Vancouver Art Gallery's new design fills public space void, says architect

The new design for theVancouver Art Gallery adds much needed public space in thecity, says Brian Wakelin, a Vancouver architect.

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He believesVancouver is under performing when it comes to public space.

"It's pretty good, but it's not awesome, it's not world class,"saidWakelin, principal architect at PUBLIC.

Part of the gallery's redesign proposalis to add a40,000-square-foot public courtyard and lobby with a sunken garden which Wakelin says is a good start.

The230-foot-tall, 310,000-square-foot wood and concrete design would be located at West Georgia andCambiestreets in downtown Vancouver.

Currently the site is a parking lot and is attached to the Queen Elizabeth Plaza, which Wakelin believes shouldbe re-designed.

Bringing it to life

"It is a pivotal moment for the design," he said, suggesting that a path can be made from the new art gallery to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre that will bringeven more life to Rogers Arena and BC Place.

"Georgia street is a big necklace that could thread together all these littlepieces, if they just set up and come to the table," said Wakelin. The Canada Post building is underutilizedand could be part of re-designing the area, Wakelin added.

The proposed art gallery will have 85,000 square feet of exhibition space more than double the size of the current location. It will also feature a new education centre that includes a 350-seat auditorium, library services and archives.

The City of Vancouver donated the space to the gallery, but the funding for the new building, designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron,has yet to fall into place.

The gallery says it will raise an estimated$350 million, but so far only a fraction of the cost has been raised.

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To hear the full interview listen to the audio labelled Vancouver Art Gallery's new design fills public space void, says architectwith the CBC's Rick Cluff on The Early Edition.