Set against Alberta’s wide‑open skies, the Dow Diamond and Maintenance, Repair and Operations Centre cuts a crisp new profile on the prairie. The glass‑and‑concrete main building, taking the form of the chemical company’s famed red diamond logo, lends architectural bravado to a campus focused on cutting carbon emissions.
Anchoring a multibillion-dollar brownfield site investment, the Dow Diamond and its adjacent MRO Centre occupy opposite corners of a 25‑acre site along Highway 15, about 45 minutes north of Edmonton in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. Dow’s sustainability initiative, called Path2Zero, aims to build the world’s first net-zero emissions petrochemical plant. The project involves retrofitting the current ethylene manufacturing process to use hydrogen as a fuel source, according to the company.
About the project: Developer York Realty and real estate firm Royal Park Realty worked alongside architecture firm Lemay and York Construction to deliver a commercial property aligned with Dow’s global decarbonization goals.
The 62,500-square-foot, two-storey Dow Diamond opened in February and can accommodate up to 200 workers. It offers a mix of open and focused workspaces, offices, training rooms, quiet rooms and collaboration areas. Ground-floor amenities include a 200-seat auditorium, a two-storey community hub and a 3,400-square-foot gym.
The MRO Centre is intended to complement the Dow Diamond structure by providing logistical support to the campus. The 145,000-square-foot facility provides specialized storage and operational infrastructure, including crane bays, vertical-lift modules, and dedicated vehicle turnaround areas.
A panel of real estate professionals voted the project a 2026 CoStar Impact Award winner for the Edmonton market’s commercial development of the year.
Dow’s Path2Zero strategy informed design decisions, construction methods, material selection and operational planning throughout the process.
What the judges said: The project “highlights [a] commitment to Path2Zero and sustainability,” said Chad Boddez, senior vice president, JLL.
The “project sets a new benchmark for industrial development by combining operational efficiency with measurable net-zero sustainability impact,” said Scott Hughes, owner, Hughes Commercial Real Estate.
They made it happen: Joanna Lewis, senior transaction manager, Royal Park Realty; Eric Stang, partner, Royal Park Realty; Matt Woolsey, president, York Realty; John Crawley, president of construction, York Realty; Jackson Wenger, project manager, York Realty; Aldrin Pascua, project coordinator, York Realty; Karan Soam, project coordinator, York Realty; Tony Mulrooney, site superintendent, York Realty; Shane Douglas, health, safety and environment coordinator, York Realty; Mark Cooper, architect, Lemay.
This article was updated on March 25 to correct the roles played by developer York Realty and real estate firm Royal Park Realty.