Plan for new Vancouver Art Gallery scrapped. New plan to come
CBC
The Vancouver Art Gallery has announced it will scrap the design of its proposed new building and bring in a new architecture partner in what is the latest hurdle to the now-$600 million project.
Earlier this year, the gallery announced the costs of the much-delayed project had ballooned by 50 per cent, and paused construction at the site, situated at the corner of Cambie and West Georgia streets.
On Tuesday, the art gallery's CEO announced it is seeking an entirely new direction and that the current Swiss architecture firm of Herzog & de Meuron had been removed.
"Our goal is to create a building that embodies a diverse and inclusive artistic vision while ensuring financial sustainability within a fixed budget," wrote VAG CEO Anthony Kiendl in a statement.
"We recognize that inflation has put tremendous pressure on our plans, as it has done with many capital projects following the pandemic. It has become clear that we require a new way forward to meet both our artistic mission and vision and our practical needs."
The CEO said the VAG board's decision to jettison the architectural firm came after feedback from artists, supporters and stakeholders.
"Over the coming months, we will schedule a series of opportunities at the Gallery to share more about the next phase of the project and discuss it with our [members] and communities," Kiendl said.
The CEO did not say how the timeline for the project — which was set to open in 2028 — would be affected by the change in design or what the effect on cost would be.
A new building for the art gallery was proposed as far back as 2008 and had received over $100 million in funding from the provincial government.
A "ground-awakening" ceremony was held at the new site in September 2023, and construction began this March before it was paused in late August.
The redesigned project by Herzog & de Meuron proposed a thin, veil-like copper facade designed to incorporate traditional Coast Salish weaving methods.
It was originally designed to be nine storeys tall and span 350,000 square feet. CBC News has contacted Herzog & de Meuron for this story.
Michael Audain, a prominent B.C. businessman and arts funder who owns his own art museum in Whistler, has donated over $100 million towards the redesign and has sat on the VAG board for decades.
He told CBC News that he had heard recently the board was going to redesign the building for a second time amid funding challenges, and was unsurprised by the news the architect was changing.
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