14 Canadian firms invited to design new Vancouver Art Gallery | Daily Hive

14 Canadian architectural firms invited to design new Vancouver Art Gallery

Construction work on the site of the future new Vancouver Art Gallery on March 13, 2024. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) has gone back to the drawing board on its new building’s design process, taking a Canada-only approach.

This comes after their early December 2024 announcement that they have decided to cancel the long-established design by Herzog & de Meuron and part ways with the Swiss architectural firm after more than a decade. Herzog & de Meuron was selected in 2015 following an international design competition conducted by the VAG.

These developments trace back to the August 2024 announcement that the project’s costs, based on Herzog & de Meuron’s design, had escalated by 50 per cent, from $400 million to $600 million. Since these financial challenges became publicly known, further construction work at the Larwill parking lot block site in downtown Vancouver — now a pit in the ground from previous excavation activity that began in March 2024 — has been put on hold.

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“Our goal is to create a building that embodies a diverse and inclusive artistic vision while ensuring financial sustainability within a fixed budget,” said Anthony Kiendl, CEO and executive director of the Vancouver Art Gallery, in a statement in December 2024.

“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.”

vancouver art gallery new building 2024 rendering

Cancelled design of the new Vancouver Art Gallery building. (Herzog & de Meuron/Perkins&Will)

And now, VAG is holding a new design competition seeking a brand new Canadian-made design that replaces the concept created by the Swiss firm.

A representative with the VAG told Daily Hive Urbanized today that 14 Canadian architectural firms have been invited to participate in the new design competition, including eight firms with offices and/or are based in Metro Vancouver. Here’s the full list:

Diamond Schmitt Architects (Vancouver)
Formline Architecture & Urbanism (West Vancouver)
Hariri Pontarini Architects (Toronto)
HCMA (Vancouver)
Henriquez Partners Architects (Vancouver)
Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg KPMB (Toronto)
Michael Green Architecture MGA (Vancouver)
office of mcfarlane biggar architects + designers (omb) (Vancouver)
Patkau Architects Inc. (Vancouver)
Perkins&Will (Vancouver)
Revery Architecture (Vancouver)
Saucier+Perrotte Architectes (Montreal)
Teeple Architects (Toronto)
5468796 Architecture Inc. (Winnipeg)

The VAG also noted that the Request For Proposals (RFP) process for these firms will close on March 14, 2025.

These firms invited to participate in the RFP have varying degrees of experience designing cultural facilities, including art galleries and museums.

For instance, Diamond Schmitt Architects is behind projects such as the New Brunswick Museum expansion in Saint John, AGO Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery in Toronto, while Hariri Pontarini Architects is behind various renovations and upgrades of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto and the new Marianne and Edward Gibson Art Museum at Simon Fraser University’s Burnaby campus, which is expected to open in Fall 2025.

Michael Green Architecture is the design firm of the Royal BC Museum’s PARC satellite facility for primarily collections storage and research, which is currently undergoing construction in Colwood at a cost of $270 million.

Patkau Architects is responsible for the design of some of B.C.’s most recent art gallery projects, including the 2017-opened Polygon Gallery on North Vancouver’s Lonsdale waterfront and the 2016-opened Audain Art Museum in Whistler.

Perkins&Will was the local architect of record for Herzog & de Meuron’s application to the City.

According to a recent community bulletin, the Vancouver Art Gallery Association’s Board of Trustees passed a motion on Jan. 22, 2025, to issue an RFP to invite a select group of Canadian-based architecture firms to submit proposals to design the new building.

“This decision marks a significant milestone in our journey. Our goal is to create a new building that celebrates art in all its forms and is emblematic both of our country and our mission, but that also prioritizes achievability, practicality and fiscal responsibility. Inherent in this choice is a careful assessment of how we can engage our community in meaningful ways; build within our means and realize a new Gallery that reflects Canada’s extraordinary architectural talent,” reads the bulletin.

“We are grateful for your continued support as we enter the next phase of this transformative endeavour. As the project progresses, we will keep you informed. Together, we will build something truly remarkable — a Gallery that will serve as a cultural cornerstone for generations to come.”

As of March 2024, the VAG had raised $352 million toward their then-budgeted project of $400 million, which includes $350 million for design, planning, and construction costs and a $50 million endowment for the building’s operations upon completion.

The VAG raised $100 million from the provincial government, $100 million from art philanthropist and Polygon Homes owner Michael Audain, $40 million from the family of the Burrard Group and Burrard Arts Foundation, and $30 million from the federal government. Additionally, the municipal government previously provided the VAG with a 99-year nominal lease for the new site.

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