Here's what Calgary's revamped Olympic Plaza will look like and it's STUNNING

Calgary has finally received a glimpse of what the revitalized Olympic Plaza is going to look like, and it is shaping up to be a gorgeous spot in our city.

The iconic plaza, originally developed for the 1988 Winter Olympics, saw its original engraved bricks returned to some owners at the end of last year. Construction on the plaza is part of a broader downtown revitalization expected to last until 2028.

The Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) and its partners at Arts Commons and the City of Calgary revealed the highly anticipated design for the Olympic Plaza Transformation (OPT) project on Monday, marking a significant milestone in the revitalization of one of Calgary’s most recognizable public spaces.

Take a look at all the renderings released by the CMLC on Monday below.

A neat element of the revamped Olympic Plaza is that the design team went for maximizing the site’s functionality and flexibility by providing a more accessible, barrier-free layout that can support gatherings of up to 5,000 people.

The new design offers 96 per cent of the old plaza’s usable space, while also accommodating the footprint of the Arts Commons Transformation (ACT) expansion now underway on the west side of the block.

The “sunflake” at the plaza, which is represented thematically in the radiating stone pavers of the site, and also in the design of the central water feature, a 12-metre-tall structure the colour of an Olympic gold medal serves as a fountain in the summer, a centrepiece for the skating rink in winter, and a landmark through all seasons.

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The pavilion on the plaza’s east edge creates an indoor gathering place complete with a food and beverage service and public washrooms, and the green space on the plaza’s north edge offers a sloped green space.

On completion in 2028, Calgarians will recognize familiar elements woven into the new plaza’s design, including one of Calgary’s 1988 Olympic Cauldron and a portion of the plaza’s arches bearing the Latin phrase “Citius, Altius, Fortius” (“Faster, Higher, Stronger”), integrated into the plaza’s north edge.

“Calgary’s Olympic Plaza has long been a destination for culture and civic gathering in Calgary. While the Olympic Games remain one of the best-known chapters in the plaza’s history, this revitalization ensures that the space will continue to serve as a modern, accessible and inclusive public gathering space for generations to come,” said Kate Thompson, president and CEO of CMLC, development manager for the Arts Commons and Olympic PlazaTransformation projects in a news release.

“CMLC and our partners have been working with the design team since 2023 to develop a plaza design that integrates seamlessly with the rest of the Arts Commons campus, that honours the plaza’s Olympic legacy, and that enables a range of placemaking and programming opportunities, including cultural events, performances and festivals, while serving as a public space for Calgarians to enjoy day-to-day and year-round.”