Brookfield breaks ground on new tower in the core

A new office tower is underway in the core and will be the tallest building in western Canada when it is completed in 2017.

Brookfield Place will be 56 storeys and 247 metres tall and will stand on the site of the old Herald building between 1st & 2nd Streets and 6th & 7th Avenues S.W.

The official ground breaking ceremony was on Tuesday morning and Calgary’s mayor says he’s a bit sad the old building couldn’t be preserved.

“I’m a bit sad about the demise of the Herald building which was a part of Calgary’s history and my childhood. The challenge with that building, like so many times, is we hadn’t taken care of our architectural heritage and it had been renovated so many times that very little of the actual building was left and it’s a shame that it’s not here anymore but I know what is going to be here, the tallest building in Calgary, the tallest building probably outside of Toronto, in Canada, is going to be remarkable and it’s going to be something people will remember forever and I hope that the pavilion and the main floor and better addressing the street will also have a nod to the heritage of this site and the building that used to be here,” said Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi.

The development will be 2.4 million square feet and already has a commitment from Cenovus Energy to be the anchor tenant of one million square feet of the east tower.

The plans also include an additional office tower which will feature restaurants, retail shops and amenities and underground parking with 1,100 parking stalls. The tower will be one million square feet and boasts a 60-foot-high transparent glass pavilion.

The development will also include a plus-15 and cyclists with have access to dedicated ramps and parking.

The building also offers plug-in recharge stations for electric vehicles and a lighted public plaza.

For more information, visit the Brookfield Office Properties website.