A symbol of downtown Edmonton’s renaissance, Enbridge Centre’s Class AA 575,500-square-foot office building earned LEED Gold certification for Commercial Interiors through the Canada Green Building Council. Continuing to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability, the property also earned LEED Platinum, the highest level of certification, for Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance.

Along with LEED goals, a thoughtful approach was needed to blend the building’s historic location with new construction. Enbridge Centre was designed by DIALOG and constructed by Ledcor. Meeting the project’s multiple priorities, specifications and aesthetics, more than 400,000 square feet of Rockfon’s acoustic stone wool and metal ceiling systems were provided by Pacific West System Supply and installed throughout the tower by Baytek Interiors Inc.

The building’s name acknowledges anchor tenant Enbridge Inc., a leading North American energy delivery company whose 2,500 employees occupy 14 floors. This was the first new tower to be built in Edmonton’s Financial District in more than two decades. The 25-story high-rise is located on the site of the former Kelly Ramsey Building. Originally built in 1927, it was severely damaged by a 2009 fire.

Photo courtesy of Tom Arban Photography Inc. via Rockfon

Paying respect to Edmonton’s rich history and exciting future, Enbridge Centre incorporates materials from the original building on the first four stories, along with the Kelly Building and James Ramsey names on the reconstructed façade. Atop the podium structure, the upper floors showcase modern, high-performance products.

DIALOG specified Rockfon Planostile metal ceiling panels in the two-story lobby and in the enclosed pedestrian bridge connecting to the light rail station. The expansive, open lobby features sculptures from award-winning Canadian artists, marble floor, stone cladding and glass handrails complementing the full-height glass exterior walls. These hard, reflective materials create an attractive appearance, but countermeasures are needed to produce a good acoustic experience.

Helping dampen the lobby’s unwanted noise and reverberating echoes, Rockfon’s metal ceilings were perforated and paired with an insulating backer. This combination can deliver very high sound absorption with a noise reduction coefficient of 0.90.

Rockfon Alaska acoustic stone wool panels also achieve a 0.90 NRC. DIALOG selected these panels to optimize acoustics and enhance the modern appearance on the tenants’ spaces. They were installed in the offices with 9-foot-tall ceilings and in the amenity areas, such as the second-floor fitness center.

Photo courtesy of Tom Arban Photography Inc. via Rockfon

The on-site fitness center is a clear example of the emphasis on occupant health, well-being and comfort. Supporting indoor environmental quality and other LEED attributes, the design team reviewed and selected interior products and materials with low emissions, high performance and recycled content.

Contributing to indoor air quality through low emissions, all of Rockfon’s stone wool products are UL GREENGUARD Gold Certified for office applications. Stone wool and metal also are materials that naturally resist fire, moisture and humidity, and contain no organic compounds to support mold or microbial growth. Rockfon Alaska’s elegant smooth white surface also reflects up to 86 percent of light for a bright, comfortable interior.

At least 10 percent of Enbridge Centre’s interior construction materials were manufactured with recycled content, including Rockfon’s ceiling products. After their long lifespan on the building, the metal ceiling panels and suspension systems also can be locally recycled.

Photo courtesy of Tom Arban Photography Inc. via Rockfon

Ceiling installing contractor Baytek Interiors coordinated with Ledcor and other trades throughout the project’s construction schedule. Ledcor Construction Canada’s president (now retired), Peter Hrdlitschka, praised the effort on Enbridge Centre at its grand opening celebration. “Our client’s vision was to preserve the heritage façades while bringing in modern and sustainable elements to the building,” he said. “Our project team and trades excelled at bringing together these components in a way that really reflects how vibrant Edmonton’s business community has become over the last two decades.”

Adding to the project’s accolades, Enbridge Centre was honored by Edmonton Urban Design Awards with a Civic Design Award of Merit and a Heritage Projects Award of Excellence. The jury noted, “The building overall demonstrates spectacular contrast in the integration of the new with the old, and it serves as a model for how to integrate heritage buildings.”