CARRIE KELLY The Pipeline


Bow Tower officially Calgary’s tallest building


Although it’s still a work in progress, the Bow is officially the tallest building in Calgary.


In September, the Bow hit its maximum height of 58 storeys.


“It’s a nice milestone to reach,” says Michael Brown, associate vice-president of developer Matthews Southwest. “Right now, our goal is for structural completion to happen at the end of October.”


Located along Centre Street between 6th and 7th Avenue S.E., the Bow will be the home of EnCana and Cenovus Energy.


Employees will move into the two million square foot building in three phases.


“We are looking at the end of next summer for the first group from Cenovus to move in,” Brown says.


The second group is expected to move in next fall and the last group in the late winter or early spring of 2012.


The office tower, which includes a six-storey underground parkade, is being constructed by Ledcor Construction Ltd. Work on the interior has started, as has the exterior glass “curtain wall,” which is expected to be in place by Christmas.


Construction is right on schedule, Brown says.


“The Bow, because it is an iconic building, it has never really been a problem attracting workers,” he continues.


Not only do people want to be part of its rise as the tallest office building in Canada outside of Toronto, but also Calgarians in general have expressed how impressed they are, says Brown.


Many comment on how beautiful it looks at night all lit up, although some have expressed concern about the amount of electricity that it uses. But Brown assures that it is not lit up for cosmetic reasons.


“We work 24 hours a day and that’s why it needs to be lit at night.”


The design architect for the project was Foster + Partners of London. The crescent shape of the building is said to make it aerodynamically efficient, reducing the structure’s wind load.


Groundbreaking took place in June 2007 and it surpassed the Suncor Energy Centre as Calgary’s highest building in July 2010.


6 WESTERN CANADIAN PIPELINE | FALL 2010


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