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The 2700 square metre
building was designed with a number of contextural images and internal
corporate requirements as form generators, incorporating layers, surfaces,
and voids. The emphasis wason a strong street presence with each building
elevation, clad in white aluminum panels, being related but distinct,
capitalizing on views while providing for internal usable space. The two
wings of the building will create work environments for the company
reflecting the two owner's respective areas of responsibility and
direction, while emphasizing linkages through an atrium space and bridges
at the upper levels. The sloping site - sloping down from east to west
-allowed for an intermediate main entry to the three storey buildingoff a
radiating parking area accessed from Allstate Parkway. The axial entry
provides for views through the atrium to the creek beyond. The blue
aluminum wall (based on the corporate colour) which defines the south side
of the atrium acts as a solid mass and a layered screen, producting a
backdrop for the sloped skylight, revealing the structure within along the
office corridor, and forming a distinctive roof element. The undulating
roof on the south was designed for both practical purposes - to contain
mechanical equipment - and as a whimsical reference to adjacent Beaver
Creek (see rendered image) to all who pass overhead from the adjacent
airport. Rainwater is retained on the flat roofs and is then led into the
building at the atrium level in the dry river bed which will fill during
times of rain and then discharge to the outside through sump pits to find
its way to the natural watercourse of the creek. All landscaping will be an
extension of the original meadow and wetlands, creating a naturalized site
surrounding the angular and flowing volumes of the building.
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