FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ART GALLERY OF SASKATCHEWAN ARCHITECTS APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL (PDF Version)


June 30, 2010 Saskatoon  At its June 28 meeting, Saskatoon City Council approved the consultant team of Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg (KPMB) Architects in association with Smith Carter Architects and Engineers Incorporated, for the design of the Art Gallery of Saskatchewan. The $51-million building will adjoin the Remai Arts Centre at River Landing.

A two-stage, quality-based selection process started with 15 firms submitting Expressions of Interest. Five were shortlisted, and one withdrew for internal reasons. The KPMB/Smith Carter team, which has extensive gallery and museum experience, was the unanimous choice of the selection committee.

KPMB and Smith Carter have collaborated successfully for 15 years, notably on the new Canadian Embassy in Berlin, Germany, and Manitoba Hydro Place in Winnipeg, winner of the 2010 National Urban Design Award, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. “Our design for the Art Gallery of Saskatchewan will celebrate the vibrant, evolving community of Saskatoon with a new platform for the experience of art,” said Bruce Kuwabara, of Toronto-based KPMB. “The new gallery must build on the outstanding legacy of the Mendel and its contribution to cultural and civic debate. Architecture is an act of placemaking, and our design will forge connections to the City and to the river, and create strong synergy with the Remai Arts Centre. The new gallery will be designed to claim a powerful place in the collective imagination of Saskatoon, Canada and the world.”

Grant Van Iderstine, of Winnipeg-based Smith Carter, said the new Art Gallery of Saskatchewan “represents a symbol of optimism in the bigger landscape of Canada's future growth and prosperity. We will ensure that the design and engineering of this highprofile opportunity realizes a stellar building that contributes to the image of Saskatoon as the Gateway to the New North.”

Contact
Heather Smith
Smith Carter Architects and Engineers Incorporated
1600 Buffalo Place   Winnipeg, MB   R3T 6B8   Canada
T    +1.204.477.1260
TF  +1.877.477.1260
www.smithcarter.com