Richardson Building, International Style skyscraper at Portage and Main, Winnipeg, Canada.
The Richardson Building is a 34-story skyscraper with walls of concrete and bronze-tinted double-glazed glass reaching about 124 meters tall. It connects to Winnipeg Square shopping mall through an underground passageway and houses offices for around 3,000 workers.
Initial plans from 1929 called for a 17-story structure, but the stock market crash halted this project. The much larger building that stands today was completed in 1969.
Two sculptures stand on the plaza: Leo Mol's bronze of children in an oak tree, unveiled in 2000 and weighing almost 1,600 kg, then the largest piece Mol had made, commissioned by Hartley Richardson; and Ivan Eyre's North Watch, installed in 2012, showing a man and his dog.
The building is easily reached through underground passageways connected to nearby structures. Interior access is well organized, though the traffic situation around Portage and Main can be busy during peak hours.
The structure rests on 64 deep concrete caissons that anchor it firmly into the ground. This hidden technical achievement makes it possible for it to stand as one of Winnipeg's tallest buildings.
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