About Jamieson Place
Address: 308 - 4th Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta, T2P 0H7
Ownership: British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (bcIMC)
Building Developer and Management: Bentall LP
Building Architect: Gibbs Gage Architects
Architectual Influence
"Jamieson Place is a 38 storey commercial development comprised of a 3-storey podium and an office tower. It is a landmark building with strong architectural signature elements at street level and the skyline. The gross floor area of the building is approximately 880,000 sqft.
The overriding architectural motif is in Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairie style utilizing contemporary material palette and color. Wright’s sculptural prairie style columns inspire the tower massing, whereas the podium, winter garden and +15 bridges are inspired by Wright’s stain glass motifs.
As seen from the East & West Elevations the tower portion is articulated with a single storey recess that defines the tower massing into 2 distinct and stacked boxes. Subsequently two massive granite pillars are expressed as sentinels that terminate as twin beacons. The beacons and respective antennas are signature elements that will be seen literally as high lights in Calgary’s evolving skyline. Furthermore, visual interest on the facades includes 2-storey sky gardens that act as urban scale lanterns at night.
The 3-storey podium is designed to activate the street with pedestrians by maintaining the same large 4th avenue set back as Westin hotel to west and BP building to the east. Within the large setbacks on 4th avenue and 2nd street are: wide sidewalks containing double row of trees; building arcade along 4th avenue; retail on all sidewalk frontages (4th avenue, 2nd street, and 3rd avenue); and street level art. Retail and/or restaurant uses are encouraged at street level as well as to the +15 level winter garden. The dramatic 15’ cantilever at the fourth floor level will further enhance street life with strong roof-like elements over the 2nd street sidewalk. The 2-storey entry arcade on 4th avenue is the main address of the building and provides a heroic street address.
The winter garden on the +15 level acts as the pinwheel for the +15 bridges from the north, east, and potentially from Westin hotel to the west. These connections provide vital pedestrian links to the overall +15 network and commercial viability for retailers. The perimeter of the winter garden is lowered along 2nd street and 3rd avenue to improve its presence at street level. The intent is to have foliage from planters at +15 level cascade down to a lower level to have a strong visual presence at street level. The roof of the winter garden is glazed with a series of skylights. Glazing throughout the winter garden, including the 3rd avenue façade will be clear to promote visual connections between user and passerby.
The podium also contains a large public amenity space on the 3rd floor level that is anticipated to be a fitness club. Large windows looking onto the street provide visual connections to the street life and vice versa. This promotes a theater-like atmosphere of ‘see and be seen’ that is essential in the vitality of city streets.
The material palette is bold to create a visual distinction with adjacent building materials and colors. The glazing selected is high performance units to comply with LEED standards. Quality materials, color, and texture will have a very strong and distinct presence at street level.
-Chito Pabustan, Gibbs Gage Architects
Jamieson Place was named after Calgary’s Alice Jamieson, who was the very first female judiciary in the entire British Empire. She helped to pave the way, with Emily Murphy of Edmonton, in women’s right and activism during the early 1900’s. Click here to be connected to more information on Alice Jamieson.
