Suncor Energy Centre Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Suncor Energy Centre
Petro-Canada Centre in 1991 (now Suncor Energy Centre)
General information
Status	Complete
Type	Office
Location	150 6th Avenue SW Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Coordinates	51°02′53″N 114°03′48″W / 51.04806°N 114.06333°W / 51.04806; -114.06333
Construction started	April 2, 1982
Topped-out	May 26, 1983 (West)
Completed	1984
Cost	CAD$200-million (about $600-million today)
Owner	Brookfield Office Properties & ARCI Inc.
Management	Brookfield Office Properties
Height
Roof	215 m (705 ft) (west), 130 m (427 ft) (east)
Technical details
Floor count	53 (west), 32 (east)
Floor area	101,258 m² (1,089,930 sq ft) (west) 45,410 m² (488,800 sq ft) (east)
Design and construction
Architect	WZMH Architects
Developer	Brookfield Office Properties
Main contractor	CANA Construction Company Limited

The Suncor Energy Centre is a large office complex in downtown Calgary, Alberta. It used to be called the Petro-Canada Centre. This project has two office towers made of granite and shiny glass. One tower has 32 floors, and the other has 52 floors.

The taller west tower is about 215 meters (705 feet) high. It is one of the tallest buildings in Canada. For a while, it was the tallest free-standing structure in Calgary. It was built in 1984. The complex has a lot of office space for rent. It also has shops and underground parking. A glass walkway connects it to other buildings nearby. This walkway is part of Calgary's +15 System, which helps people walk around comfortably in any weather.

When it was first built, some people called the building "Red Square." This was because its main tenant, Petro-Canada, was a company owned by the Canadian government. Some people did not like this idea. One writer even called the buildings "a $200-million monument to socialism." Later, the Premier of Alberta, Peter Lougheed, said the towers contributed to problems in Calgary's real estate market. Petro-Canada later became a private company in 1991. In 2009, Suncor Energy bought Petro-Canada. That's why the building is now called the Suncor Energy Centre.

Building History
- Planning the Towers
- Construction and Challenges
Who Works Here?
Gallery
See also

Building History

Planning the Towers

Planning for this big building project started in the late 1970s. This was after Petro-Canada was created. Petro-Canada worked with a German company called ARCI Inc. They decided to build a new headquarters for Petro-Canada on land ARCI Inc. owned in Calgary.

In 1980, they first suggested a design with three all-glass towers. But the city of Calgary said no. The land was not big enough for three towers. Also, the city did not want an all-glass design. So, Petro-Canada bought more "air rights" from a nearby building. This meant they could build taller. Then, they got approval for a new design. This design had two towers made of granite.

Construction and Challenges

Building the Suncor Energy Centre started on April 2, 1982. During construction, there were a couple of interesting issues. One problem was finding granite for the outside of the building. No Canadian companies offered to supply it. So, they used granite from Finland. This granite was cut in Italy and then shipped all the way to Calgary.

Another issue was about signs. Petro-Canada wanted all the signs inside the building to be in both French and English. This caused some local debate. On January 4, 1983, the west tower reached 191 meters. This made it the tallest free-standing building in Calgary at the time. The 52-story west tower was finished on May 26, 1983. The whole complex was completed in 1984.

In 1998, Petro-Canada sold its share of the complex. They sold it to Gentra Inc. for $200 million. Petro-Canada still agreed to rent space in the towers for 15 more years.

Who Works Here?

Many big companies have offices in the Suncor Energy Centre. Some of the main tenants include Suncor Energy Inc. itself. Other companies are Precision Drilling Corporation, Taqa North, Crescent Point Energy, Enbridge, Direct Energy, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Weatherford Canada.