Eau Claire Place I is an office-to-residential conversion project, bringing much-needed rental housing to Calgary’s Eau Claire neighborhood through the City’s Downtown Development Incentive Program and ongoing downtown revitalization efforts.
Challenge
Converting a seven-story office building into residential use required maximizing the value of the existing structure while delivering contemporary housing in a competitive urban market. The project also needed to meet aggressive timelines and preserve the character of a well-positioned building suited to adaptive reuse.
Solution
The design transforms the building into approximately 87 market rental units with resident amenities including a gym, lounge, and a new residential entrance. Existing assets, including the optimal floorplate configuration, central elevator core, underground parking, exterior window grid, and precast concrete panels, are retained and repurposed, allowing the building’s brutalist character to remain intact.
Outcome
The development introduces new housing to one of Calgary’s most established urban neighborhoods while supporting the broader revitalization of the downtown core. A Life Cycle Assessment confirmed that repurposing the existing structure and materials achieved a 90% reduction in embodied carbon and approximately 2,145 tCO₂e, which is comparable to the annual emissions from nearly 500 gasoline-powered vehicles, the annual energy use of 288 homes, or the carbon sequestered in one year by 2,152 acres (871 hectares) of forests.
The HAT Eau Claire is an adaptive reuse project recognized by the Downtown Calgary Development Incentive Program to drive economic recovery in the city’s core. The vision by owner and developer Cidex was to transform the vacant commercial building into much needed urban residential use. The office to residential conversion presented a viable economic opportunity and a sustainability solution through repurposing an existing structure.
Situated on a corner site, the seven-story building located in the Eau Claire neighborhood of Calgary. It is surrounded by new commercial developments, multifamily residential communities, the Bow River pathway and numerous retail options. The conversion adds 87 market rental units and tenant amenities, such as a gym and lounge, and a new residential entryway. The pristine condition of the existing building, including an optimal floor plate configuration, central elevator location and underground parking, make it highly adaptable for residential use. The design repurposes the concrete exterior window grid and existing pre-cast concrete panels. The overall character and brutalist architecture of the building also remains intact.
The HAT Eau Claire redevelopment leads the pack in conversion projects revitalizing Calgary’s downtown core. In addition to delivering new housing options in one of Calgary’s most established neighborhoods, the project sets a precedent for high-impact, carbon-conscious urban regeneration. By retaining the existing structure and repurposing materials, the project achieved a 90% reduction in embodied carbon, as confirmed through a Life Cycle Assessment. This reduction—equivalent to 2,145 tCO₂e—is comparable to the annual emissions from nearly 500 gasoline-powered vehicles, the annual energy use of 288 homes, or the carbon sequestered in one year by 2,152 acres (871 hectares) of forests.
