MacCosham Lofts

Location: Edmonton, AB
Year: 2000
Status: Completed

Situated on a prominent corner of the warehouse district in Edmonton, the MacCosham Building was an ideal candidate for conversion. It now is a mixed-use development of underground parking, shops, a computer training school and two floors of loft housing above.

The central sky-lit atrium allows for light to penetrate into the core of this large square plan. Glass block walls permit this light into the “open plan” suite interiors. Many of the original architectural features including the heavy wood beams and columns, brick walls, hardwood floors and heavy timber ceilings have been carefully retained. The retail area, for example, still makes use of the original loading doors on overhead tracks.

The flavor and character of the original warehouse is maintained in spite of the fact that the brick facade was destroyed by gunite sprayed on decades earlier. Brick-coloured acrylic stucco and flat, warehouse-type fenestration ensure that the building fits in with the surrounding buildings in the warehouse district.