Cenovus to anchor Brookfield tower downtown

Cenovus Energy Inc. will be the anchor tenant of a downtown skyscraper expected to generate 1,300 construction jobs after it breaks ground in September, the developer said Wednesday.

Brookfield Office Properties said Cenovus will lease one million square feet of the 1.4-million-square-foot east office tower at 225 6th Avenue S.W. on the former Calgary Herald building site. The project, called Brookfield Place Calgary, is expected to include a second tower with about one million square feet, a transparent glass pavilion, restaurants and shops at street level, and underground parking. Work on the 56-storey, 247-metre tower is expected to wrap up in the latter half of 2017, with Cenovus moving in by the first quarter of the following year. It will be the tallest structure in Western Canada, exceeding the Bow building where Cenovus already shares space with Encana.

Cenovus said the Brookfield project will bring staff spread across other offices spaces into one building.

“Taking space in this world-class building, owned by a premier developer and property manager, marks a significant and exciting step in the consolidation of our Calgary staff in fewer buildings,” said Denise Froese, Cenovus vice-president, administrative services. “This will enhance staff collaboration and help us maintain a healthy organization as we continue to build the company.”

Cenovus moved about 1,800 employees into the Bow tower between August and December last year. Its staff occupy the third to 28th floors of that building.

“Brookfield and Cenovus are demonstrating their confidence in Calgary as an economic hub,” Mayor Naheed Nenshi said in a statement accompanying the announcement.