Calgary's National Music Center Competition Unveils Five Designs

Music fans, architecture buffs and engaged citizens of Calgary, Canada filled the Grand Theatre to capacity on July 23, to watch five of the world’s leading architects compete to design a major project in Calgary – Cantos’ new national music center at the King Eddy site in the East Village.

As a crucial and exciting step in Cantos Music Foundation’s bold vision to develop Canada’s only national music center, architects were tasked with developing and publicly presenting their concepts that honor the iconic King Eddy Hotel while creating over 80,000 square-feet of spectacular space that will house an education research center, museum, world-renowned collection of instruments and memorabilia, recording studios, a radio station, a seven-days-a-week live music venue and a suite of innovative and creative programs for people of all ages.

“We were absolutely blown away by the creativity, sensitivity and sheer brilliance all five teams brought to the table,” said Andrew Mosker, executive director of the Cantos Music Foundation. “No two were alike, but each addressed the unique design challenges presented by our project. Calgary would be enhanced by any one of these designs. We will have a very difficult decision to make.”

Cantos’ national music center project is a catalytic force in the rejuvenation of the East Village, one of Calgary’s oldest communities and one that has been challenged through its long history to realize its potential. Chris Ollenberger is the President and CEO of the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) – the organization charged with managing the area’s revitalization.  “The progress Cantos has made with the national music center project is truly impressive,” commented Ollenberger. “It is a crucial piece of the transformation of the East Village into a mixed-use, vibrant, inner-city community.”

Presenting architects were:

Allied Works Architecture: Portland, Oregon

Diller Scofidio and Renfro: New York, NY

Jean Nouvel Workshop: Paris, France

Saucier + Perrotte: Montreal, Quebec

Studio Pali Fekete Architects: Los Angeles, California

The submissions will be reviewed by a selection advisory committee comprised of musicians, architects, business experts, museum experts and others who will then make a recommendation to the Cantos board of directors near the end of the summer. A final decision will be announced in late September, 2009.