BMO CENTRE DESIGN UNVEILED
Expansion valued at $500 million
The Calgary Stampede and development partner Calgary Municipal Land Corp. (CMLC) have unveiled the design for the expansion of the BMO Convention Centre.
The expansion, valued at $500 million, is intended to grow and modernize the facility — built in 1982 — and enable Calgary to host major conventions on a global scale. In recent years, there have been complaints that Calgary misses out on hosting some largescale events due to a lack of convention space in the city.
“We’ve had to turn down many large conventions on an annual basis, just because we don’t have the facilities. So it’s critical that we have the capacity to be able to compete in this global marketplace,” Dana Peers, president and chair of the Calgary Stampede board, said in an interview.
Alberta-based companies Stantec and S2 Architecture — along with U.S. firm Populous, which designed the London 2012 Olympic Stadium as well as Sydney, Australia’s new convention centre — were selected as the design team through a competitive bid process. The design features one million square feet of total floor space, including 350,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space, and more than double its current rentable area. The new facility will also have meeting rooms that are wired for instant connectivity, flexible breakout areas and outdoor areas.
The building’s design — which features a brick base that blends with the existing BMO Centre and is topped with a curved, composite metal upper portion that is meant to be reminiscent of barn board to reflect the Stampede’s heritage — calls to mind Calgary’s Central Library in its ambition and scope.
“I believe the building will be a destination, regardless of it being Stampede time or not. It’s the kind of building that draws visitors specifically to see it,” Peers said. “I think Calgary’s starting to get a reputation for really having these iconic architectural works.”
The expansion will nearly double the footprint of the existing BMO Centre. After its completion in 2024, the BMO Centre will be the largest conference facility in Western Canada, and the country’s second largest after Toronto’s. In the fall, crews will begin demolishing existing structures, including the 70-year-old Stampede Corral, and break ground on the new building next year.
The BMO Centre expansion’s $500-million price tag will be paid for through equal contributions from all three levels of government — federal, provincial and municipal. astephenson@postmedia.com Twitter: @Amandamsteph