Its name is Bond … Bond Redux

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This article was published 30/01/2025 (233 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Goldeyes may be getting a new neighbour — and architects hope the proposed development will spur area revitalization.

A long and narrow stretch of land at 151 William Stephenson Way sits unused. If all goes to plan, 5468796 Architecture aims to see construction on the site by early next year.

For now, the proposed seven-storey mixed-use development is in its early phases. Early meaning city councillors have yet to approve a land drainage plan enabling construction. There are further city approvals, cost calculations and grant-seeking required.

“Our goal, our hope is that we can instigate other properties in this area — which is really a sea of parking lots — to consider (development),” said Sasa Radulovic, a partner at 5468796 Architecture.

The firm is behind several Winnipeg housing units, including the Pumphouse apartments on Waterfront Drive, which earned a 2024 Governor General’s Medal in Architecture.

The strip at 151 William Stephenson Way isn’t considered prime development land, Radulovic noted. However, it’s a “stone’s throw” from the iconic intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street, The Forks and the Provencher Bridge. It’s less than 400 metres from Blue Cross Park, home of the Goldeyes baseball team.

Radulovic envisions a renewed neighbourhood, leading to more people walking through Winnipeg’s core. He highlighted Nuit Blanche, where attendees traverse between The Forks, Exchange District and St. Boniface.

“I think (this development is) the right idea to sort of turn this part of the city into something that people actually understand and know,” Radulovic said.

Current designs of the Bond Redux — the proposed development — show an office and “flexible cultural space” on the lowest levels. Twenty-four residential units sit above.

Developers aim to mark at least 30 per cent of the suites for affordable housing.

The Bond Redux could stand out on the street for its diamond grid, or diagrid, frame seen at the building’s ends.

Radulovic pointed to the lot’s long, narrow makeup — it’s approximately 9.5 metres wide by 33 m deep. If wind hits the wide side, the building may sway. Typically, architects avoid swaying by implementing stairs and elevators for structural integrity.

With the narrow lot, the Bond Redux’s stairs and elevators are planned for the building’s centre. The diagrid formation on its ends is meant to withstand wind, Radulovic explained.

He’s looking to build the development entirely out of heavy timber and wood. It’s part of 5468796 Architecture’s goal of a net-zero structure and it follows the lead of century-old facilities in the Exchange District, Radulovic said.

The architecture firm is determining the cost of using timber. It’s in the “early stages” of identifying mechanical and potentially geothermal systems, Radulovic stated.

Coun. Vivian Santos (Point Douglas) wrote a support letter on behalf of the Bond Redux for federal Green Construction through Wood program funding.

“By utilizing mass timber, wood-based systems and advanced bio-products, this development contributes to the decarbonization of the built environment,” wrote Santos. “It is a bold step forward in building environmentally conscious infrastructure while providing much-needed housing and community space.

“We are excited about the potential of this development.”

The Bond Redux is not designed with amenities such as a gym or dog-wash station, unlike many new builds in Winnipeg, Radulovic noted.

“The amenities are its location,” he said. “The amenities are something that pulls us out of the building and lets us use neighbourhood facilities.”

Development at 151 William Stephenson Way was previously proposed in 2011.

At the time, Green Seed Development Corp. and Winnipeg businessman Kori Buhler shared plans of building a tower or low-rise residential complex on the former restaurant site.

Those developers are not behind the Bond Redux, Radulovic said, declining to share the new property owner’s name.

The Bond Redux is named after the book and film character James Bond, created by Ian Fleming (1908-1964).

Winnipeg-born William Stephenson (1897-1989), a First World War fighter pilot and Second World War spymaster, is regarded as one of the inspirations behind Bond.

The City of Winnipeg’s water, waste and environment committee will discuss the Bond Redux’s land drainage plan on Monday.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com