After 30 months in the making, the Platform Innovation Centre and Parkade is now complete and ready to welcome Calgary.
The mixed-use building is a seven-storey parkade in East Village that has 50,000 square feet of space for Platform Calgary and their 50+ partners. Ground first broke on the project, done as a partnership between the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC), the Calgary Parking Authority and Platform Calgary, back in 2018.
“The Platform Innovation Centre will bring together 50+ tech and innovation partners under one roof, providing a single point of access to resources, support, programming and events for startups and entrepreneurs at all stages of their journey,” said Terry Rock, CEO of Platform Calgary.
“Our collective focus is on making Calgary a global hub for startups and innovation. The East Village neighbourhood is a vibrant emerging innovation district – a natural fit for our vision.”
In addition to the 503 parking stalls, six electric vehicle chargers and 99 bicycle spots, the new centre, located right on 9 Avenue across from the National Music Centre, there’s a publicly accessible sport court on the main level and an outdoor event rental space on the upper level (level seven).
“Today’s opening demonstrates the impact partnership and collaboration have in building a better future for our city,” said Mayor Naheed Nenshi.
“It marks a tremendous milestone for CMLC and the continued revitalization in East Village, along with Calgary Parking Authority and the reimagination of what parking structures can be in the 21st Century. It also brings us one day closer to the opening of Platform Innovation Centre, a place where all startups, entrepreneurs and their ideas are welcome, building on the momentum we are seeing in Calgary’s innovation ecosystem.”
Collaborative effort: CMLC
Over the past two-plus years, the CMLC said it’s blended the visions of three different organizations into one multi-use development. CMLC President and CEO Kate Thompson said the building is a symbol of ongoing growth in downtown Calgary’s east end.
“CMLC is very proud to be marking the completion of this project today with our partners at CPA and Platform Calgary,” said Thompson.
“Over the past two and a half years, it has been a collaborative effort to realize a vision that blends two very different uses into a dynamic facility that both serves community parking needs and creates a hub for Calgary’s burgeoning innovation ecosystem.”
The facility was built to integrate into the East Village surroundings.
“The East Village community is multi-faceted and dynamic, and so are the mobility needs of its residents and guests,” said Moe Houssaini, Acting General Manager of CPA.
“Platform Parkade was designed, developed, and built to integrate into and evolve with the neighbourhood and those who love it.”
