Calgary became the home of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2011 — beating out eight other cities — after the 1955-established sports pantheon relocated from Toronto. The 44,000-square-foot Stantec-designed facility is comprised of an exhibit hall, retail and office space, and ancillary storage spaces, all connected by a two-and-a-half-storey atrium.

The canted feature of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, image by Flickr user benlarhome via Creative Commons

The building's red and white motif appropriately pays homage to the Canadian flag. Another distinct element of the design — an oblique and cantilevered structure that houses the exhibit hall — evokes the platforms upon which athletes are awarded their medals and other accolades. Its rich red colour borrows cues from the country's national symbol, the maple leaf. 

The canted feature of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, image by Flickr user benlarhome via Creative Commons

Stantec employed an innovative structural system that allows the exhibit hall to rest on a ground-level glass and steel structure, suspending the canted rectangle 12 metres above the ground. By forgoing obtrusive support beams and columns, the exhibit hall seemingly floats above the lower level, which is dotted with galleries and interactive displays that showcase the talents of athletes and the sports themselves.

An aerial view of the patriotic-looking facility, image retrieved from Google Maps

The architectural quirk is more than a visual effect — internally, the angle of the structure allows the exhibits to be terraced in successive levels, culminating in an Olympic exhibit that affords views of the ski jumps crowning Canada Olympic Park. In all, nine themed galleries, organized by sport, highlight the achievements of Canada's premier athletes. 

Do you have building trivia to share? Join the conversation in the Architrivia Tipline thread in our Forum.