3 Civic Plaza

The City of Surrey has been working to redefine its downtown core as a destination for culture and commerce. Its latest architectural icon is the 52-storey tower at 3 Civic Plaza, home to Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s urban campus, approximately 300 residential suites, a luxury hotel, rooftop garden, indoor fitness centre, and retail spaces.

The design team intentionally deviated from the traditional “tower with a concrete core”, the norm for high-rise construction. 3 Civic Plaza features an external concrete shear wall structure, which proved more economical than a traditional concrete core method, and increased the design freedom for interior layouts. This unconventional approach also allowed for dramatic architectural expression on the building’s exterior (as evidenced by the perforated, organically-shaped “guitar pick” window openings).

Fast + Epp provided in-depth analysis, facilitated by digital design software, to ensure the groundbreaking design ideas and construction methods were backed by research.

3 Civic Plaza is the highest tower south of the Fraser River and solidifies Surrey’s status as a pioneer of dynamic architecture that’s driven by the needs of the end user.