Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) and Calgary Stampede has selected three architectural firms: Stantec, Populous, and S2 Architecture to lead the complex, $500-million expansion of the BMO Centre.
The BMO Centre project team has been carefully selected to provide expertise in four key areas: convention venue operations, project management, construction management and architectural design.
“The team at Stantec, Populous, and S2 Architecture offer un-paralleled expertise in not only the building’s design, but how it will interact and integrate with the surrounding community and Stampede Park. After years of planning, it is very exciting to bring this team on board to realize our vision,” says Dana Peers, president and chairman of the board of the Calgary Stampede.
Chosen for their involvement in convention centre design and global community projects, Stantec, an Edmonton-based design and consulting company, will act as the Calgary-based prime consultant and Architect of Record (AOR). Global architectural firm Populous will be the architectural design lead, and S2’s interior design and architectural firm will lead the construction administration team. PCL Construction will provide construction management.
“With our background in convention centre design, Populous will help expand not only a marquee events facility, but also expand and grow the whole guest experience in and around Stampede Park. Our design solutions for this complex urban convention centre expansion will help usher an exciting new future where residents and international event attendees co-exist daily in a dynamic and burgeoning Culture and Entertainment District,” says Michael Lockwood, senior principal at Populous.
To allow for the expansion, minimizing any disruption to BMO Centre operations, work began this spring to construct an additional space, known as Hall F. Local firms Gibbs Gage and Stuart Olson are managing the construction of the approximately 100,000 square foot Hall F immediately north of the existing centre. Construction on Hall F is expected to be complete in the spring of 2020.
The centre’s construction is scheduled to commence in April 2021, and the facility will open in June 2024. This expansion is part of a large-scale enhancement to the Stampede Park and will spark development of Calgary’s emerging Culture and Entertainment District.
“When the expansion is completed in 2024, BMO Centre will have more than doubled its current rentable space, with nearly one million square ft. of total floor space, making it the second-largest facility of its kind in the country,” says Peers.
