Our design for the 17Th Avenue Brewery began with a study of the commercial typologies along 17th Avenue SW. Despite the fact that this corridor is one of Calgary’s most visited destinations, it was apparent that there was very little if any interaction between the building frontages and the street.

Our first move was to indent the front façade such that ‘eddy’ was formed, creating public place to congregate and relax. We then used a ramp to pull the sidewalk into the building, blurring interior from exterior.

Our second move was to reverberate the street life throughout the building. We accomplished this by cantilevering the second story out over the sidewalk, then opening the entire façade with retractable glass to facilitate interaction between patrons and the street below.

Towards the rear of the building, we exploit yet another instance of reverberation in the form of a three story light well that proxies the street life by way of light, ventilation, and spectacle in the form of a suspended tree.