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The new Art Gallery of Alberta was conceived as an engaging and stimulating center for contemporary art in Edmonton. Celebrating its prominent location on Sir Winston Churchill Square, the main civic and arts public square in the city, the project represents the museum’s commitment to enhancing the public’s experience of the visual arts. From the beginning of the design competition, the design team was focused on designed a project that would formally and philosophically extend out into the community and welcome visitors of all ages and backgrounds to experience contemporary art firsthand.

Currently, the Gallery is limited by the failing original 1960s Brutalist concrete building and is not taking full advantage of its high-profile location on the public square. The new Gallery will include an addition/renovation component that will upgrade existing below-standard facilities and new celebratory public event areas that will bring a new architectural vitality to Edmonton’s urban core. Adding 27,000 SF of new construction of primarily public spaces and new galleries, the project will total 83,800 SF with approximately 24,000 SF of interior exhibition space.

The design reinvents the museum’s public spaces in a language of sinuous stainless steel surfaces, peeling off of one another, creating opportunities for generous views and natural light within the building. Wall and ceiling become one fluid surface which captures the spatial volume and guides the public flow through entry points, wrapping event and gathering spaces, and leading on to the galleries. As destinations, the gallery boxes read solid and neutral against the light, dancing forms of the public space. The galleries are expressed on the exterior as simple stacked rectangular boxes, establishing a dialogue with the existing building mass as well as a heightened juxtaposition with the undulating surfaces of the public spaces.

On the interior, the 10,000 sf gallery addition is completely unimpeded with structure to maximize curatorial flexibility for both large and small exhibitions. The plan and vertical organization of the design resolves the distinct flows of art, food service, staff and visitors with great clarity. State-of-the-art museum elevators and registration sequences are incorporated, as well as a unified Education Wing. A consolidated office level above the gallery expansion permits spontaneous and efficient staff interaction.

Transparent glazing planes and reflective metal surfaces animate the building, exposing the activities within and engaging people and art at multiple levels on both the interior and exterior. Selected to reflect Edmonton’s dramatic weather patterns and the extreme contrast of the long days of summer and the short days of winter, these materials create a dynamic quality that allow the building to transform along with its natural surroundings. Not only does the building change throughout the day, it changes from season to season. More static building materials would not allow for this type of ephemeral connection between the building and the site. Crafted of patinaed zinc (mined and manufactured in Canada), stainless steel, and high performance glazing, the building will have a timeless appearance and extraordinary durability in the northern climate.