Xsensor Technology Corporation, a small but growing company in the medical science industry, retained Olson Kundig to create a work environment that reflects the company’s ingenuity and pioneering spirit, opting to remodel an existing building located on an urban site in downtown Calgary.

The exterior design focuses on a single move: recladding the street-side façade with steel bar-grate to provide visual interest while allowing light in. When standing oblique, the facade becomes opaque; when directly perpendicular, the steel grate almost disappears. Each individual bar will be painted to create the word “XSENSOR,”which will disappear and reappear depending upon the viewer’s perspective.

In addition to the new curtainwall system and new floor-to-ceiling windows on each level, the building’s interior architecture is focused around natural light, including the addition of two long runs of skylights spanning the center of the building and translucent interior walls that reflect and transmit light.

Upgraded interiors include new washrooms on the basement and main level as well as new lighting, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems throughout. The newly designed upper level creates a series of offices, meeting rooms, washrooms, a kitchen, lobby, reception, and a product development/demonstration area.