Calgary Housing Company moves forward with restoration work on Bridgeland Place, slated for completion in 2028

Calgary Housing Company is moving forward with restoration work on the Bridgeland Place tower that will bring affordable homes to 500 Calgarians by 2028.

The high-rise tower first opened 55 years ago and served Calgarians living on lower incomes for 52 of those years, said Calgary Housing interim president and CEO Bo Jiang at a Thursday morning media event outside of the construction site along 736 McDougall Court N.E.

It was fully decommissioned in 2023, with interior demolition work starting a year later.

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When complete, the 17-storey building will include 203 homes with 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom options, which will operate under Calgary Housing’s mixed-income model.

The retrofit will also reduce emissions and utility costs while improving efficiency and indoor air quality and extending the building’s lifespan for less than a new build.

Rather than demolishing the tower, an engineering analysis revealed that the best course of action would be to keep the structure and build the renewal project, since the concrete is still in fantastic shape, Jiang said.

“Releasing the good bones of this building will avert the release of more than 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent,” he said. “That’s comparable to the carbon sequestered by more than 315,000 spruce trees growing for 30 years.”

Tearing down the interior and removing hazardous materials started two years ago and work on the building’s exterior work is now underway.

The project was originally slated for completion in 2027, but was pushed back a year .