Downtown angular tower promises to ‘make headlines’ when complete

A unique angular nine-storey building proposed for downtown Kelowna will have agile workspace and promises to “make headlines” when it opens in the city.

According to planning documents submitted to city hall, the property on the southwest corner of Clement Avenue and St. Paul Street will have street facing retail, a two floor parkade with perimeter offices, five floors of commercial space and five townhomes on the upper two levels.

The second level of the parkade will only be accessible via car elevator.

The building will be owner occupied, with Richard Boerger’s firm, Axiom Architecture, as the main tenant. The rest of the mid-rise tower will house co-working office space.

“The agile-office exemplifies the shift to flexible working hours and shared co-working offices spaces that has been accelerated due to Covid,” he wrote. “Agile work environments create their own local ecosystems and are a draw for small up-start businesses moving from expensive locales, as they fulfill the need for walking distance office space.”

Boerger anticipates flexible office area will account for around 30 per cent of commercial space by 2024.

Externally, an angular design is proposed, and will incorporate a traditional brick façade to tie it to other heritage elements in the neighborhood.

The façade will have several windows on three sides to allow for natural lighting. The parking structure is designed to be mechanically ventilated, removing the need for ventilation screens to try to hide the parking podium.

“The main level along St. Paul has been pushed back to enhance the public realm, with the angular design preserving sunlight exposure on the sidewalk opposite to the building,” he wrote. “The roof top patio is a primary amenity for the anchor tenant for the building, which is an agile workspace that brings a true live-work social connection space to this part of the city.”

The project needs several signoffs from city hall to go ahead, including rezoning, setback, and other variance approvals.