Archinect - News

Incorporating Indigenous principles, Seneca College's new Health and Wellness Centre proposes an 'architecture of reconciliation'

2023-05-01T11:56:00-04:00

A new collaborative higher-ed project from Two Row Architect and DIALOG has been proposed for Canada’s Seneca Polytechnic College in Toronto.

The proposal calls for a new Health and Wellness Centre to be delivered at the eastern edge of the school’s Newnham Campus, transforming an aged sports center structure into a multi-level complex that serves the academic community of more than 30,000.

“There are a number of big ideas that have inspired this design. One is the idea that this building will be an intimation of what an 'architecture of reconciliation' could look like,” DIALOG Partner Craig Applegath said in a statement. “And such a wonderful way of not only connecting and reconciling Indigenous and settler cultures but also of providing a gateway for potential new Canadian students to imagine what the reconciled future Canada might look and feel like. Another is that this is intended to be a truly environmentally responsible building: with plans for net-zero carbon, and sustainab...

DIALOG's $120 million Glenbow Museum renovation project is now officially underway

2021-09-30T15:29:00-04:00

As part of an institutional pivot that will take the combination art and history museum in a new direction, Calgary’s Glenbow Museum has officially closed its doors ahead of a three-year-long renovation project meant to reinterpret the 55-year-old museum’s image and impact on the local community.

DIALOG is behind the $120 million plan to make the museum significantly more inclusive, responsive, and accessible, transforming the existing “bunker-like” structure from 1976 into a catalyst for an entirely reimagined public program that aligns more succinctly with Glenbow’s stated goals.

"This museum's mission sits squarely in between the important cultural issues of art and history, and the timing could not be better to help create a facility far more conducive to the important current conversations around cultural inclusion happening in Canada and across the globe,” lead designer Robert Claiborne said in a statement.

Interior view. Image courtesy DIALOG

The existing eight-story build...

DIALOG unveils plans for its new NaAC facility in Calgary

2021-08-04T19:39:00-04:00

Designs for a new arts center servicing the disabled community in Western Canada have been unveiled this week as part of a dynamic rebrand that will give the former Indefinite Arts Center in Calgary a much-needed new home.

Image courtesy NaAC

Featuring an art gallery, cafe, performance venues, and outdoor gathering spaces, the National accessArts Centre (NaAC) will repurpose an old Scouts Canada building thanks to a $12 million redevelopment plan designed by DIALOG.

Image courtesy NaAC

According to NaAC’s CEO Jung-Suk Ryu: “Every city has a performing arts centre, a museum, or an art gallery — but Calgary will be the only city with infrastructure dedicated to the needs and talents of artists living with disabilities. Now, Calgary will truly become the national capital of this important, much-celebrated element of our arts and culture sector.”

Image courtesy NaAC

DIALOG is working with the group to develop an addition to the existing structure, which will be renovated by the local firm...

Snøhetta + DIALOG's new, expanded Calgary Central Library is now open

2018-11-05T15:20:00-05:00

Showing off a dynamic geometric-patterned facade, the new Calgary Central Library by Snøhetta and DIALOG finally opened its doors to the public on November 1. The Snøhetta and DIALOG team was selected to design the new library after winning the Calgary Public Library's international competition in 2013.

Located in a city where more than half of its residents are active library cardholders, the new Central Library was expanded to 240,000 square feet (two-thirds of its original size) to accommodate more visitors and their various library needs.

The entry plaza doubles as a portal and bridge that re-establishes pedestrian connections across the site. Gently terraced slopes rise up to the building, while outdoor amphitheaters embedded into the terraces allow people to sit and library programs to take place outdoors.

“The entire building volume is enclosed in the same pattern, allowing all sides to function as the ‘front’ of the building. This ...

Construction update: BIG's twisted Vancouver House tower rises above grade

2016-12-02T14:45:00-05:00

In the three months since our last update, progress has been moving along at the site of the Bjarke Ingels-designed Vancouver House. The soon-to-be iconic 49-storey mixed-use tower by Westbank is beginning to rise above grade [...]. Designed in conjunction with Canadian firms Dialog Architects and James KM Cheng Architects, Vancouver House has been described as a "living sculpture," and the tower's signature twist will soon become a staple of the newly minted Beach District neighbourhood.

Photo of the Vancouver House construction site by Skyrise Cities forum member mcminsen. Click here to see more photos.

The tower and other Vancouver-related stories in the Archinect news: