Art Gallery of Alberta

A building to match┬áThough a city of just one million people, Edmonton has long been home to a thriving arts community. As Keith Regan learns, the Art Gallery of AlbertaÔÇÖs New Vision project is meant to give that community a world-class home for the visual arts. In recent years, the city of Edmonton, Alberta, has built a new performing arts center and has seen its downtown cultural and arts scene gain momentum. Meanwhile, the Art Gallery of Alberta has seen its permanent collection grow by leaps and bounds and demand for its educational programs skyrocket.  ÔÇ£Some people around Canada may think of us as cowboys or that itÔÇÖs all hockey, but there is not only a thriving arts community but an impressive level of sophistication amid the general population when it comes to the arts,ÔÇØ says gallery executive director Tony Luppino. ÔÇ£This is very much an arts-proud community.ÔÇØThe GalleryÔÇÖs existing space had significant limitations, not only in the amount of space it had available to display its own artwork, but in the types of security and environmental controls it could offer to traveling exhibitions. The result is an $88 million transformation project that includes temporary space while the expanded gallery is built; off-site, climate-controlled storage for the permanent collection; a $5 million operating endowment; and a $75 million new main gallery that doubles educational and exhibition space and instantly will become an architectural icon in the cultural district. The design for the building grew out of a worldwide competition that included personally inviting some architects that the gallery thought would not even respond to the request for proposal. ÔÇ£We were amazed at the response we got,ÔÇØ Luppino says. Four finalists were chosen and were invited to give presentations to the international jury of reviewers that were open to the public. Those presentations were packed to capacity and well beyond; the gallery ended up selling tickets so people could watch on closed-circuit television, and even that space was sold out. ÔÇ£Right from the start, nobody wanted a safe building. We felt that this process gave architecture a new and enhanced presence in the city.ÔÇØEventually, Los AngelesÔÇôbased Randall Stout Architects won the contract to design the building and came up with a designÔÇöinspired by the Northern Lights, which can sometimes be seen from the areaÔÇöthat uses swirling steel on the exterior and is meant to be as much a work of art as the paintings, sculptures and other media inside. The 85,000-square-foot gallery is set to open in early 2010ÔÇöshows have already been booked for early next year, and three years of traveling exhibitions are penciled in to the schedule. The finished building will feature two outdoor terraces that can be used to house exhibits of sculptures as well as two entrancesÔÇöone from ground level and a second from underground, meaning visitors can enter the museum directly from a subway station and an underground parking area without going outside. ÔÇ£In a city where 30-below wind-chill factors are common in the winter, thatÔÇÖs a major plus,ÔÇØ Luppino notes.The project also has sustainable elements, with 800 tons of 90 percent recycled steel being used on the finished building. Luppino credits construction management firm Ledcor with being willing to give the gallery a fixed-price contract for helping bring the funds for the work together in a timely way. The public-private partnership includes investments from the federal, provincial and city governments as well as private donations. In fact, the city of Edmonton more than tripled its initial commitment to $21 million, believing the new gallery would generate significant additional economic activity as the cultural district becomes more vibrant. The goal of $20 million of private fundraising has nearly been reached. Ledcor has kept the project on trackÔÇöafter StoutÔÇÖs concept was finalized, a design-build approach was used, with subcontractors involved early in the process to help search out opportunities for savings and innovations. Ledcor is working with consulting electrical and mechanical engineers Stantec Consulting Ltd. and structural engineers from BPTEC-DNW Engineering Ltd. Luppino says a local architect, Rick Arndt, who is acting as the galleryÔÇÖs consultant on the project, has been invaluable with helping to keep all the project details in hand. ÔÇ£Without him we couldnÔÇÖt have gotten through it,ÔÇØ he adds. ÔÇ£Imagine an $88 million kitchen renovationÔÇöthere are that many details to handle, from where to put the outlets to which way doors open. A project like this needs someone who intimately understands the details of this kind of work. We have a great team that works very well together, but I tell everyone who asks that if they have a big project theyÔÇÖre trying to get done, they need to find themselves a Rick Arndt.ÔÇØ Founded in 1924, the Art Gallery of AlbertaÔÇöknown as the Edmonton Art Gallery until recentlyÔÇöis the only museum in the province devoted solely to the exhibition and preservation of art and visual culture. Over the years, the galleryÔÇÖs permanent collection has grown, and the new space will enable more of it to be on display at all times. The new building will nearly double exhibition spaces from 16,000 square feet to some 30,000 square feet, including a dedicated gallery space for the 6,000-work permanent collection. It will also add an expanded education center, a renovated 150-seat theater, restaurant and gallery shop spaces, and spaces that can be rented for special events. The expanded exhibition space will host local, Canadian, international and aboriginal art and is meant to become an anchor for a larger revitalization of the cityÔÇÖs cultural precinct in and around Churchill Square. And because the space will meet modern codes and standards for environmental conditions, the museum will be able to attract the most sought-after traveling exhibitions, some of which may have bypassed the space before it was upgraded. The gallery is already in talks with the National Gallery of Canada about lending some works. ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs an exciting project for everyone, starting with the laborers on the project, to be a part of,ÔÇØ says Luppino. Recalling his own days as a construction worker, he says workers will be able to point to the iconic building well into the future as something they helped create. ÔÇ£There is a lot of civic pride thatÔÇÖs coming alive.ÔÇØ ÔÇô Editorial research by Michael Fretwell┬á