Calgary

Calgary's urban fragments, housing innovation and civic design winners revealed

Take a look at some of the best examples of innovative design and architecture in Calgary.

Music halls, public plazas, pedestrian pathways and retail pop-ups among Mayor's Urban Design Award winners

The uniquely shaped Studio Bell in Calgary's East Village won the people's choice award for favourite building at the 2017 Mayor's Urban Design Awards. It's the home of the National Music Centre. (City of Calgary)

Every two years, the City of Calgary celebrates the best of design and architecture with the Mayor's Urban Design Awards. 

Here's a glimpse at some of this year's winners, which were announced Wednesday night at Studio Bell. 

1. Fourth Street Underpass

(City of Calgary)

The Fourth Street Underpass won in the conceptual or theoretical urban design projects category. Situated between 8th Avenue and 10th Avenue S.W., the underpass is a main corridor for pedestrians and vehicles moving between the Beltline and downtown core, servicing over 8,000 pedestrians each day. Owner: The City of Calgary. Architect: the marc boutin architectural collaborative inc.

2. King Edward Arts Hub and Incubator

(City of Calgary)

The building, located at 1721 29 Ave. S.W., won in the category of urban architecture. Owner: cSpace Projects. Architect: Nyhoff Architecture. 

3.  Civic District Public Realm strategy

(City of Calgary)

This project provides a broad new vision for downtown Calgary. It won in the category of approved or adopted urban design plans. Owner: The City of Calgary. Architect: the marc boutin architectural collaborative inc. & Arriola & Fiol Arquitectes. Landscape Architect: PFS Studio.

4. East Village Junction

The pop-up retail community known as EV Junction won an awared for community improvement projects. (Scott Dippel/CBC)

The pop-up retail community, also known as EV Junction, won in the category of community improvement projects. Owner: Calgary Municipal Land Corporation. Architect: Nyhoff Architecture.

5. C-Square

(City of Calgary)

C-Square, or Celebration Square, won in the category of civic design projects. It's located at Seventh Ave. and Fourth Street S.E. Owner: Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC). Architect: the marc boutin architectural collaborative inc. & Scatliff + Miller + Murray Inc.

6. Crossroads Garden Shed

(City of Calgary)

This project won in the category of urban fragments. It can be found at Seventh Ave and Fifth Street S.E. Owner: Calgary Municipal Land Corporation. Architect: 5468796 Architecture.

7. Conserving Calgary's Historic Streets

(City of Calgary)

This project by the City of Calgary (Parks) won in the Mawson Urban Design Award. The award was named for Thomas Hayton Mawson, an English landscape architect and town planner commissioned by the City of Calgary in 1913 to design a plan for the city's future development.

The project is a planning document "that celebrates and acknowledges the role of Calgary's trees, the streetscapes they create, and the contribution they have made, and continue to make to the lives of Calgarians." The project looked at ways to conserve and even legally protect the city's tree-lined streets as historic resources. 

8. Great Plains Recreation Facility

(City of Calgary)

This building won in the category of city edge development, which is for plans and designs that respond to challenges faced by newly developing areas of the city. The recreation facility is located at 6280 76 Ave. S.E. Owner: The City of Calgary. Architects: Marshall Tittemore Architects & MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects.

9. New Central Library

Rather than talking up our new library when we try to sell Calgary, how about talking more about our dog parks? (City of Calgary)

The library, expected to be completed in 2018, won in the category of great city, great design, which celebrates projects that improve walkability, accessibility and overall enjoyment of the city. It will be located across from city hall. Owner: The City of Calgary. Architects: Snøhetta & DIALOG Design.

10. Grow and Village

(City of Calgary)

Grow and Village, both projects being developed by RNDSQR and Modern Office of Design and Architecture, won in the category of housing innovation. Both Grow and Village are proposed to be built in Bankview.

Arrive at Bowness by Hindle Architects Ltd., owned by Attainable Homes Calgary, also won in the category.

11. National Music Centre

(Brandon Wallis/National Music Centre) (Brandon Wallis/National Music Centre)

The National Music Centre at 850 Fourth Street S.E. won the people's choice award for favourite building. Architects: Allied Works Architecture and Kasian Architecture.