EllisDon was the General Contractor for the complete edevelopment of the HR-CEC-TDS or ‘The CORE’ shopping mall in downtown Calgary. The Core spans three city blocks and consists of over 60 shops located in three buildings: the Holt Renfrew building (formerly known as Sears), the Calgary Eaton Centre, and TD Square. The three buildings are connected by existing multi-level commercial bridges. A significant feature of the build is the construction of the world’s largest skylight of its kind, measuring 90 feet wide by 750 feet, it is a long continuous point-supported system.

In addition to the new skylight, the connecting bridges received updated curtain wall systems and new structural steel support. The project also encompassed a complete contemporary architectural redesign of the public areas, which enables the retailers to deliver a state of the art shopping experience to its patrons. The entire redevelopment was accomplished, while The CORE remained open for business.

Highlights

• Achieved LEED® Silver Certification
• World’s largest skylight of its kind measuring 90 feet wide by 750 feet long
• Complex scheduling and logistics to minimize impact on retail operations

Challenges & Solutions

In order to overcome the logistical difficulties of performing the updates while the mall was functioning, extensive collaborative work sessions were undertaken with the client and their consultants, as well as meetings with the City of Calgary Regulatory Bodies. EllisDon’s Reasearch & Development department also provided their scheduling and logistics expertise throughout the preconstruction phase and remained involved throughout the job to ensure it’s success.

“Despite the many challenges with a renovation of this magnitude faced during the transformation of the complex, this project was delivered to our client SITQ/AIMCo within the original time frame set out 3 years earlier and on budget. 20Vic Management would not hesitate in recommending EllisDon’s services to others.”

-Howard Scott, Construction Manager, 20Vic Management