A New High
Developers Embassy Bosa and FRAM+Slokker have brought lots of fresh thinking to the EV landscape with the design of their Evolution and FIRST condominiums.

The initial phase of residential offerings in EV offers innovative ideas for outdoor living on high. FIRST, for instance has the city’s only indoor/outdoor rooftop lounge, with a server kitchen, games room, meeting room and spectacular views from 18 floors up. In summer, glass doors open onto a spacious patio that’ll be one of the best places in the city to watch the sun set over the downtown skyline and Bow River, and in the chilly months, it’s the perfect entertainment space – a penthouse party room for friends, or the perfect hockey watching venue (the lounge has a big-screen TV). Of course, East Village will soon have lots of entertainment venues. FIRST’s sky lounge is one you can call your own.

At FUSE, the first phase of Embassy Bosa’s Evolution project, a lush third-floor garden lounge faces RiverWalk and the water, providing residents with pathways through extensive landscaping, small trees, flowers and grass areas, a BBQ area, and seating for entertainment. All residents in FUSE and PULSE (phase II of Evolution) will have direct access to the garden, and some tower suites and townhomes will have patios that back immediately onto the exciting green space – back yard in the sky, anyone? On the same level, the Social Lounge – a common space with serving kitchen, TV, billiards table and meeting rooms – will also give directly onto the garden.

Time to move up? Clearly. Come visit the Sales and Experience Centre in East Village and look at Evolution and FIRST for yourself.

 

Friday, October 19, 2012


PKN 13: Seed
King Edward school flung open its gym doors for another sold-out EV-sponsored PechaKucha night, and the ghosts of gym classes past didn’t scare off the stalwart speakers one bit.

A horticulturalist, a food truck guru, and a visual artist were among the idea planters who interpreted “seed” in vastly different ways on September 28.

According to one civil engineer in the audience, the rapid-fire PKN format of 20 slides for 20 seconds per slide has spread beyond the lecture circuit and into the workplace. “I've adopted that format in all my meetings,” confided a reformed PowerPointer named Peter.

PechaKucha Nights have become so popular in Calgary that free tickets are scooped up within minutes and culture fans ditch work early to secure a premium seat. Some even forego food in order to be first in line. “I have a meatball sub in my purse that I didn't have time to eat,” moaned one hungry ticket holder.

After host Shelley Youngblut challenged us to a drinking game (“Every time I mispronounce PechaKucha, you all drink”), Calgary Historian Laureate Harry Sanders taught us about early Calgary schools. Janine Vangool, publisher of UPPERCASE magazine, told us how listening to a William Shatner CD on repeat during a cross-Canada road trip planted the seed for her most popular exhibition. Fiasco Gelato creator James Boettcher confessed to “ambushing” Mayor Nenshi to pitch his YYC Food Truck idea. When Joni Carroll compared Doors Open YYC to “snooping in somebody's medicine cabinet during a party,” we all nodded in recognition. 

Many cultural elbows rubbed together in the halls of the century-old King Edward school over the weekend. PKN #13 shared the corridors with We Should Know Each Other #100 and with Doors Open YYC Naked. In the playground, a pop-up containR installation from the Fluid Movement Arts Festival drew the curious inside for a glance at ever-evolving performance art. If you missed it in the school yard, you can experience containR on RiverWalk from October 10-21.

And don't miss the next EV-sponsored PKN #14 in November, when the word around the Metropolitan Centre is "invest".

 

Wednesday, October 3, 2012


Industrial Arts
A massive shipment of theatre, cinema, dance and performing arts is unloading at RiverWalk. Literally.

As part of the 7th annual Fluid Movement Arts Festival, containR Calgary – an evolving art and performance event in intermodal shipping containers – will transform RiverWalk into an industrial hub with a difference. From October 10-21, the freight space inside two refurbished, recycled shipping containers is transformed into a rotating performance space. Expect the unexpected in a creative cargo of shows from around the globe and around the corner. 

There’ll be fresh, radical and stimulating performance installations, films and videos, dance, radio plays, parties and much else from MOCA, WordFest, Mountain Standard Time Performative Art Festival, The Consulate of Mexico, bravoFACT, Quickdraw Animation Society, YYCMobileMovie, We Should Know Each Other, Venus Envy, Possibilities & Poly Calgary.

containR Calgary festivities start with a pop-up satellite launch during Culture Days from September 28-30; its corrugated steel doors are thrown open to the curious on RiverWalk October 10. With over 100 free and ticketed events happening in and around those big steel boxes, you’ll definitely want to inspect the varied goods.

With a line-up that spans the globe, showcases emerging artists, and throws fabulous parties (slow dance, anyone?), containR Calgary promises to deliver a world of artistic experimentation right to our doorstep. Want to watch the setup? Check our Twitter feed; we’ll let you know when they arrive. 

Get tickets here or call 403 205 2922. 

Wednesday, October 3, 2012


FIRST OVER 60% SOLD!
Riverside living at FIRST

 A broad, culturally diverse cross-section of Calgarians of all ages have cast a resounding vote of confidence in FIRST. “What unites our buyers is that they want to be on the waterfront and they want to be downtown,” says Frank Giannone of FRAM+Slokker, FIRST’s developer.

 

Giannone says that although there’s a wide range of centrally-located condominiums on the market, East Village offers unique attributes. “You have downtown a short walk away, RiverWalk, St. Patrick’s Island and Stampede Park right outside your door. The location is transformational.”

 

Other reasons for the success of FIRST are built into the project. Common spaces have an enticing cool factor, including a wifi café lobby-lounge and a third-floor ‘green roof’ where the gym is also situated. A penthouse lounge, a rarity in Calgary real estate, is also attracting buyers. “You can go up any time and turn on the game,” says Fred Serrafero, VP Development for FRAM. “Other people wander in, and pretty soon you have an event.

 

The groundbreaking on FIRST will happen before the snow flies, an event that excites the team. “Groundbreakings inspire confidence,” Serrafero says. “We’re always happy to reach that milestone.”

Thursday, September 27, 2012


RiverWalk Phase III Opens
Cyclists, runners, and walkers have more RiverWalk to enjoy with opening of third phase

 Calgarians who have come to enjoy their recreational bike rides and strolls along RiverWalk, have more to celebrate today as Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC), EV master developer, announces the completion and opening of Phase lll of the beloved Bow River pathway. RiverWalk now stretches two kilometres along the Bow River from Centre Street Bridge, through East Village, around Fort Calgary to 9 Ave. SE.

 

Phase lll of RiverWalk, which represents 423 linear meters of pathway, includes a small gateway plaza that opens near 9th Avenue SE and showcases Fort Calgary’s traditional buffalo statue; a small interpretive area at the rivers’ confluence with signage curated by Fort Calgary, and two small step-down decks so users can move off the path to relax and reflect.

 

“We’re halfway there, noted Michael Brown, President & CEO, Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC). RiverWalk is a four-kilometer long pathway that links neighbourhoods from Centre Street all the way to Lindsey Park. This phase marks the mid-point in its delivery.”

 

As per the previous two phases of RiverWalk, Phase lll, has separate, delineated paths for cyclists and pedestrians. The divided commuter bikeway and the pedestrian pathway reflect the same surfaces and materials as previous phases; however, the pedestrian route is much more relaxed in terms of its meandering curves and absence of crossings and impediments. Plantings and vegetation include native and ornamental grasses that are reflective of the prairies and Bow River landscape. In tribute to the North West Mounted Police, who founded Fort Calgary, red cube-styled seating is featured along the path.

 

“As safety is a primary design principle of the RiverWalk masterplan, we have continued with our theme of lighting in this phase, added Brown. Simple and elegant silver poles illuminate the path and the red cubed seating is internally lit adding a special night time effect along the riverbanks.”

 

Calgarians have played a major role in shaping RiverWalk design and delivery. In 2008, CMLC sought public input on the project’s design through a robust public engagement program. The result has been the creation of a key public amenity for Calgary, which delivers safety through design elements such as dedicated cycle and pedestrian lanes, emergency services call boxes and enhanced pathway lighting. RiverWalk Plaza has become an active programmed outdoor space attracting Calgarians and prospective buyers to the riverbanks for special festivals, concerts and open-air craft markets.

 

In 2013, CMLC begins an extensive planning period for the final phases of RiverWalk which will see the path continued south along the Elbow River toward Lindsey Park.  The schedule for that work has yet to be determined.

 

Thursday, September 27, 2012


The Future Is Rising
With golden shovel in hand and a broad smile on his face, Ryan Bosa declared that September 13th was "a great day for our buyers for the rejuvenation of East Village."

With golden shovel in hand and a broad smile on his face, Ryan Bosa declared that September 13th was “a great day for our buyers and for the rejuvenation of East Village.” Then he officially broke ground on FUSE, Phase I of Embassy Bosa’s Evolution project of mixed-use condominiums. It was the first housing start in East Village in a decade. “We’re off to the races,” Bosa says.

FUSE has a 25-29 month construction timeline, which means that Embassy Bosa is targeting late 2014 to welcome the first new residents into East Village. “We’ve been working toward this day for five years,” says Mike Brown, president and CEO of Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC). “Infrastructure improvements like RiverWalk, 4th Street Underpass, St. Patrick’s Island and Bridge are bringing consumers into the area and they are choosing to make the neighbourhood their home because of the residential lifestyle being delivered here.”

FUSE, along with FIRST, a residential tower by developer FRAM+Slokker, went on sale just six months ago in East Village. Both are steps from the Bow riverfront and both initial phases are more than 50% sold. The groundbreaking of FUSE marks the start of construction on a 21-story, 203-unit residential tower representing about 220,000 sq. ft. of development. The three-phase Evolution project will result in 730,000 sq. ft. of mixed-use development – some 600+ units.

Bosa says that Calgary is a great market. “After our initial launch, we had sufficient buyer interest to trigger development start,” he says, “and since that time we have been aggressively working through our permitting processes to ensure we could break ground this fall.”

Bosa engaged renowned Vancouver architect James Cheng to design Evolution, and Calgarians clearly like what they see: the 2-bed, 2-bath, 981 sq. ft. show suite in the EV Sales and Experience Centre has already sold out, as have the townhomes in phase I. The team is now refining design details on PULSE, their next tower, to ensure it responds to the needs of the Calgary marketplace. The 33 story mixed-use project is expected to launch in 2013.

Bosa Development Corporation and its family of companies has a history of success in Calgary: they’ve built Riverwest, Marquis, Axxis and Liberté. On October 5, 2010, Embassy Bosa became the first developer to buy land from CMLC, committing to the East Village master plan and vision for a new way of life downtown.

 

Thursday, September 20, 2012


Drive-in Movie
On Thursday, September 27, come have an old-fashioned, new-fangled drive-in experience on RiverWalk Plaza: you’ll see a world premiere of A Lot Going On, a short by EV’s artist in residence Kathy L. Fedori, retro Looney Tunes and a favourite big-screen classic, The Princess Bride.

 

It’s drive-in night in East Village (minus the cars) – we’re showing two great films on a 24-foot movie screen on RiverWalk Plaza in honour of the good old/bad old days of the drive-in theatre experience. (It’ll be more like a walk-in or ride-in for many people, but with luck, the stars will be out, just like they were back in the day.)

First up is the premiere of artist-in-residence Kathy L . Fedori’s A Lot Going On, a 10-minute short about our collective nostalgia for the drive-in experience. We’re bringing along lots of music, old-timey drive-in commercials and retro Looney Tunes, a scavenger hunt, vintage movie posters that’ll bring back a few fond memories, food trucks so you can upgrade from popcorn, and, of course, The Princess Bride, a feature-length reason to stay up late on a Thursday if ever there was one.

A Lot Going On was made from interviews with Calgarians about their love for drive-ins, so there should be a lot of great stories going on as well. Fedori’s film project was co-supported by East Village and Calgary 2012, the Cultural Capital of Canada program, so don’t miss it. And don’t forget to bring a lawn chair, blankets and all the other accoutrements of a modern drive-in experience.

Activities start at 6 pm and the movie starts at 7:30 on RiverWalk Plaza behind the Simmons.

 

Thursday, September 20, 2012


Evolution on the rise
Groundbreaking signals buyers ready for new urban experience.

Less than six months after the launch of their initial riverfront residential project in East Village, Embassy Bosa Inc. broke ground today on their first tower – FUSE – a 21 story, 203 unit, residential tower, representing approximately 220,000 sq. ft. of development.

“We’re off to the races,” says Ryan Bosa, President, Embassy Bosa Inc. “Calgary is a great market; after our initial launch, we had sufficient buyer interest to trigger development start and since that time have been aggressively working through our permitting processes to ensure we could break ground this fall,” he added. “It’s a great day for our buyers and for the rejuvenation of East Village.”

On October 5, 2010, Embassy Bosa Inc. took a bold step with the East Village master planned community by committing to Calgary Municipal Land Corporation the delivery of approximately $300 million of new development in the area. In June, 2011, the organization branded their EV project - EVOLUTION - and described their vision for a 3 phase, 730,000 square foot, 600+ unit, mixed use development, which would appeal to Calgarians seeking a new urban lifestyle. This spring, Embassy Bosa Inc. opened their show suite in the East Village Experience Centre and executed a strategic marketing program to identify their first buyers.

“We have been working toward this day for five years and now the rush to be on the leading edge of East Village’s first wave of condo projects has started,” says Mike Brown, President and CEO, Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC). “Calgary is waking up to the transformation taking place in East Village.” “Infrastructure improvements like RiverWalk, 4th Street Underpass, St. Patrick’s Island and Bridge are bringing consumers into the area and they are choosing to make the neighbourhood their home because of the residential lifestyle Embassy Bosa is delivering.”

FUSE will have a 25-29 month construction timeline which means that Embassy Bosa is targeting late 2014 to welcome the first new residents into East Village. As evidenced by consumer response, the 2-bed, 2-bath, 981 sq. ft. show suite as seen in the Experience Centre has sold out. Meanwhile, Embassy Bosa Inc. together with project architect James Cheng, are refining design details on the second phase of their project - PULSE - to ensure they are keeping pace with the needs of the Calgary marketplace. PULSE, a 33 story mixed use project, is expected to launch in 2013.

Bosa Development Corporation and its family of companies, has a history of creating landmarks and expanding borders and opportunities for communities that goes far beyond residential units. The next generation, represented by EMBASSY Bosa Inc, is a team motivated by entrepreneurial spirit and has its finger on the pulse of market trends in condominium living.

 

Thursday, September 13, 2012


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