3 Civic Plaza recognized by ACEC-BC for Award of Excellence

April 8, 2019

At the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies British Columbia (ACEC-BC) annual awards ceremony on April 6th, 3 Civic Plaza in Surrey, BC, won the Award of Excellence in the Buildings Category.

3 Civic Plaza is Fast + Epp’s first high rise over 20 storeys – an iconic 53-storey building consisting of a mixed-use office and residential tower attached to a 20-storey hotel.

“We were invited by the client and owner to bring a fresh design perspective to this project,” says Fast + Epp Partner and Founder, Paul Fast. “We were able to deliver just that.”

The traditional concrete core was dispensed with, and replaced with shear wall ‘spine’ in the long direction and ‘bookend’ shear walls in the short direction of the buildings, he explains. This high-rise was just as economical to construct as a traditional core building, and enjoys efficient and functional layouts, adds Fast.

The exposed bookend shear walls were used to create an iconic expression, which was achieved by perforating the walls with elegant guitar pick-shaped window openings.

As part of the City of Surrey’s plan to redefine its downtown core as a destination for culture and commerce,  3 Civic Plaza is home to Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s urban campus, approximately 300 residential suites, a luxury hotel, rooftop garden, indoor fitness centre, and retail spaces.

3 Civic Plaza was designed alongside Cotter Architects and ZGF Architects.