People: architect, Gibbs Gage Architects, Calgary; general contractor, PCL Constructors Inc., Edmonton, Alberta; building envelope contractor, Flynn Canada Ltd., Calgary; and facility owner, Aspen Properties Ltd., Calgary
Products: The project uses a Cambridge Parkade metal fabric system from Cambridge Architectural, Cambridge, Md. The metal fabric patterns used were mid-balance, shade and stripe. A total of 22,190 square feet of the product was used on the parking structure.
Fine points: Palliser South is a new 300,000-square-foot, 19-story office building. The building’s pre-existing parking structure needed a redesign to reflect the modern feel of Calgary’s historic district. The metal fabric system creates horizontal and vertical curves along the façade of the parking garage by attaching straight mesh segments at varying depths to give the building an undulating exterior. The result is a flowing, opulent veil. Along with satisfying a design requirement, the cascading mesh panels were built to facilitate ventilation and withstand Calgary’s harsh winters.