Calgary converting office tower into academic space

Key Takeaways:

• The University of Calgary is converting an underused downtown office tower into 180,000 square feet of academic space, making it the first project of its kind in the region. The new facility will house the School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape (SAPL), offering design studios, research labs, and public engagement spaces.
• Supported by $9 million from the City of Calgary’s Downtown Post-Secondary Institution Incentive Program, the project aims to revitalize Calgary’s downtown west end by reducing office vacancy, increasing economic activity, and creating a more vibrant and safer urban environment.
• The expansion will bring 1,200 students into the downtown core—400 graduate and 800 new undergraduate SAPL students.

The Whole Story:

The University of Calgary and The City of Calgary have announced a new partnership to convert an underused office tower (801 7 Ave. S.W.) into active academic, teaching, and research space.

It is the first project of its kind in the region.

This expansion to the university’s downtown campus will transform 180,000 square feet into the new home for the University of Calgary’s School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape (SAPL) that includes design studios, classrooms, research spaces, a robotic fabrication workshop, an exhibition gallery, and a community-facing design justice lab. The recently renovated building atrium will be regularly used by SAPL for public lectures and events focused on city building.

“The expansion of the University of Calgary’s downtown campus is a key part of revitalizing our city’s core,” said Calgary Mayor, Jyoti Gondek, “This project breathes new life into underused office space, bringing more than a thousand students into the west end and transforming it into a vibrant, dynamic area. By strengthening ties between post-secondary institutions and businesses, we’re driving economic growth, while making downtown a safer and more active place for all.”

This project is supported by up to $9 million in funding from The City of Calgary’s Downtown Post-Secondary Institution Incentive Program (PSI Program). Calgary City Council created the PSI Program as part of the broader Downtown Strategy to increase the overall economic activity, vibrancy and safety in the greater downtown area while also reducing downtown office vacancy.

The University of Calgary downtown campus expansion allows for the relocation of all 400 current SAPL graduates and 800 new undergraduates — 1,200 students total — into Calgary’s core. Located next to the CTrain’s 8th Street station, an active transportation corridor, Century Gardens Park and housing, the project is one of several current City of Calgary initiatives that are strengthening the west end of downtown including streetscape improvements to 8 Street S.W. and 8 Avenue S.W. and four office-to-residential conversion projects within two blocks. This project’s proximity to UCalgary’s existing downtown campus across the street at 8^th and 8^th creates a new campus atmosphere in the downtown west end.

 “Through this first of its kind investment, the University of Calgary will be able to further grow the local economy by educating the workforce of tomorrow,” said Ed McCauley, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Calgary. “This will create 1,200 new student spaces downtown offering students a unique, real-world learning experience while freeing up 800 vital spaces on campus for in demand programs. We are grateful to the City of Calgary for this important investment in post-secondary learning.”