Announcement – Five Renowned Architects to Compete for National Music Centre Project at the King Eddy Site (Calgary, Alberta)

“May 21, 2009 Calgary, AB – After an extensive worldwide search, Cantos Music Foundation has narrowed the field to five exceptional architectural teams to compete for the opportunity to design a new national music centre featuring world-renowned music collections and public programs at the site of the King Edward Hotel.

The chosen firms are:

Allied Works Architecture/BKDI, Portland, OR, Calgary, AB

Jean Nouvel Workshop, Paris, France

Diller Scofidio + Renfro, New York, NY with Kasian, Calgary, AB

Saucier + Perrotte, Montreal, PQ with Graham Edmunds, Calgary, AB

Studio Pali – Fekete, Los Angeles, CA

“We were thrilled with the response our request for expressions of interest received worldwide,” says Andrew Mosker, executive director of Cantos Music Foundation. “The caliber of talent was outstanding and it was a difficult task to narrow it down to five.” Sixty-six firms from all over North America and Europe expressed interest in the project.

Each of the five teams will be given $50,000 USD upon completion of a conceptual design for the project, which is seen as a key catalyst in the redevelopment of the East Village. Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) president and CEO, Chris Ollenberger, says the national music centre project represents the community’s future. “We are passionate about the rejuvenation the East Village, and we share Cantos’ passion for this project and its potential for all of Calgary,” says Ollenberger. CMLC is the current owner of the King Eddy and is leading the development of Calgary’s East Village to a mixed-use, vibrant, inner-city community.”

To continue reading the press release…

For more information on the competition…

(Source: Saucier + Perrotte architectes)