Telus Sky officially opens its doors to Calgary

The building brings to the sector 750,000 square feet of Class AA office and retail space, as well as 326 residential units

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After two years of delay due to the pandemic, Telus Sky was finally able to celebrate its grand opening.

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The iconic 60-story skyscraper in downtown Calgary completed construction in 2020 but was unable to begin moving its 1,600 employees into the building until this year. The $400 million tower represents a commitment by the telecommunications giant to the region from an infrastructure and community standpoint.

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“Telus Sky is the friendly future of Calgary in action, and it stands as an ongoing and passionate symbol of our commitment to the country, our commitment to the province, our commitment to the city and we are doing it all for our customers, our partners. community members and our team members in Alberta,” Telus CEO Darren Entwistle said Wednesday.

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The building has dazzled Calgarians since 2019 with Canada’s largest public art display featuring Douglas Coupland’s Northern Lights illumination, but the impact on downtown goes beyond the light show.

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Douglas Coupland's Northern Lights art installation adorns the Telus Sky building.
Douglas Coupland’s Northern Lights art installation adorns the Telus Sky building. Photo by Gavin Young /post media

The building brings to the sector 750,000 square feet of Class AA retail and office space, as well as 326 residential units. It is the third tallest tower in the city at 729 feet, behind The Bow (774 feet) and Brookfield Place (810 feet).

Telus occupies floors 4-10 and 59-60. Floors 11-28 are currently being leased by other companies including Absorb Software, Bank of Nova Scotia, Deville Coffee, FWBA Architects, Integral, RGN Alberta XIX Limited, Sky Psychiatry and TMX.

Darren Entwistle, Chairman and CEO of TELUS, speaks at the opening of Telus Sky in downtown Calgary on Wednesday, July 6, 2022.
Darren Entwistle, Chairman and CEO of TELUS, speaks at the opening of Telus Sky in downtown Calgary on Wednesday, July 6, 2022. Jim Wells/Post Media

Construction began in 2013 where the old Art Central building stood, at the end of the last oil boom. It continued through one of the worst recessions in a generation, while other businesses left the city center and created 1,000 construction jobs along the way.

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Mayor Jyoti Gondek said Telus Sky played a major role in the city’s push to revitalize downtown.

“You lead the way,” he told a packed Sky lobby filled with Telus staff and other dignitaries. “We have invested a quarter of a billion dollars in downtown revitalization and we did it because we learned from you that we needed to have confidence in ourselves.”

Gondek was part of the planning commission that first viewed the plans and was later impressed by the public art, interior green spaces, and architecture, calling the final product a “wonder.”

A spiral staircase is shown on the upper floors at the opening of Telus Sky in downtown Calgary on Wednesday, July 6, 2022.
A spiral staircase is shown on the upper floors at the opening of Telus Sky in downtown Calgary on Wednesday, July 6, 2022. Jim Wells/Post Media

Navin Arora, executive vice president of Telus, said it was important for them to plant their flag in Calgary with a new building, despite the rising vacancy rate in the city center. The location was in a prime spot next to other Telus properties on Center Street South, across from a CTrain station, and in a neighborhood that needed a boost.

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“We wanted Telus to be right in the heart of downtown Calgary and be an important part of the rejuvenation of downtown,” he said.

Navin Arora, Executive Vice President of TELUS Business Solutions, speaks at the opening of Telus Sky in downtown Calgary on Wednesday, July 6, 2022.
Navin Arora, Executive Vice President of TELUS Business Solutions, speaks at the opening of Telus Sky in downtown Calgary on Wednesday, July 6, 2022. Jim Wells/Post Media

Key to this building is its environmental standards and sustainability, including linking with other adjacent Telus-owned properties for HVAC systems and other environmental components to make it more efficient. It has achieved the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum standard and is one of the most technologically innovative and environmentally friendly buildings in North America. Its storm management system recycles rainwater to reduce city water system demand by 70 percent, a thermal energy system reduces heating energy demand by 30 percent, includes air ventilation 100 percent cool, triple-pane windows to decrease solar transmission and lower energy demands by 35 percent, and had a living green wall in an 11-story atrium.

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The building was designed by the Bjarke Ingels Group and Dialog, and developed by Westbank and Allied.

Visitors are silhouetted against a wall display in the lobby at the opening of Telus Sky in downtown Calgary on Wednesday, July 6, 2022.
Visitors are silhouetted against a wall display in the lobby at the opening of Telus Sky in downtown Calgary on Wednesday, July 6, 2022. Jim Wells/Post Media

Premier Jason Kenney highlighted Telus’ commitment to the city and province, including an additional $17 billion in broadband infrastructure investments announced last week, as well as charity work across the province and city.

“I would love to see some of these profitable oil companies do everything Telus has to give back to Alberta and Calgary,” he said.

Part of the Calgary skyline, looking south and showing the Calgary Tower as seen from the upper floors at the opening of Telus Sky in downtown Calgary on Wednesday, July 6, 2022.
Part of the Calgary skyline, looking south and showing the Calgary Tower as seen from the upper floors at the opening of Telus Sky in downtown Calgary on Wednesday, July 6, 2022. Jim Wells/Post Media

Telus’ roots go back to Alberta Government Telephone and Crown’s acquisition of EdTel in 1995, when it went private. In 1999, Telus merged with BC Tel and its headquarters moved to Vancouver. Kenney proposed to Entwistle that he move the company headquarters to his original province, pushing for lower taxes, less regulation, a cheaper cost of living and Calgary was recently named the third most livable city in the world by The Economist.

“Give me five minutes with your board, man, and we’ll be cutting the ribbon to make Telus Sky, this amazing expression of hope and optimism for Alberta, its headquarters,” he said.

[email protected]

Twitter: @JoshAldrich03

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