The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia has announced three finalists in the competition to create a new gallery along the Halifax waterfront. As a central component of a new arts district, the design will be part of a larger public gathering place along the Salter Block that showcases contemporary art and public programs. The design aims to increase opportunities to access and experience art, celebrate diverse stories through the arts, and enhance the waterfront experience.
The arts district is one of only two remaining unencumbered major development sites on the Halifax Waterfront, and it is located on traditional territory of the Mi’kmaq people. Throughout the summer of 2020, three consultant teams developed conceptual designs for the new Art Gallery of Nova Scotia as part of a Waterfront Arts District in a bid to compete for the final contract. An exhibition is now on view at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia that represents the work completed by all three teams.
The three teams are:
- Architecture49 with Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Hargreaves Jones
- DIALOG, Acre Architects, Brackish Design Studio and Shannon Webb-Campbell
- KPMB Architects with Omar Gandhi Architect, Jordan Bennett Studio, Elder Lorraine Whitman (NWAC), Public Work and Transsolar
Space along the southeast corner of the site was meant to be left for a future development at the Arts District. Teams were given a detailed project brief and a space program (list of rooms, sizes, and qualities) for a new Art Gallery of Nova Scotia building and public space. Teams were challenged to provide a strategy for arts-based commercial space (e.g. food and beverage, retail) to further activate the site. The final conceptual design will be chosen by a qualified jury of professionals, with an announcement following the selection process.
News via Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
