only thing that stands out. The Hat @ 7th Ave is one of the more slender buildings in the city, and the underside of the balconies are bright yellow, which adds a burst of color into its gray and beige surroundings. With the building close to completion users will be taking occupancy soon, and The Hat @ 7th Ave will be part of the downtown urban fabric. 

SkyriseCalgary will be sure to return to this project as progress continues. For more information, check out the associated Database file and Forum thread, and as always, feel free to join the conversation in the comments section below.