Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA)

[GeekyBoyTO]

From EAG website:

world's top architects will compete to build
the EAG new vision

The selection committee for The EDMONTON ART GALLERY New Vision building competition has announced the four finalist architectural teams on Monday, April 25.

The finalist teams are:


Alsop Partners (London, UK) and Quadrangle (Toronto)
Arthur Erickson/Nick Milkovich (Vancouver) and Dub Architects (Edmonton)
Zaha Hadid (London, UK)
Randall Stout (Los Angeles)
The EAG received 25 excellent submissions from around the world. The quality of the submissions resulted in the selection of four rather than three architectural teams as finalists.

Submissions were received from:


Alsop Partners and Quadrangle Architects/ (London, UK, Toronto)
Barton Myers Associates Inc.& R.L. Wilkin (Los Angeles, Edmonton)
Behnisch, Behnisch + Manasc Isaac (Stuttgart, Germany, Edmonton)
Bing Thom Architects (Vancouver)
BJ(A)L/ Gibbs Gage Architects with Allied Works (Edmonton)
Dan S. Haganu Architects (Montreal)
Diamond & Schmitt and Rockliff Pierzchajlio (Toronto, Edmonton)
Douglas Cardinal (Ottawa)
Erickson, Milkovich and Dub Architects and O'Neill O'Neill Procinsky ( Vancouver, Edmonton)
Ewing Cole (Philadelphia)
Frederick Fisher and Partners Architects (Los Angeles)
Hariri & Pontarini (Toronto)
Heneghan.Peng architects (Dublin, Ireland)
Kasian Architecture (Edmonton)
Kohn Shnieir and Marc Boutin Architects (Calgary)
Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg/HIP (Toronto, Edmonton)
Michael Maltzan Architecture (Los Angeles)
Randall Stout Architecture (Los Angeles)
Robert A.M. Stern Architects (New York)
Saucier & Perrotte Architects & Cohos Evamy (Montreal, Edmonton)
Stantec (Edmonton, Vancouver)
Sturgess Architects ( Calgary)
Voorsanger Architects PC (New York)
Zaha Hadid Architects (London, UK)
Zeidler Carruthers/AKA/Brinsmead Ziola Kennedy (Calgary, Edmonton)

The EAG New Vision promises to be one of the most exciting architectural competitions to take place in Canada. As a leading influencer of visual culture in Western Canada, it is important that the EAG lead also in architecture. Given the stature of the finalists, we are guaranteed to have an architectural building in Edmonton that will attract worldwide attention. We were extremely pleased with the stature of the international architectural teams that submitted and the high quality of the submissions.

Come back often to this site for updates and additional information.

GB

 

[simply Dan]

Exciting!

 

[wyliepoon]

Sounds good. The development of landmark projects around the country certainly enhances Canada's image in the architectural world, just as it has for the US, Japan and various European countries.

Article on Edmonton by Royson James: Rich Edmonton gets no respect

 

[CanadianNational]

I keep wondering why there has been no mention and no talk of getting a building by Zaha Hadid in Toronto. Her work has been top-rate for years now, and with the BMW plant and new Science Centre in Germany being completed - what's the wait for? A major piece by her would be a real coup for the city.

 

[Antiloop33rpm]

Sounds good. The development of landmark projects around the country certainly enhances Canada's image in the architectural world, just as it has for the US, Japan and various European countries.

While its good that Canada can commision other countries architects to design landmark buildings I would be much happier to see Canada recieving attention for buildings designed by Canadian architects developing our own field and diversity of architecture.

 

[adma]

Well, if Zaha Hadid's gotta do anything in Toronto, let it be weird and unlikely. Like, a new Etobicoke Civic Centre on the Westwood site at Six Points

 

[building babel]

On a slight tangent, I see that Frank Gehry's $170 million ( U.S. ) addition to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington has just been suspended by their board.

There's an article in today's NY Times that makes it clear that they were hoping for a Bilbao effect - and the building certainly has the usual swoopy/curvy look many have come to expect from the great man - but fundraising hasn't been successful so far.

 

[rdaner]

I have my heart set on Hadid doing the mosque slated for Regent Park at Gerard and Parliament or River.

 

[yegyyz]

Building A New Vision: Four Perspectives

The designs and models undergo a three-week review by building and technical experts to evaluate how well the designs meet the requirements set out in the competition documents and if they can be built within the Gallery's budget. On October 5, the principal design architect from each team will make a presentation to the jury (see sidebar). These presentations will be open to the public. The jury will have three days to review and discuss each design and will recommend a winning design to the Gallery's Board of Directors on October 11. A public announcement of the winner will follow shortly after.


The exhibition Building A New Vision: Four Perspectives features the four architectural models along with panels describing each architectural team's ideas about what they believe the EAG New Vision should be. Interpretations are as varied as the design teams themselves, who are among the world's most exciting and innovative museum and art gallery architects. The exhibition gets its title from the fact that each architect brings a unique perspective to the challenges facing the EAG and its current building, built in the 1960s and 70s, and the need to move forward into the future. Since art is so diverse and evolving, it is a real feat of imagination to design a building that will keep pace with both the changes in art and in Edmonton itself.

Each architect was asked to consider the building as a place of experimentation, entertainment and education for the community and not just a place to install art. Their views on where Edmonton is going and the needs of the people of our city play a major role in their designs and in the jury's selection of a winner. Don't miss your opportunity to see the designs before the jury meets and the winner is announced.



Alsop & Partners (Longon, UK) and Quadrangle (Toronto)

Zaha Hadid (Longon, UK)

Randall Stout (Los Angeles)

Arthur Erickson/Nick Milkovich (Vancouver), Dub Architects and O'Neil O'Neil Procinsky (Edmonton)

 

[samsonyuen]

Wow, they're all great. And a definite improvement on the staid EAG as it is. I'm surprised there isn't a provincial art gallery (like AGO) like there is a museum (like RAM or ROM).

 

[GeekyBoyTO]

samsonyuen:

Actually, there is a Royal Alberta Museum (it's just been renamed earlier in the year) and they have a 150M expansion plan by Cohos Evamy + Lundholm Associates Architects.

re: EAG

Arthur Erickson's proposal doesn't look that great from the tiny pics, but the rest definitely does!

GB

 

[yegyyz]

here are some better renderings of the 4 proposals.

Hadid

Erickson

Aslop

Stout

 

[samsonyuen]

Sorry, I mean, why isn't there a provincial art gallery like the AGO when there is a provincial museum like the RAM.

 

[wyliepoon]

Personally, I like Alsop and Erickson's designs. Alsop's retains the playfulness from OCAD that appears to have turned out nicely here in Toronto. Erickson's has a sense of orderliness, which appeals to the "classical" side of my architectural thought. I've never been a big fan of Hadid, plus the boxy brutalist podium doesn't appear to meet the street very well. Stout's design looks like a Gehry right down to its representation in the rendering... it's very creative, but I wonder if people will be happy about getting a Gehry that's not really a Gehry.

The footprint of the gallery doesn't appear to be too big. I think a good lesson from this is that you don't really need a lot of space to create a cultural institution with an architectural masterpiece. OCAD (again) appears to be another evidence for that.

 

[building babel]

Hadid's design reminds me of Robocop - the first one that malfunctions and starts killing people.