The 37-storey Nexen Tower is an award-winning iconic building in the west end of downtown Calgary with adjacencies to the CTrain line and the existing Century Gardens park. In 2014, the Owners commissioned GGA to assess and upscale the design, finishes and furnishings of the public areas throughout the main floor lobby and the +15 level. To modernize these areas, our team opened up the seating areas and integrated them with public circulation corridors. On the +15 level, this created opportunities for food and retail kiosks within a series of intimate “living and dining rooms” for the public and office tenants. Placing green and bloom in plant boxes throughout these spaces provides separation and visual variety in the seating area. Furniture selection and materials also contribute to the success of these seating areas by utilizing soft seating with durable materials to create intimate, bright areas that encourage touchdown meetings and social meet-ups.
The main floor lobby is regarded as the front door and reception of the main tenant of the tower, thus its specific requirements for security gates and corporate identity. We introduced a material and colour palate that complemented and enhanced the original Luna Pearl polished granite on the walls and flamed finish granite on the floors. In addition, the only street frontage for Nexen Tower is along 8th Street which presented challenges for providing adequate access to the building, parking/loading and park access. GGA reworked the lobby and common spaces to make them more accessible and intuitive—adding a public barrier-free universal washroom, brightening the lobby and common areas as well as widening walkways in the indoor garden.