201 Portage Plaza
An urban plaza where everyone is welcome, a backyard and garden in the centre of our downtown, an outdoor “lunchroom” for folks working near by, a stage for local musicians, a green lawn for kids to run through and a place to stop or meet a friend.
The outdoor plaza at 201 Portage Avenue underwent a complete transformation as part of an exterior and interior redevelopment of the building. SMM were the lead consultants and brought on engineering (CKP, SMS, and KGS Group) and PCL Constructors to collaborate with on the detailed design and implementation.
The plaza design takes a bold approach for Winnipeg’s iconic intersection. It projects the brand and personality of 201 prominently on the entire northwest corner of Portage and Main. A transformational aspect was replacing the pyramidal glass skylight with an accessible glass bridge, the first of its kind in Manitoba. This allows for free-flowing movement and activity throughout the plaza and creates a visual connection to the concourse below. Flexibility was key, and the event spaces including a central lawn of artificial turf and stage, for crowds of all sizes, and raised planters with plenty of seating helped us achieve this.
