Glenbow Museum | 43m | 9s | DIALOG

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Not related to construction but is there a particular reason why recent cultural facilities in Calgary are designed with so little natural light and very little use of curtain wall glass?

Calgary:
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Royal AB Museum/ Vancouver Convention Centre / Ottawa War Museum:
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Not related to construction but is there a particular reason why recent cultural facilities in Calgary are designed with so little natural light and very little use of curtain wall glass?

Calgary:
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Royal AB Museum/ Vancouver Convention Centre / Ottawa War Museum:
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This can't be the actually reason but an armchair take is that Calgary's subconscious design culture is about avoiding the sun because we get so much of it normally we don't see the value, whereas everywhere else subconsciously sees sunlight as a more valuable thing as they are more cloudy in comparison.

Why we love curvy rooflines and randomly angular-plane walls on all civic and cultural infrastructure I still haven't figured out though!
 
This can't be the actually reason but an armchair take is that Calgary's subconscious design culture is about avoiding the sun because we get so much of it normally we don't see the value, whereas everywhere else subconsciously sees sunlight as a more valuable thing as they are more cloudy in comparison.

Why we love curvy rooflines and randomly angular-plane walls on all civic and cultural infrastructure I still haven't figured out though!
Our facilities look pretty unique, compared to the BMO Centre the Vancouver Convention Centre looks generic. But I'm not sure if it's great for visitor experience. Having been to the Studio Bell, it felt overbearing. There's small slivers of light in the stair wells but otherwise it's hard to tell what the weather is outside. I recognize museums need dark rooms for exhibits but usually they combine that with a glass atrium or walkways
 
This can't be the actually reason but an armchair take is that Calgary's subconscious design culture is about avoiding the sun because we get so much of it normally we don't see the value, whereas everywhere else subconsciously sees sunlight as a more valuable thing as they are more cloudy in comparison.

Why we love curvy rooflines and randomly angular-plane walls on all civic and cultural infrastructure I still haven't figured out though!
Could be. In the case of the new central library, the glass was cutback due to the amount of sunlight we get.
 
Not related to construction but is there a particular reason why recent cultural facilities in Calgary are designed with so little natural light and very little use of curtain wall glass?

Calgary:
View attachment 620498View attachment 620499View attachment 620501

Royal AB Museum/ Vancouver Convention Centre / Ottawa War Museum:
View attachment 620500View attachment 620502View attachment 620503
With all the hail damage recently maybe that goes into factoring during design nowadays? Look at the airport and all the windows in Concourse B that were damaged. You’d think some of those designs in Calgary would be prone to damage/flooding.
 

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