The Vancouver Art Gallery has pulled the plug on a dramatic but pricey design for a new building to house its collection.
Preliminary work had already begun at the West Georgia and Cambie Street site for the new gallery when it was revealed in August that the cost for the new building had surged by 50 per cent, from $400 million to $600 million.
A look at what the new art gallery in downtown Vancouver would look like.
Courtesy of the architects Herzog & de Meuron
That prompted administrators to pause construction and begin a review of the project.
On Tuesday, Vancouver Art Gallery CEO and executive director Anthony Kiendl confirmed the institution’s board had voted to part ways with celebrated Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, which had drafted the new gallery’s eye-catching design.
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“We recognize that inflation has put tremendous pressure on our plans, as it has done with many capital projects following the pandemic,” Kiendl wrote in a statement.
“It has become clear that we require a new way forward to meet both our artistic mission and vision and our practical needs.”
Kiendl went on to say the board had approved new strategic priorities to guide the gallery as it moves forward.
The institution remains committed to building a “new cultural hub that will be the heart of our communities,” he said, adding “the Gallery is in the process of reflecting and transforming our approach to this objective.”
Kiendl said updates on the future of the project will be shared in “the coming months.”
As of August, donors had contributed about $350 million towards an expanded replacement for the gallery.
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