Acclaimed American artist Maya Lin designing Glenbow rooftop terrace

Calgary will see a new public facility designed by an internationally recognized artist and designeras part of the multimillion-dollar upgrades to the Glenbow Museum.

Maya Lin, best known as the designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., is designing a 13,000-square-foot rooftop terrace.

It's part of the downtown museum's transformation on both the inside and outside of the facility that was built in the 1970s.

Designing the Calgary terrace will be Lin's first project in Canada.

The environmentalist and artist said part of the appeal for herin selecting a project in the heart of Canada's energy sectorwas being able to highlight reusingand retoolingexisting spaces.

"Urban infill and adaptive reuse can send a huge positive message about how we should rethink how we build, where we build and why we build in a lot of ways," said Lin in an interview with CBC News.

"In doing adaptive reuse, you reduce your carbon footprint amazingly, and hopefully it's a shining example of a sustainable way of living and lower climate cost," she said,pointing out that she is taking design inspiration from prairie landscapes and views.

Lin is also designing an oculus, or a round-shaped opening, as part of the projectto allow natural light to filter from the rooftop into the museum itself.

According to the museum and the designer, the new terracewill also include a pavilion available year-round inboth cold and warmer seasons, along with event spaces, sculptures and gardens.

On a tour of the under-construction space, covered in late-October snow,Lin pointed out that her goal is to create a space that is still usable in the winter months.

Visitors will be able to stand inside a pavilion to stay warm while enjoying the view of both the rooftop terrace and the skyline of downtown Calgary.

"I hope that what I'm doing on the rooftop is welcoming you to the sky and the prairie as well to pull the prairie onto the roof is somethingI'm really looking forward to," she said.

Glenbow Museum CEO and president Nicholas Bell said part of what he believesattracted Lin to work on the Calgary project is theenvironmental aspect of refurbishing existing facilities, instead of discarding and building new.

"We're taking old commercial and civic architecture and saying let's make this new again, but without knocking it down. Let's find the value in that old building and refresh it so that it's a place that we want to spend time today," said Bell, who described the terrace as a future "communal backyard" for Calgarians.

Lin has said sustainability and including local plant life are important priorities for her as a designer to make sure the public space she designs are both energy efficient and sustainable.

"We'll be focused on making the garden be locally sourcedand will track the energy andchoice of materials, maximizing daylight," she said.

The museum is scheduled to reopen in mid-2026.

Admission to the museum will be free in perpetuity, including access to the rooftop terrace,thanks to a donationworth tens of millions of dollars from the Shaw family, announced in 2022.According to Bell, this is a key highlight of the project.

"Whether or not you have $10 in your pocket or not, you're welcome to walk through and step out into this immersive environment where you have plantings and places to sit," said Bell.

"We want you just to feel as if this is a place that belongs to you because you're a member of our community."