Contemporary Calgary receives Canadian Architect Award of Merit

December 1, 2025

KPMB and GGA-Architecture‘s renewed home for Contemporary Calgary has received an Award of Merit from Canadian Architect. Since 1967, the annual awards program has recognized national projects in the design stage.  

Originally designed by McMillan, Long, and Associates for Canada’s Centennial in 1967, the Centennial Planetarium is Calgary’s foremost example of Brutalist architecture: a remarkable assembly of concrete volumes with canted walls and stepped levels.  

Both a renovation and expansion, the Contemporary Calgary project is remaking the building into the city’s premier destination for modern and contemporary art. When completed, it will establish a new anchor for Calgary’s culturally underserved west end, with most of the city’s existing cultural institutions concentrated to the east.  

Central to the renovation and expansion of the Brutalist landmark is a respect for the original building’s architectural ambitions and character. The project will preserve the original building’s idiosyncrasies as a creative spark and source of dialogue for artists and curators. At the same time, it will fulfill the unique needs of a contemporary gallery, improve performance of the aging building, and rectify longstanding accessibility challenges. New additions include two entry pavilions, Class A galleries, and spaces for education and events.  

The renovation and expansion will also address how the building and its site can better function as a welcoming, civic-minded institution. As such, the project will reconnect the inward-looking building with its neighbourhood and geographic context. 

“Transforming Canada’s significant Brutalist icons to serve society with openness and generosity is one of the many architectural challenges of our time. This art gallery project for Contemporary Calgary weaves a transparent meander of foyers, landings, and art spaces through and around the existing concrete structure. While honouring the original gallery’s sculptural gravitas, this project holds the promise of Brutalism as artful civic landscape,” said juror Alison Brooks. 

Central to this ambition is a renewed landscape, led by PFS Studio. The site will host new spaces for public art and gathering, while also establishing a pedestrian arc between a neighbouring light-rail stop and access points to the Bow River nearby.

Read the full coverage at Canadian Architect.