Riverwalk Retirement Residence is a unique aging-in-place facility located within the established community of Cliff Bungalow in Calgary. It is one of the first projects to be constructed as part of the transformational City of Calgary’s main streets program,’ which aims to empower citizens to “travel less and live more” by providing the amenities they need right in their own communities.
Riverwalk will provide a continuum of care for seniors that ranges from independent supported living to assisted living and dementia/memory care in a compact, vertically stacked building that offers a full range of amenities for residents encompassing below-grade parking, a theatre, fitness centre and a community rooftop garden. The highly articulated building form occupies a pivotal position at the street intersection. The architectural expression responds to its context by placing most of the massing at the street corner and steps down to the south and east with a series of rooftop patio spaces
Situated in a well-established neighbourhood with an active community association, we balanced the desire of the community association to have shorter and less dense projects with the need for the aging-in-place supportive living facility. By hosting events open to the community members and listening to the feedback that was provided, we were able to guide the project to a solution that was endorsed by the City Council, leadership within the City Planning Office, and members of the community. Included in the solution were improvements to the surrounding community such as the refurbishment of a nearby park and support for a nearby regional pathway with historic value.
