Crews have broken ground on the $500 million BMO Centre expansion in in Calgary’s developing Culture + Entertainment District.
The Calgary Stampede and Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) chose the design team in spring 2019 and revealed the facility’s transformative design in June 2020, followed by construction of Hall F through the summer of last year. Crews have worked to prepare the site with extensive utilities upgrades and demolition work over the past year, readying the convention centre for its 560,000 square foot expansion.
”The BMO Centre expansion will provide state-of-the-art facilities for community engagement and economic benefit through job creation and tourism,” says Steve McDonough, president and chairman of the Calgary Stampede. “The expansion will anchor Calgary on the international map as a leading convention host, attracting larger conventions and meetings to our province.”
Designed by Stantec/Populous/S2 Architecture, the building’s innovative design will dramatically transform the Calgary skyline. Beyond being significantly larger than the existing BMO Centre offering double the rentable space, the new facility will reflect, inside and out, today’s best practices in convention facility design.
The project is funded through equal contributions from three orders of government and provides opportunity for economic diversification and job creation in Calgary and the surrounding region.
When it opens in 2024, the BMO Centre will be the largest convention facility in western Canada, elevating Calgary into the top tier of the competitive international meetings and conventions market.
“We are thrilled to see this project move into the construction phase on schedule. I believe it’s just the beginning of big, positive change for this district and downtown Calgary as a whole—something that’s going to be galvanizing for our city, which, as we know, has weathered some challenges over the past couple of years,” said Kate Thompson, president and CEO of CMLC.
PCL Construction is responsible for the construction management for the expansion.
