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Manulife Investment Management and Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) announced plans yesterday for a $30-million renovation to Manulife Place in downtown Edmonton.
Designed by New York-based MdeAS Architects, the project will see much of the podium's 103,000 square-feet of retail space - most of which is currently only accessible via the interior mall - opened to the street and enhanced with new transparent glazing wrapping the first two floors, and with brighter signage to be added to the exterior.
The interior communal spaces are also set for a refresh; Manulife has retained local firm Interscape Interior Design to update the lobby with new porcelain flooring and LED lighting, while Montreal-based GH+A Design is set to redesign the retail spaces.
Some interior work has already been completed in 2019, which saw the interior railings replaced and a new information and concierge desk added to the central mall on the second floor.
The podium's fourth-floor green roof, previously only accessible to building tenants, is also set for a Stantec-designed makeover, which will see the space turned into a 45,000 square-foot landscaped terrace.
Work on the renovation project is expected to begin in summer of 2020. Manulife Place was completed in 1983, and at 146 metres high it held the title of Edmonton's tallest building until 2011 (supplanted by the 149-metre EPCOR Tower).
SkyriseEdmonton will be sure to follow construction of this project as it progresses. More images and information can be found in the project Database entry linked below. What do you think of the renovation plans? Leave a comment below, or join the discussion in our Forum!
