The Bow rises as Calgary's tallest building

With the installation of a steel girder on Thursday, the Bow building has become Calgary's tallest building.

The glass and steel structure, scheduled to be completed in September, now surpasses the nearby west tower of the 215-metre Suncor Energy Centre that had been the city's tallest structure since 1984.

The 14-metre-long girder covers the 55th to 57th floors, making the tower 218 metres by the end of Thursday.

When the building is completed, it will be 236 metres encompassing 58 stories of office space and one of mechanical equipment.

"As much as this is a key date to all Calgarians, our focus is very much on getting the project done. It continues to be on schedule and on budget," said Michael Brown, associate vice-president with developer Matthews Southwest.

Construction of the Bow complex, located on two blocks of Centre Street and 5th and 6th avenues S.E., began in 2007 and was budgeted to cost about $1.5 billion.

The Bow will be the tallest office building in Canada outside of Toronto. Once completed, it will open in stages as the headquarters for oil and gas companies Encana and Cenovus Energy.