Manitoba Hydro Place

Manitoba Hydro Place
Manitoba Hydro Place as seen from Portage Avenue, May 2022
Map
General information
TypeOffice tower
Location360 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3C 0G8
Coordinates49°53′32.63″N 97°8′47.04″W / 49.8923972°N 97.1464000°W / 49.8923972; -97.1464000 (Manitoba Hydro Place)
Construction startedAugust 2005[1]
CompletedDecember 22, 2008 (first occupancy)[1][2]
OpeningSeptember 29, 2009[3]
CostC$278m.[4]
OwnerManitoba Hydro
Height
Roof377 ft (115 m) (solar chimney)
Technical details
Floor count24 (22 + 2 Mechanical)
Floor area695,250 sq ft (64,591 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)
[5][6][7]
Structural engineerCrosier Kilgour/Halcrow Yolles
Main contractorPCL Construction Management

Manitoba Hydro Place (MHP) is an office tower serving as the headquarters building of Manitoba Hydro, the electric power and natural gas utility in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Located at 360 Portage Avenue in downtown Winnipeg and connected to the Winnipeg Walkway system, Manitoba Hydro Place received LEED Platinum certification in May 2012, making it one of the most energy-efficient office towers in North America.[8]

Opened as Winnipeg's 4th tallest building in September 2009,[8] the 21-story office tower brought together 1,650 employees[3] from 15 suburban locations[9] into one 695,000 sq ft (64,568 m2) high-rise on a full, downtown block. With the design's plan view resembling a capital letter "A", the project comprises two 18-storey twin wings framing three 6-storey, south-facing atria (winter gardens). The design's stepped, three-storey, street-scaled podium[10] contains retail space as well as an interior pedestrian street and a single level of parking, partially below grade — over which sit the atria, office wings and their 3-storey mechanical penthouse.[11] Total project cost was C$278m.[4]

The building's bioclimatic, energy-efficient design features a 377 ft (115 m) tall solar chimney, a geo-thermal HVAC system using 280 five-inch tubes bored 380 feet into an underground aquifer,[12] 100% fresh air (24 hours a day, year-round, regardless of outside temperature)[10] and a one-meter-wide double exterior wall with computer-controlled motorized vents that adjust the building's exterior skin throughout the day and evening. Together, the various elements of the design enable a 70% energy savings over a typical large office tower.[13]

In 2009, CBC News called Manitoba Hydro Place one of "the most energy-efficient office towers in the world"[14] and the Toronto Star called MHP the "most important building in Canada."[12]

  1. ^ a b "Manitoba Hydro Place, Timeline". Manitoba Hydro. Archived from the original on 2012-04-03. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
  2. ^ "Manitoba Hydro Place, p. 3" (PDF). Smith Carter Architects. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
  3. ^ a b "Hydro unveils new building". Winnipeg Free Press, 9-30-2009, Geoff Kirbyson.
  4. ^ a b "Manitoba Hydro Place, Office and Retail Tower, Winnipeg, Canada". Designbuild-network.com.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference structurae was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference skyPage was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference emporis was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b "More Than Skin Deep". Architectural Record, July 2010. Archived from the original on 2013-01-19. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
  9. ^ "Manitoba Hydro Place". American Institute of Architects.
  10. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference arcdaily was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "Manitoba Hydro Place". KPMB Architects.
  12. ^ a b "Canada's Most Important Building". Toronto Star, December 19, 2009, Christopher Hume. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
  13. ^ "2009 Best Tall Building Americas". Council on Tall Buildings and Habitat.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference CTBUH was invoked but never defined (see the help page).