Six Star Magazine Six Star Magazine Fall 2016 | Page 25

Manasc Isaac
Architects

Edmonton, AB - When you think of
Edmonton, the words “hotbed of architecture”
don’t necessarily trip off the tongue next.
But the city has plenty of office towers built
in the 1970s, making it an ideal environment
for a forward-thinking firm set on renewal
and reuse.
Since 1997, the architectural outpost
founded by Vivian Manasc and Richard Isaac
has done precisely that, forging a reputation
for designing sustainable buildings inspired
by indigenous cultures and the surrounding
environment. Of course, this may be an
expected path if your first projects were
based in the unrelentingly harsh setting of
northern Canada.
The work taken on by Manasc Isaac
may be different today, but it nevertheless
derives from the same foundation. “We aim
to recast the concrete tower into a modern,
light-filled sustainable space that will
compete with other class-A office towers,”
explains Communications Director Kent
McKay. “The challenge is to reimagine
buildings such as these — and to correct the
misconception that eco-friendly needs to be
complicated or expensive.”
A prime example is WSP Place, a 1970s
tower on the corner of 109 Street and Jasper
Avenue in downtown Edmonton. This
project is targeting LEED gold certification,
an impressive goal for such an aged
building. When completed, the tower is
expected to trigger a dramatic change to the
downtown core.

PHOTOS AT TOP, ABOVE AND ABOVE RIGHT COURTESY OF COOPER + O’HARA

Philosophy
Sustainable, healthy, beautiful
spaces — collaboratively designed
— both reimagined and new
Next big deal
Reimagining aging towers like
WSP Place, all around the world
The state of eco-friendly
architecture today
Climate change is drawing
attention to greening existing
and new buildings
Claim to fame
Over 30 years of designing
sustainable buildings

PHOTO COURTESY OF MANASC ISAAC
PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF HILBRECHT