Arts Commons | 18m | 4s | City of Calgary | KPMB

My first impression is the new building looks great. I share DL's concern about Olympic Plaza, removing the skating rink should be a non starter. One big concern I have with the reskin of the existing building is it looks like blank walls with no openings or even windows - complete lack of permeability. Hopefully that is indeed preliminary showing massing only and will be improved in the final design
 
More on the project here: https://www.calgarymlc.ca/articles/arts-commons-transformation-expansion-design-reveal
The first phase of the $660M transformation project will add a new building with a 1,000-seat theatre and 200-seat studio theatre to the Arts Commons campus.
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Behind the expansion’s design is a team of internationally recognized architects and designers from Toronto’s KPMB Architects, Calgary’s Hindle Architects, and Arizona’s Tawaw Architecture Collective.
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The expansion’s dynamic design was supported by specialists in theatre planning and acoustic design to ensure the new theatre spaces exceed best-in-class technical requirements. The 1,000-seat theatre has the capacity to alter the floor layout to several unique configurations to accommodate the broadest variety of productions, and the 200-seat studio theatre’s design will enable multiple configurations with retractable and demountable platform seating and an opening out to the plaza.
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The prime design team also included an accessibility consultant to ensure the spaces are inclusive and accessible for all. The main floor entry and both stages are set flush to the adjacent pedestrian realm to allow for barrier free access to the performance spaces, and boast theatre seating at all levels and multiple central elevators.
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The $660M project includes the Arts Commons expansion and modernization, the transformation of Olympic Plaza, and a $50M Arts Commons endowment. The $270M expansion of Arts Commons is fully funded by The City of Calgary and CMLC’s Community Revitalization Levy. The modernization, which is still in design stages, has an anticipated project cost of $270M and will require additional funding prior to construction commencing. The adjacent Olympic Plaza Transformation is still in conceptual design and has an anticipated project cost of $70M, of which $40M is already committed through The City’s 2023-2026 budget for downtown revitalization. With the recent announcement from the Government of Alberta of an additional allocation of $103M toward the overall campus vision, the project is that much closer to achieving its funding objectives.
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Supported by project manager Colliers and construction manager EllisDon, construction on the expansion is anticipated to begin in late 2024, and the building is expected to open in Arts Commons’ 2028/2029 season.
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DiscoStu said:
They probably should've left those bits out of the video, it will just confuse people. Actually that video probably could've been edited down to the last 20-30 seconds.
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Yeah definitely a big oopsie on CMLC's part to not just make this announcement solely about the new building. I'm guessing they didn't want people to think this was all the project entailed as a whole though
 
I'll be the first to say it, very underwhelmed. Looks like a community centre annex building that someone tried to class up. Extra disappointing given this will probably inform the design for the main building. Nothing about this to me says signature theatre space.
 
outoftheice said:
I'll be the first to say it, very underwhelmed. Looks like a community centre annex building that someone tried to class up. Extra disappointing given this will probably inform the design for the main building. Nothing about this to me says signature theatre space.
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Compared to the original Bing Thom design, it definitely doesn't quite have the same wow factor. But I'm not sure that was ever really viable from a cost perspective.
 
Not my favourite design, but not every CMLC building can be world-class. It's giving me Platform vibes, but with wood. The interiors look great though.
 
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