{"id":618665,"date":"2026-04-21T11:09:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T11:09:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/618665\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T11:09:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T11:09:08","slug":"edmonton-tower-holds-world-record-for-largest-solar-panel-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/618665\/","title":{"rendered":"Edmonton tower holds world record for largest solar panel art"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

A 12-storey tower in downtown Edmonton has been awarded the Guinness World Record for the largest solar-panel artwork spanning 379 square metres. The mural is the result of a deep-energy retrofit that modernized the 56-year-old building.Supplied\/Chandos Construction<\/p>\n

What was once a decrepit rental tower in the heart of downtown Edmonton now holds the Guinness World Record<\/a> for the largest solar-panel artwork spanning 379 square metres.<\/p>\n

Emerging as a city landmark, the mural covering the building\u2019s north facade embraces the neighbourhood\u2019s local Chinese community, while honouring the area\u2019s Indigenous roots.<\/p>\n

The creation of the mural was part of the property\u2019s deep-energy retrofit, which reimagined the SunRise tower into a modern, sustainable multipurpose structure.<\/p>\n

The SunRise mural is one of many public artworks in Canada that symbolize cultural unity and relational storytelling. From Winnipeg\u2019s We Are All Related<\/a> mural, which universalizes Indigenous philosophy, to the University of Toronto\u2019s Daniels Mural Project<\/a>, which responds to the calls of Canada\u2019s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the piece extends an emerging tradition in Canada of embracing Indigeneity and cultural diversity. <\/p>\n

Undergoing a deep-energy retrofit<\/p>\n

Built in 1970, the SunRise is a 12-storey, 11,400-square-foot tower at the edge of Edmonton\u2019s Chinatown \u2013 not too far from the city\u2019s iconic sports and entertainment ICE District. <\/p>\n

Real estate company Avenue Living owns and operates the property and partnered with Chandos Construction, M O George, Architect and Claroscuro Architecture to bring the deep-energy retrofit to life. <\/p>\n

After approximately 16 months of construction, the building has been completely modernized with new amenities, upgraded suites, efficient mechanical systems, building envelope renewal and a solar-panel-covered exterior.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe building had been through many stages, so what we did with it is almost a miracle compared to what it started as,\u201d says Mobolanle George, principal at M O George, the project\u2019s lead architect. <\/p>\n

When the retrofit began, a small-scale contractor was taking on the expected repairs until deeper issues arose, such as flooding.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this point, Avenue Living wanted to overhaul all their buildings, so they decided to use this as a flagship, do a good job and make it a building viable for years to come,\u201d she says. \u201cWe then started looking very closely at the energy options for the building.\u201d <\/p>\n

After considerable research, the team chose to install heat-recovery ventilation units<\/a>, which bring in fresh air while capturing heat from outgoing air, and building-integrated photovoltaic cladding, among other energy-conservation measures.<\/p>\n

Rusted studs meant the builder needed to replace the exterior east and west sides of the structure to support the solar panels. However, the existing concrete foundation could be reused, allowing for considerable savings in time, costs and embodied carbon \u2013 the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the materials and construction throughout a building\u2019s life cycle as defined by the Canada Green Building Council<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Called The Land We Share, the mural covering the building\u2019s north facade has become a city-marker, honouring the neighbourhood\u2019s Chinese community and Indigenous roots. Its colourful illustrations display the Chinese zodiac animals and First Nations sacred-teaching animals.Supplied\/Chandos Construction<\/p>\n

Energy economics<\/p>\n

The SunRise\u2019s transformation has been valued at $28-million, with funding coming from the Canada Infrastructure Bank through its Building Retrofits Initiative<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cEssentially, all the energy-impacting items applied to the funding, but things that weren\u2019t, such as aesthetics, were privately funded [by Avenue Living],\u201d says Dustin Tonsi, the SunRise\u2019s project manager at Chandos Construction. <\/p>\n

As part of the federal initiative, projects must achieve<\/a> minimum emission reductions of 30 per cent. Greater GHG reductions lead to better funding at lower interest rates, though benefits cap out when emissions are lowered by more than 50 per cent, according to Mr. Tonsi.<\/p>\n

When lowering the building\u2019s emissions, Avenue Living set an ambitious internal target of 64 per cent and successfully met it, he says.<\/p>\n

The solar-panel cladding, provided by Mitrex, plays a significant role in the building\u2019s emissions performance. The 37,065-square-foot, 333-kilowatt photovoltaic system offsets 150 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, contributing to a total annual offset of 493 tonnes \u2013 enough to power about 758 average homes a year.<\/p>\n

The remaining emissions reductions are the result of other energy-saving measures such as high-efficiency boilers, hot water tanks and added insulation. <\/p>\n

Bridging art and community culture<\/p>\n

With its proximity to Chinatown, the building\u2019s 85-foot mural by local Indigenous artist Lance Cardinal bridges local Chinese and Indigenous cultures. <\/p>\n

Titled The Land We Share, it depicts the 12 Chinese zodiac animals on its right and the seven First Nations sacred-teaching animals on its left. The mural has become a marker in the city, displaying a warm burst of colour and a sense of shared community identity. <\/p>\n

In July, 2025, Mitrex announced that the SunRise had won the Guinness World Record for the largest solar panel mural globally.<\/p>\n

Compared to the standard non-coloured solar panels scaling the rest of the building, the coloured panels that are part of the mural are 30 per cent less efficient depending on their hue, Mr. Tonsi says.<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

The upgraded SunRise tower features a wide array of new resident amenities alongside main-floor commercial spaces. Some of these amenities include a fitness centre with a dedicated yoga area, a games room, golf simulator, community kitchen, and more.Supplied\/Chandos Construction<\/p>\n

The SunRise building today<\/p>\n

Today, the building offers 179 rental suites and has transformed the former second-floor commercial area into resident amenities, a part of the project led by Ignacio De Lorenzo, principal architect at Claroscuro Architecture.<\/p>\n

The new amenities include a games room, golf simulator, fitness centre with a dedicated yoga area and a community kitchen, among other offerings. There\u2019s also a third-floor terrace, as well as a main floor of commercial units, with discussions for a potential coffee shop to complement the existing Omonia Foods Import grocery store.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe SunRise is targeting not necessarily affordable housing, but more younger individuals such as students, young professionals and smaller families, while supporting the renewal of downtown Edmonton,\u201d Mr. Tonsi says. \u201cAs far as sustainability features, that\u2019s something important to people, especially with younger, up-and-coming generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scalability of similar retrofits in Canada<\/p>\n

Aging infrastructure in Canada\u2019s metropolitan centres reflects the need to revitalize the nation\u2019s existing building stock, with the SunRise offering a compelling model for how to reimagine existing real estate, according to the project\u2019s stakeholders.<\/p>\n

While the energy retrofits cost more than conventional construction, the long-term gains, such as energy cost-savings, on-site energy generation and reduced GHG emissions, pay off, Mr. Tonsi says. <\/p>\n

For Ms. George, the lesson is in the process. \u201cI think it could be a flagship on how to approach this,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: A 12-storey tower in downtown Edmonton has been awarded the Guinness World Record…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":618666,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194294],"tags":[1401,13754,49,48,23752,232357,232356,106118,2922,13753,232358,232359,232355],"class_list":{"0":"post-618665","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-edmonton","8":"tag-adveditorial","9":"tag-advpropertyreport","10":"tag-ca","11":"tag-canada","12":"tag-edmonton","13":"tag-edmonton-real-estate","14":"tag-edmonton-tower","15":"tag-guinness-world-record","16":"tag-noastack","17":"tag-property-report","18":"tag-solar-mural-edmonton","19":"tag-solar-mural-guinness-record","20":"tag-sunrise-edmonton"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=618665"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618665\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/618666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=618665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=618665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=618665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}