Arts Commons | 18m | 4s | City of Calgary | KPMB
- Thread starter Surrealplaces
- Start date
Cowtown
Senior Member
CalgaryTiger
Senior Member
I'm getting confused by all these names... Arts Commons is now Werklund Centre, the expansion, is now called BMO Lodge. BMO lodge is a whole new building that, as far as I can tell is not physically connected to Werklund Centre, and thus can it really be considered an expansion? To me this is now more of an Arts Campus. Is this correct?
livewirecalgary.com
BMO Lodge announced as part of the Werklund Centre's expansion - LiveWire Calgary
A new community hub rooted in Indigenous design, and open to all Calgarians, is coming to the Werklund Centre, with a little help from BMO. Elders and community members gathered inside the Jack Singer Concert Hall March 24 for the naming announcement of the BMO Lodge, backed by a $2 million...
livewirecalgary.com
Roaring Flames
Senior Member
Apparently what's being named BMO lodge is this open interior space
trtcttc
Senior Member
The new building is actually called the Osten-Victor Playhouse. The whole Complex is Werklund Centre, that little corner within the OVP is the BMO Lodge. I know it's probably related to the indigenous aspect of it but now we have a lodge that is an open space, and a billion "Centres" downtown.
Roaring Flames
Senior Member
Osten-Victor Playhouse isn't the whole building, just the name of the larger of the two theatres inside
Tothewest
Active Member
NGL the endless faux indigenous reconciliation on literally every project is becoming exhausting. Stampede, we have Enmax park. Scotia Place, literally the entire exterior design. Now this. And thats just on the east side of downtown!!
BigWoofer
New Member
I won't lie it is a little comical to trumpet indigenous engagement and reconciliation on what looks like a fairly standard open foyer with a spiral staircase. But there very well may be elements out of view which reflect that aspect more.
CalgaryTiger
Senior Member
Hope everyone has been studying for the quiz on place names and their functions. Short answer, no multiple choice.
CalgaryTiger
Senior Member
I believe it was designed by an indigenous architect. At least partially. From the linked article...
BMO Lodge announced as part of the Werklund Centre's expansion - LiveWire Calgary
A new community hub rooted in Indigenous design, and open to all Calgarians, is coming to the Werklund Centre, with a little help from BMO. Elders and community members gathered inside the Jack Singer Concert Hall March 24 for the naming announcement of the BMO Lodge, backed by a $2 million...
livewirecalgary.com
The building was developed in collaboration with KPMB Architects, Hindle Architects and the Indigenous-led Tawaw Architecture Collective, headed by Wanda Dalla Costa. Using her expertise, alongside input from Treaty 7 Elders and communities, the design incorporates Indigenous experience through the lighting, materials and colours, which also reflect the prairie landscapes.
I'm not exactly sure why this affects you so much? I'm also not sure how faux it is; I believe indigenous people have been involved in all the things you list. And the designs do seem to be better because of it. I really like what they did with Scotia Place's landscaping.
trtcttc
Senior Member
I don't mind the indigenous aspect either. And to say the "whole exterior" of Scotia Place was an indigenous design, is a bit of a stretch. However, I do find these efforts kind of meaningless. An artist-in-residence program for indigenous artists? Great. A contracting requirement that gives work to "indigenous led" groups falls into the same trap as federal contracting requirements for the same thing, and gives work to "indigenous" companies because one of the founder has a percentage of indigenous heritage, but lives in downtown Ottawa. The reality is there are people in indigenous communities in need, there are also those that are not disadvantaged. And often these programs are taken advantage of by those people that can check the box, but doesn't benefit the community as a whole. It's the same with diversity hiring quotas, it's sometimes more about the lived experience of a person rather than which box they can check on the questionnaire.I believe it was designed by an indigenous architect. At least partially. From the linked article...
BMO Lodge announced as part of the Werklund Centre's expansion - LiveWire Calgary
A new community hub rooted in Indigenous design, and open to all Calgarians, is coming to the Werklund Centre, with a little help from BMO. Elders and community members gathered inside the Jack Singer Concert Hall March 24 for the naming announcement of the BMO Lodge, backed by a $2 million...
The building was developed in collaboration with KPMB Architects, Hindle Architects and the Indigenous-led Tawaw Architecture Collective, headed by Wanda Dalla Costa. Using her expertise, alongside input from Treaty 7 Elders and communities, the design incorporates Indigenous experience through the lighting, materials and colours, which also reflect the prairie landscapes.
I'm not exactly sure why this affects you so much? I'm also not sure how faux it is; I believe indigenous people have been involved in all the things you list. And the designs do seem to be better because of it. I really like what they did with Scotia Place's landscaping.
CalgaryTiger
Senior Member
Not being indigenous, it is not my place to check credentials. The requirements while like other requirements are well meaning but maybe don't do all they should, much like the City's arts requirement... I don't want to start that conversation up. My point was one I make about a few things, not everything is for everyone. People seem to struggle with that.
blue12
Active Member
Some parts of this project's final plan/usage are solid with regard to reconciliation in my opinion. It just gets tiring when firms or the city release an objectively basic, inoffensive design and shout that somehow because someone who was Indigenous was involved along the journey or that it was "inspired" by Indigenous practices that this is reconciliation. It's not. It's just virtue signalling that you're doing something good while making no actual meaningful progress.
If we want to truly make up for the wrongs of the past we need to focus on real programs and (equitable) inclusion, not just some architectural design choices or Indigenous naming rights.
Apologies for the rant.
Tothewest
Active Member
It's a forum on development...someone decided it was important enough to announce, so were going to comment on it. You feel this random lobby furniture arrangement is somehow connecting the larger community with indigenous heritage? I feel it's faux, fake "check the box" DEI where the company gets the feel good tax writeoff, and the city checks the box. As mentioned, there are communities, mainly remote/rural that need major infrastructure help, that's where the efforts as Canadians should be. It's the forced elements into everyday life and literally every civic project, when the vast, vast majority of Canadians have no indigenous heritage. Reconciliation just feels performative to me, with no end gameI believe it was designed by an indigenous architect. At least partially. From the linked article...
BMO Lodge announced as part of the Werklund Centre's expansion - LiveWire Calgary
A new community hub rooted in Indigenous design, and open to all Calgarians, is coming to the Werklund Centre, with a little help from BMO. Elders and community members gathered inside the Jack Singer Concert Hall March 24 for the naming announcement of the BMO Lodge, backed by a $2 million...
The building was developed in collaboration with KPMB Architects, Hindle Architects and the Indigenous-led Tawaw Architecture Collective, headed by Wanda Dalla Costa. Using her expertise, alongside input from Treaty 7 Elders and communities, the design incorporates Indigenous experience through the lighting, materials and colours, which also reflect the prairie landscapes.
I'm not exactly sure why this affects you so much? I'm also not sure how faux it is; I believe indigenous people have been involved in all the things you list. And the designs do seem to be better because of it. I really like what they did with Scotia Place's landscaping.
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BigWoofer
New Member
BMO Lodge announced as part of the Werklund Centre's expansion - LiveWire Calgary
A new community hub rooted in Indigenous design, and open to all Calgarians, is coming to the Werklund Centre, with a little help from BMO. Elders and community members gathered inside the Jack Singer Concert Hall March 24 for the naming announcement of the BMO Lodge, backed by a $2 million...
livewirecalgary.com
As an aside, "ethical gathering space" is a new one. I love these sorts of corporate euphemisms and this one is a delight. Perhaps the old Olympic Plaza was an unethical gathering space, pre-redevelopment?