[CT_]

NAV Canada runs the air navigation systems at major Canadian airports. Apparently the height originally proposed would interfere with their equipment somehow, so they had to shave a few meters off the proposed height. Not sure if roughly 900' is the de facto limit to towers in Calgary or if its position at the east edge of the core makes it a bigger issue. The downside of the fact that, out of Canada's biggest cities, our airport is the closest to downtown.

The more I look at the new renders, the more I like them. I much prefer the more subtle roof pitch and the two buildings appear to be more distinct from one another rather than typical twin towers.

Hm, I wonder in that case if Calgary could at all get a 300m+ tower in the future? Perhaps if a developer offers to upgrade their equipment.

 

[Albertasaurus]

Hm, I wonder in that case if Calgary could at all get a 300m+ tower in the future? Perhaps if a developer offers to upgrade their equipment.

Well, I grew up in the skyscraper desert known as "Ottawa", where hitting even 400' seemed like a fantasy until a few years ago. So 900' is pretty impressive for a city our size.

 

[The Familia]

I like the revisions, looks more refined. I only wish they kept the “bumps” along the facade. The sides look a little too flat now, woukd have been cool if the glass jutted out a bit like the CIBC towers in Toronto for a bit of depth.

 

[O-tac]

They already VE’d the main interesting feature which was the glass patterning. The inset balconies halfway up remind me of Stantec.

Also, choosing to have the observation deck facing East instead of West is odd. Is this geared for Stampede tourists?

 

[Robo]

They already VE’d the main interesting feature which was the glass patterning. The inset balconies halfway up remind me of Stantec.

I was thinking that also, but at least the tower is one straight plane and not an awkward step back halfway up the tower like Stantec.

 

[whatchyyc]

They already VE’d the main interesting feature which was the glass patterning. The inset balconies halfway up remind me of Stantec.

Also, choosing to have the observation deck facing East instead of West is odd. Is this geared for Stampede tourists?

There's a balcony on both sides

 

[O-tac]

There's a balcony on both sides

I just saw that on a different render from the NW.

 

[Roaring Flames]

The outdoor observation deck is also on both East and West sides

 

[Nimbus]

Not buying the Nav Canada equipment issue, very very unlikely. It may be some sort of maximum obstacle altitude for runway 17R/35L. Even that seems a stretch.

 

[Surrealplaces]

It does seem strange to me also. I feel like it's far enough away from 17R/35R that 900' would easily be fine, but maybe there's some archaic regulation somewhere.

 

[CBBarnett]

Isn't it more about the flight path to access the runway? One of our plane experts would know, but I feel there's certain times of day where there's a whole stream of planes taking off over the Beltline heading west. They are way above 275m, but perhaps it's a safety bubble kind of thing.

One our plane experts probably got some real technical facts for us though!

 

[O-tac]

Isn’t this basically 900 feet? 897 feet is pretty much the same

 

[Surrealplaces]

Isn’t this basically 900 feet? 897 feet is pretty much the same

Yep, it's only about 15 feet difference from the original height. I'm guessing that someone way back when chose 900 feet as the height limit for that spot. They could have easily made it 950 feet or 1000 feet and it wouldn't have made any difference.

 

[blue12]

I like the new observation deck and small changes to the podium. Don't really care about the height change, it's still importantly going to be the tallest in AB. The balconies do remind me quite a bit of the Stantec tower, for better or for worse. I did more or less expect that unique "wavy" design with the glass to not stick around and the end result to look more basic but it is what it is, still a very solid design all around.

 

[Atticus]

See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya...

According to Realtor.ca there are 20 units for sale at the moment. Honestly, I think it's a bit overblown. Yeah it sucks to lose a good chunk of your view, but anyone who bought into that side of the building had to know that party wasn't going to last forever with that empty lot. In the long run, this project should help the whole street presence and neighborhood, which will offset the value lost. The reality is that all the activity from Alpha House is a much bigger detriment than any view being lost.

Having this built will be a bonus for Vetro and Sasso. I’d rather look at this than the SE industrial parks.