Foster + Partners spectacular design sculpts new lines across Calgary skyline

"The Bow" will be EnCana Corporation’s future head office of approximately 1.9 million square feet, to be constructed in the heart of downtown Calgary. H&R Real Estate Investment Trust has completed the acquisition of the lands from affiliates of EnCana Corporation for a price of approximately $70 million. The Project will be located on a high profile site comprising the better part of two city blocks in downtown Calgary. The north block of the Project will contain The Bow, a class AAA, state-of-the-art, office and retail complex which will be the tallest office building in western Canada and will dramatically transform Calgary’s skyline upon its completion, expected by fall 2011. In addition to The Bow, the south block of the Project will include retail, additional office and cultural facilities of approximately 200,000 square feet, to be developed on adjoining lands.

The north block of the Project will be developed with a 59-storey office tower containing approximately 1.84 million square feet of class AAA office space, approximately 20,000 square feet of retail space and a 700-vehicle below-grade parking garage. The striking architecture of the steel and glass, crescent-shaped, office tower will include a full height interior atrium, which is designed to provide the tower with spectacular mountain views, an abundance of natural light and three "sky-gardens" that will provide the tower’s occupants with unique meeting and amenity space. Construction of the Project is expected to commence this summer and has a current budgeted cost of approximately $1.1 billion for the north block.

The south block of the Project will be a multi-level, mixed-use building containing approximately 100,000 square feet of high-quality retail space, and up to 100,000 square feet of additional office and cultural arts space, as well as up to an additional 700 vehicle below-grade parking garage. This facility is expected to feature first class retailers and cultural users and will be designed with a quality and finish substantially equivalent to The Bow, so as to create a fully integrated world class mixed-use development.

This remarkable Project has been designed by Foster + Partners of London, England - an international studio for architecture, planning and design that currently has projects in 22 countries and has worked in as many as 55 countries. The retail consultants were Canada’s leading retail consulting firm, Talbot Consultants International Inc. of Toronto and New York.

Talbot Consultants International Inc. of Toronto is proud to be the retail consultant & retail market strategist for the shopping centre component of The Bow.