In the course of our daily reporting, we often uncover unusual projects, places, or connections that don't make the final cut. Instead of keeping it to ourselves, we're pleased to share our Architrivia.

Like Calgary, any city experiencing rapid growth will be faced with questions about how best to manage that growth, which is often manifested in the form of dense building developments. Community advocacy has historically been the driving force behind plans to protect neighbourhoods from impending large-scale projects, that from the standpoint of its longtime residents, threaten to change the area's character. The establishment of the Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre resulted from a proposal from developers that would have seen Chinatown as we know it completely transformed.

Chinese Cultural Centre, image by Flickr user Marilyn Peddle via Creative Commons

In the early 1980s, faced with acute pressure to revitalize Chinatown, a well-organized group of concerned citizens championed the formulation of an Area Redevelopment Plan that would preserve the neighbourhood. Two years of negotiations later and the community succeeded in their goal. Part of the negotiation yielded the dedication of a parcel of property for the purposes of a future cultural centre that would act as the cornerstone of the community.

The ceiling of the pagoda, image by Flickr user Ricky Leong via Creative Commons

Built in 1992 at a cost of $10 million — with funding from each level of government and a number of private donors — the complex's centrepiece is the Dr. Henry Fok Cultural Hall. Inspired by the Hall of Prayers at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, the building features a 21-metre-high ceiling adorned with 561 dragons and 40 phoenixes, supported by four columns with gold ornamentation reflecting each season. The same company that endowed the Temple of Heaven 600 years ago manufactured the blue tiles that comprise the roof of the structure.

Inside the Chinese Cultural Centre, image by Flickr user davebloggs007 via Creative Commons

To broaden the appeal of the neighbourhood and promote cultural exchange between the East and West, the centre's activities were made available to all ethnic groups. Today, the building continues to function as a hub for Chinese culture and home to the Chinese Artifacts Museum.