Overview
Zaatara Bakery is a 2,400 square foot artisan bakery and retail store built within two existing commercial bays at the corner of 46 Avenue and 85 Street NW in Calgary's Bowness community. Designed under the City of Calgary's MU-2 (Mixed-Use District) land use and the 2023 Alberta Building Code, the project transforms vacant tenant space into a fully functional production bakery with a dedicated customer experience.
Design Challenge
A commercial bakery imposes significant technical demands on a tenant space: ventilation for baking operations, life-safety requirements for a food production environment, and the coordination of mechanical and electrical systems to support both production equipment and customer comfort — all within a tight floor plate shared between back-of-house manufacturing and front-of-house retail.
Design Response
The layout is organized around two complementary functions: a back-of-house manufacturing and baking space in the central bay, with all the mechanical, ventilation, and life-safety requirements of a commercial production kitchen, and a bright, customer-facing service and retail area in the north bay fronting the street. The retail interior is designed to support the client's brand with a clean, contemporary aesthetic that complements the artisanal character of the product. PiXEL acted as prime consultant, managing the Development Permit and Building Permit through close coordination with the City and consultant team.
