Following three years of planning and design, Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC), Arts Commons and The City of Calgary have announced that the Arts Commons Transformation (ACT) expansion has broken ground.
This marks a significant step forward in the delivery of the arts-focused infrastructure project currently underway in Canada.
“Since revealing the architectural designs for the ACT expansion in April, CMLC, as Development Manager for the ACT project, has been working with our construction and project management teams to develop a strategic and efficient construction management plan for the project, and to secure approval for our Development Permit this fall,” said Kate Thompson, president and CEO of CMLC. “A groundbreaking is an exciting moment in any project – it represents the culmination of years of advocacy, design, approvals and planning, and marks the beginning of really bringing a project to life. We can’t wait for the ACT expansion to begin to take its place in Calgary’s iconic skyline.”
Construction on the ACT expansion, designed by KPMB Architects, Hindle Architects and Tawaw Architecture Collective, will begin in January 2025. Construction will be managed by EllisDon with project management by Colliers Project Leaders, and is expected to be completed in 2028.
The ACT expansion is the first of the three campus transformation phases to begin construction. The other two phases include the Olympic Plaza Transformation (OPT) project, which is now fully funded, and the ACT modernization, for which efforts are underway to secure the remaining required funds.
“To finally be able to break ground on this once-in-a-lifetime project, with such an unprecedented level of public and private support, sends a strong message to the world about the importance of arts and culture to a city’s well-being, as well as to Calgary’s position on the global stage,” said Alex Sarian, president and CEO of Arts Commons. “Earlier this year we were humbled to announce both the Government of Alberta’s $103 million commitment, and Dave Werklund and family’s record-setting $75 million transformational gift which, combined with the $320.5 million of already secured funding, brings us to over 75 per cent of our fundraising goal for this $660 million downtown cultural campus. As we prepare to unveil our rebranding to Werklund Centre in 2025, I am overwhelmed by the sense optimism that comes from building the future of our city together.”
Design is currently underway for the Olympic Plaza Transformation (OPT) project, which is aiming to create a more modern, inclusive and accessible arts-focused outdoor gathering space as part of the contiguous Arts Commons campus upon its completion in 2028. The design for the Olympic Plaza Transformation project will be revealed in the late first quarter of 2025.
CMLC and The City of Calgary have also launched a series of digital experiences to archive Olympic Plaza’s 1988-2024 chapter, including the Olympic Brick Finder, the Olympic Plaza Interactive Experience and the Olympic Plaza 3D Perspective. All three tools can be found here.
The Olympic Plaza will close at the beginning of January 2025 to facilitate construction and site fencing will be installed around the entirety of it at that time before beginning site demolition.
8 Avenue between Macleod Trail and 1 St S.E. will remain open for the majority of construction, and access to the existing Arts Commons facility, the Burns Building, the Public Building and the Dominion Bank Building will be maintained at all times.
The City of Calgary will continue to work with event organizers to identify alternate locations for events during construction. The City of Calgary has also launched a resource to help Calgarians find other parks, public washroom and skating amenities in downtown through construction.
The post Arts Commons Transformation expansion breaks ground appeared first on Canadian Architect.
