Auburn Bay Station

Brookfield Residential identified the need for a transit-oriented commercial hub in Auburn Bay, AB to offer residents of the lake community more retail opportunities. NORR was enlisted to design the 84,000 square-foot center, anchored by a Calgary Co-Op Grocery store. The nine-building hub features commercial, retail and restaurant units easily accessible via walking, driving or biking and helps bring immediate and convenient shopping to the multi-family residential neighborhoods in the surrounding area.

The design vision was to create a pedestrian scaled streetscape through connectivity and design of the commercial frontages. The landscaped site has an abundance of interconnected pedestrian and cyclist linkages with wide pathways featuring street furniture, custom lighting, clear wayfinding and a double row of street trees. Each building was designed to human scale with highly textured detail to integrate with the neighborhood. The placement of the buildings in purposeful clusters provides an interesting and engaging experience. The use of covered overhangs for weather protection and an intimate scale to window display, in combination with high-quality materials including hardie board, batten and siding and stone accents gave each building a unique feel.

NORR provided architecture and landscape architecture services to deliver a carefully designed pedestrian and cycling hub to a rapidly growing community. The site was designed to allow easy access to a future LRT station and solve the challenge of a steep gradient throughout the site with accessible ramps and stairs. The thoughtful linkages and detailed architecture create a distinct sense of place for nearby residents and offer valuable opportunities for commercial tenants.