Primary Country (Mandatory)

United States

Other Country (Optional)

Set News Language for United States

Primary Language (Mandatory)
English
Other Language[s] (Optional)
No other language available

Set News Language for World

Primary Language (Mandatory)
English
Other Language(s) (Optional)

Set News Source for United States

Primary Source (Mandatory)
CNN
Other Source[s] (Optional)

Set News Source for World

Primary Source (Mandatory)
AajTak
Other Source(s) (Optional)
  • Countries
    • India
    • United States
    • Qatar
    • Germany
    • China
    • Canada
    • World
  • Categories
    • National
    • International
    • Business
    • Entertainment
    • Sports
    • Special
    • All Categories
  • Available Languages for United States
    • English
  • All Languages
    • English
    • Hindi
    • Arabic
    • German
    • Chinese
    • French
  • Sources
    • India
      • AajTak
      • NDTV India
      • The Hindu
      • India Today
      • Zee News
      • NDTV
      • BBC
      • The Wire
      • News18
      • News 24
      • The Quint
      • ABP News
      • Zee News
      • News 24
    • United States
      • CNN
      • Fox News
      • Al Jazeera
      • CBSN
      • NY Post
      • Voice of America
      • The New York Times
      • HuffPost
      • ABC News
      • Newsy
    • Qatar
      • Al Jazeera
      • Al Arab
      • The Peninsula
      • Gulf Times
      • Al Sharq
      • Qatar Tribune
      • Al Raya
      • Lusail
    • Germany
      • DW
      • ZDF
      • ProSieben
      • RTL
      • n-tv
      • Die Welt
      • Süddeutsche Zeitung
      • Frankfurter Rundschau
    • China
      • China Daily
      • BBC
      • The New York Times
      • Voice of America
      • Beijing Daily
      • The Epoch Times
      • Ta Kung Pao
      • Xinmin Evening News
    • Canada
      • CBC
      • Radio-Canada
      • CTV
      • TVA Nouvelles
      • Le Journal de Montréal
      • Global News
      • BNN Bloomberg
      • Métro
MoreBack to News Headlines
Underused downtown office building being converted to U of C classrooms

Underused downtown office building being converted to U of C classrooms

CBC
Friday, April 11, 2025 5:35 PM GMT

The University of Calgary's campus is expanding into 801 Seventh Avenue S.W., formerly known as the Nexen Building, in Calgary's downtown — after the office tower has sat virtually empty for about six years.

The university's School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape is aiming to make the space its new home by January 2026, transforming 180,000 square feet across the tower and the annex building into classrooms, studios, labs and other teaching and research spaces.

"We're bursting at the seams because we've just created our new undergraduate degree, a bachelor of design in city innovation, and so we desperately need more space," said John Brown, the school's dean.

"In the same way that a medical school is located in a hospital, a design school needs to be downtown, [and] not just located downtown but integrated into the workings of downtown."

The atrium of the silver, 37-storey building was recently renovated. It will host public lectures and events focused on city building.

The office space hasn't seen much traffic from workers since mid-2019, when Nexen moved all of its employees to The Bow building.

Thom Mahler, the city's director of downtown strategy, said he hopes this project will help breathe life into this area of downtown.

"[The building] was a significant part of our skyline for many years, and when it was emptied out, it was pretty devastating for that part of our downtown core," he said. 

"By this move, we're really creating a bit of a campus environment, which is fantastic for student experience. And for the neighborhood to have all that activity within this area is just a huge benefit."

The conversion is being funded up to $9 million through the city's Downtown Post-Secondary Institution Incentive Program.

The initiative is meant to encourage Calgary's post-secondary schools to develop their presence downtown while putting the city's underutilized office spaces to good use.

Once complete, the expansion will allow the faculty to relocate all its activities to the new location, while freeing up 800 spaces on the main campus and potentially increasing its enrolment capacity to 1,200 students in the coming years.

According to commercial real estate broker Avison Young, Calgary downtown's office vacancy rate sits close to 25 per cent.

The city has been trying to tackle its high downtown vacancy by converting empty offices to mostly housing spaces through an incentive program launched in 2021.

Read full story on CBC
Share this story on:-
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running GamePlay Run 3, the ultimate space tunnel running game with 300+ challenging levels!Adv.
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing GameTraffic Jam 3D is a game where you’ll be driving through heavy traffic.Adv.
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic GamePlay the classic 1984 light gun shooter game Duck Hunt on your browser.Adv.
More Related News
Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi heading for legislature after byelection win

Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi has won a byelection in Edmonton-Strathcona, according to unofficial results posted online by Elections Alberta.

5 types of presumptive cancer to be added to coverage list for P.E.I. firefighters

The Workers Compensation Board of P.E.I. has added five more presumptive cancers for which Island firefighters are eligible to receive health coverage, bringing the total to 19.

'Like my big brother': Survivor of Banff rockfall says friend who died saved him

A survivor of a rockfall last week in Banff National Park is remembering his 33-year-old roommate, who didn't make it out alive from under the rubble, as a kind and generous friend.

Hundreds of Canadians have fled Middle East but thousands more remain: officials

Hundreds of Canadians and permanent residents have fled the Middle East as the war between Israel and Iran continues to escalate — but officials estimate there are thousands still in the region.

TTC backs away from platform edge door pilot project at Dundas station

The TTC is backing away from a pilot project that would see platform doors installed at Dundas station next year, saying it will instead ask a committee to consider the measure as part of its 2026 budget priorities.

Trump says Israel and Iran have agreed to a ceasefire

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a "complete and total ceasefire" soon after Iran launched a limited missile attack Monday on a U.S. military base in Qatar, retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites.

Court shown video of Calgary officer assaulting handcuffed Indigenous man

A Calgary police officer who assaulted an intoxicated, handcuffed Indigenous man by grabbing him by the hair and throwing him to the ground apologized to his victim in court on Monday both publicly and privately before he was handed a one-year, at-home sentence. 

8 ways to help your body cope in hot weather

As people across Ontario, Quebec and major cities in the U.S. swelter under a June heat wave, medical experts are urging them to take precautions in the potentially deadly weather.

Survivors of Toronto's Danforth shooting get green light on lawsuit against gunmaker

Survivors of a mass shooting in Toronto's Greektown and their relatives can proceed with a class-action lawsuit against the gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson after Ontario's top court overturned a ruling that had dismissed their motion to certify the claim.

Extreme heat is hammering Ontario. Here's when it's expected to let up

Extreme heat continued to hammer the Greater Toronto Area and surrounding regions on Monday amid a heat warning from Environment Canada that's expected to last at least on more day for most areas.

Attempted murder case won't proceed against P.E.I. man who pleaded guilty to lesser charges

The case against a Kings County man accused of attempted murder has been resolved in Georgetown with the 26-year-old pleading guilty to two charges, while the more serious charges against him were stayed.

As 1st office-to-hotel conversion opens in downtown Calgary, what's next for revival bid?

On Thursday, a former office tower in Calgary's downtown reopened as the Element Calgary Downtown hotel, marking the city's first completed office-to-hotel conversion under its downtown office conversion program.

Utilities board decision on NTPC rate application a win for N.W.T. communities, says Fort Smith mayor

The mayor of Fort Smith, N.W.T., is applauding a recent decision by the territory's public utilities board to deny part of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation's (NTPC) request to increase rates.

Parking Slot | Free Parking GamePlay Parking Slot, the best online 3D car driving and parking game.Adv.
Slope Ball Run - Play OnlineSlope Game takes you on an exciting journey of a ball on special paths.Adv.
A year after the Eagle mine failure, questions remain about Yukon's mining future

To Frank Patterson, a First Nations elder in Mayo, Yukon, last year's catastrophic failure at the nearby Eagle gold mine was not a total surprise.

U.S. expecting NATO members to show them the money at leaders' summit

Short and sweet is not usually a phrase associated with the annual NATO leaders' summit, but arguably that's what many member nations are hoping for as U.S. President Donald Trump returns to the table. 

E-scooter, e-bike injuries becoming more common, and severe, area hospitals say

London's hospitals are facing an uptick in both the frequency and severity of injuries involving electric scooters and bikes as the machines become more affordable and popular, according to both a doctor and an injury prevention specialist in the region.

Overdue boater found dead on Bonavista Peninsula shoreline

A man who was reported overdue from a boating trip out of Bloomfield on Newfoundland's Bonavista Peninsula was found dead on a shoreline in nearby Brooklyn, according to the RCMP.

Driver charged after senior left in bus for more than 7 hours

The daughter of an 81-year-old man who was left alone inside a public transit vehicle for about 7½ hours says she has many questions about what led to the incident.

Mental health court to expand to Moncton next year

A program that has existed in Saint John for years is expanding to Moncton.

Why doctors say pregnant people should be extra careful during a heatwave

With extreme heat and humidity creating dangerous conditions across the Greater Toronto Area, doctors are warning pregnant people about the serious health risks heat waves pose to them. 

Hope and fear among Iranian Montrealers as they brace for what's next

Atena Barforoushi couldn't do much from Montreal but dial and re-dial her mother's number for days as she watched the war between Israel and Iran, her home country, escalate last week.

Manitoba lifts provincewide state of emergency as wildfire conditions improve

A provincewide state of emergency is no longer in effect due to improving wildfire conditions, though risks remain for over a dozen communities that still aren't clear of wildfire threats.

'Beyond devastating': Residents of Denare Beach, Sask., start returning home

For Alannah Skot, returning to Denare Beach, Sask., has been both painful and therapeutic.

Inquest into death of Sask. man shot by police near Belle Plaine in 2022 begins

A coroner's inquest into the death of 26-year-old Ryan Booker, who was fatally shot by police near Belle Plaine, Sask., started Monday.

B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad to face scheduled leadership review amid infighting

B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad is set to face a leadership review this summer as the province's centre-right party is embroiled by allegations of blackmail and by two splinter parties.

© 2008 - 2025 Webjosh  |  News Archive  |  Privacy Policy  |  Contact Us