Edmonton’s SunRise Building is a historic component of the city’s downtown.
Originally constructed in 1970 as the Capital Tower, the SunRise Building was built as a 12-storey property featuring 179 residential units.
But by the 2010s, the building was in a state of disrepair.
In 2015, Calgary’s Avenue Living Asset Management acquired the property from Golden Jubilee Enterprises.
Since then, the renamed SunRise has been ongoing a significant retrofit.
The retrofit includes abatement and remediation, mechanical and electrical system upgrades, new lighting, an upgraded exterior, updated suites, enhanced insulation, and new amenity spaces such as a library, gym, rooftop patio, games room, and movie theatre.
Organizations involved in the major project included Edmonton’s Chandos Construction, Avenue Living, M.O. George Architect, Claroscuro Architecture, Orata Engineering, IBSys Engineering, Sunwise Engineering, Enginectra, and others.
“We are excited to share that we have completed major upgrades to The SunRise building in downtown Edmonton,” a recent statement from Chandos reads. “The 12-storey, 11,400 sq. ft. tower … has been transformed into a modern, affordable, and environmentally sustainable mixed-use building.”
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the new rendition of SunRise is the building’s envelope, which boasts Canada’s largest building-integrated photovoltaic cladding, a solar panel system that generates electricity while insulating the building.
“The exterior upgrades focus on sustainability,” according to Chandos.
But design is also a key player. The solar cladding, in particular, is cleverly disguised as a 26-metre public art mural.
Designed by artist Lance Cardinal, the mural is titled “The Land We Share,” reflecting the intersection of Indigenous and Chinese cultures, a thoughtful consideration of the property’s proximity to Chinatown.
Indeed, Cardinal’s ambitious mural, which spans 30,000 square feet of solar panels and runs at a system capacity of 265 kW, has earned a Guinness World Record.
“The 85 ft. tall mural designed by local Indigenous artist, Lance Cardinal, and has been awarded the Guinness World Record for the largest solar panel artwork that produces electricity,” Chandos announced.
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