CMLC Selects Construction Manager for The Arts Commons Transformation
As development manager for the Arts Commons Transformation (ACT)—a major city-building initiative that will expand and modernize Western Canada’s largest performing arts centre while nurturing the revitalization of Calgary’s downtown core—CMLC is pleased to announce the selection of EllisDon as ACT’s construction manager.
A leader in large-scale construction for more than 70 years, EllisDon has a vast and impressive portfolio of projects across Canada and beyond—from the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa to the Expo 2020 Canada Pavilion in Dubai to the recently completed Massey Hall in Toronto.
Selected through a rigorous, RFP-based recruitment process that CMLC conducted this past summer, EllisDon will work closely alongside ACT’s prime design team—KPMB, Hindle Architects, Tawaw Architecture Collective and SLA—in constructing a new building on the Arts Commons campus and renovating the existing facility.
“We’re excited and humbled to be part of the Arts Commons Transformation project,” says Travis Perry, Director of Business Development at EllisDon. “We look forward to building on the momentum of our recent theatre experience and leveraging the entire team’s expertise as we help realize the vision for the re-imagined and dramatically expanded Arts Commons. The EllisDon team is inspired by the opportunities this project presents for the arts community and for the residents of Calgary.”
"Having EllisDon join ACT as Construction Manager at this stage is a huge benefit to the project,” says Kate Thompson, President and CEO of CMLC. “In collaborating with the prime design team through the concept and schematic design phases, EllisDon will advise on the constructability and delivery of the project while it is being designed, streamlining the transition from design to development when the time comes to break ground."
According to Alex Sarian, Arts Commons President and CEO, “EllisDon is a fantastic partner to have on board for the Arts Commons Transformation. Their experience working with some of the top organizations in Canada to revitalize performing arts spaces will be an asset as we reimagine the arts in our city. We look forward to working together to bring our exciting vision for Arts Commons to life and provide Calgarians with more diverse, more inclusive, and more meaningful opportunities for shared cultural experiences.”
Currently in the concept design phase, ACT is expected to progress into more detailed schematic design this fall. CMLC will reveal the project design in early 2023 and then, following permitting and approvals, construction of the Arts Commons expansion will get underway in 2024.
