Beaver Hills Building

Location: Edmonton, AB
Year: 2013
Status: Study

The intent of this renovation/addition project is to restore the restaurant usage, introduce a visual identity to the building, and to better engage the Jasper Avenue streetfront and adjacent Beaver Hills House Park.

The basic premise of the design is to connect the building to the park in a more prominent and substantial way. There are a number of strategies proposed to improve this connection, including:

• Enlarging existing windows facing park and street
• Cantilevering second and third storeys over park and street
• Providing at-grade patio and rooftop patio overlooking park

These strategies will activate the edge of the park beyond typical downtown office hours, improving vibrancy of the street and park. The extended use and views to the park will also provide “eyes on the street,” increasing the sense of safety for the surrounding park and sidewalk. An architectural screen featuring glue-laminated vertical members is proposed facing the park. The glued-laminated members are offset from the exterior building wall and positioned at subtly varying angles. In addition to helping the building establish a sense of identity, the screen becomes a permeable backdrop for the east edge of the park.