March 10, 2011

Telus is building itself a new home in downtown Vancouver. Named Telus
Garden, the development will "radically transform an aging block of
downtown Vancouver into a beautiful architectural icon of advanced
technology, environmental stewardship and new work styles," it said.

According to Telus, the 22-storey office tower will be the first building in Canada built to the new 2009 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum standard and the 44-storey residential tower will be built to the LEED Gold standard. In the similar family of buildings are the LEED Gold certified Telus House Ottawa, the LEED Gold built Telus House Toronto and the LEED Silver built Place Telus Quebec City.

The million-sq ft, $750 million project will see almost the entire block of downtown real estate and is said to create half a million square feet of "much-needed" new office space for tenants and 500 new residential units.

Plans for the new headquarters include a 10,000-sq ft of green roofs providing organic produce for local restaurants, two elevated roof forests, British Columbia artwork, LED lighting on the western facade projecting programmable coloured images on to fritted glass, and media walls where cultural events such as symphony concerts can be broadcast to the public.

"This development, which will inject millions of dollars into our economy, will highlight Telus’ advanced communications technologies and environmental innovation in a way never before seen," said Darren Entwistle, Telus president and CEO. "Telus Garden will be a breathtaking place to live and work, an architectural icon that will consume 30 percent less energy thanks to its responsible, leading-edge design. It will be a celebrated urban oasis that is literally alive with plant life and showcases our great province’s arts and culture."

The project’s construction is said to create 3 million person-hours of employment during construction, scheduled to begin this fall and be completed in 2015.

"The fact that Telus is choosing to build a new national headquarters in Vancouver is a great vote of confidence in our local economy," said Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson. "Their proposal to build to LEED Platinum is extremely ambitious and sends a signal that in Vancouver, going green is good for business and the environment."