BMO

The Bank of Montreal was designed for the corner of Sixth Street and Fourth Avenue South, as a flagship for the Bank of Montreal and a new main office for the Lethbridge area. The Bank of Montreal had developed extensive criteria outlining many aspects of the design, however, it allowed for substantial input regarding the overall concept of the structure.

The diagonal lines of the entry were repeated near the centre of the mass to allow skylights to illuminate the bankers hall and for fenestration to the upper level. This line of glazing was achieved by the use of a large Vierendeel truss system which spans from stairwell to stairwell.

Upon completion of an extensive site analysis, it was determined that the building should address the North West corner of the site as this was the highest profile access point. In order to address concerns of the prevailing winds, conifers, which have the ability to absorb the kinetic energy of the wind through the dynamics of the movement of the needles, were located at the front entrance to mitigate the wind.