Edmonton | WSP Place | ?m | 12s | ProCura Real Estate | Manasc Isaac

Daveography · Feb 11, 2016

Formerly Associated Engineering Plaza

Current:

New:

Images source: ProCura

Apparently set to begin very soon.

http://procura.ca/development/associated-engineering-plaza-2/

bennessb · Feb 11, 2016

wow that's a big change.

Daveography · Feb 11, 2016

@bennessb With so many existing tenants moving up to new towers and recently upgraded buildings, other owners of existing buildings have to step up to attract and retain tenants as well. For example:

ATB Financial moved into Telus House (with some renovations) from 9888 Jasper
9888 renovated their entire building and attracted Associated Engineering (among others)
Now ProCura is upgrading the building AE moved out of

Overall it's very good to see property owners stepping up to modernize their properties to keep the downtown market active and competitive.

Daveography · Feb 12, 2016

More recent renders:

Thanks @Hilman for pointing these out.

Source: Manasc Isaac - http://manascisaac.com/work/associated-engineering-plaza-reimagine-feasibility-study/

Daveography · Mar 5, 2016

They have a crane up for the reclad:

archited · Mar 6, 2016

This is a perfect building type for repurposing to Live/Work Condominiums. I am sure that Procura already has tenants in mind of the more conventional type… just saying...

Daveography · Mar 6, 2016

@archited Incidentally, Procura was lobbying the city for a per-unit subsidy to convert this building to residential units last year. While that was a great idea in the early 00s and helped bring some desperately needed life into the core, downtown has become a much more attractive place to live now and is much more competitive in the market than in those more-dire times.

archited · Mar 6, 2016

@Daveography -- but I am not talking about a straight residential conversion. I am talking about marketing a concept whereby custom condominiums are proffered to the smaller work-at-home types of all stripes. A one-man/woman Law Office; a Dental Specialist; a Medical Specialist; a solo Architect; a Photographer… you get the idea. A high-end conversion where the living space as well as the working space is exceptional -- perhaps occasionally breaking through floors for a two-level arrangement of space -- taking the "loft" experience to a whole other level. This is a trend for which I am at the forefront that is taking Los Angeles by storm. It is so successfully cleaning up what would otherwise be termed "second class office space" that it has spurred on a new construction spate of mixed use high-rise office buildings.

Daveography · Mar 31, 2016

Renovations to Edmonton tower will complete makeover of downtown corner
When Procura finishes renovating its newly renamed WSP Place building at 109 Street and Jasper Avenue, the company will have significantly changed the look of the key downtown intersection.

The developer has started major improvements on the former Associated Engineering Building, which includes recladding the building’s concrete edifice with aluminum and a triple-pane window wall system, new heating and ventilation, tenant space improvements and green additions, such as a natural-gas fired cogeneration plant to target high LEED environmental standards.

No cost estimate was released.

Chandos Construction is the general contractor and Manasc Issac is the architecture firm on the project.

“I believe we have to look 10 or 20 years ahead,” Procura president and CEO George Schluessel said Wednesday. “In general, Edmonton has many older B- and C-class buildings that are very inefficient, they don’t have the air quality and they’re not in keeping with today’s modern standards expected by tenants, and some of these will be repurposed or renovated.”

Full Story (Edmonton Journal)

Daveography · Apr 1, 2016

Apr. 1 update

Daveography · Apr 14, 2016

Extreme makeover, the Edmonton downtown office building edition
A downtown Edmonton office building is getting a dramatic new look that the architects believe could be duplicated all over town.

The Associated Engineering building on Jasper Avenue and 109 Street is being “reimagined” by Manasc Isaac architects and Procura Developments.

The 70s era building will have a completely new exterior when the work is done, as cranes will remove precast exterior panels and replace them with a more modern façade.

“It is one of the most prominent corners in downtown, so we also wanted to revitalize that corner,” said Rita Mello, the project lead with Manasc Isaac.

But Mello said the change is much more than skin deep, with a top to bottom look at the building’s mechanical systems.

“It’s not just a basic re-skinning. We look at the entire building,” she said. “We’re reviewing and upgrading the systems. We’re upgrading the look and feel, but we are mainly focused on performance.”