There has been another major setback in the project to build a brand-new purpose-built home for the Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG.
In August 2024, the VAG first announced it had suspended all construction work on the partially excavated site at the Larwill parking lot at the northeast corner of the intersection of West Georgia Street and Cambie Street, next to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and SkyTrain’s Stadium-Chinatown Station. Construction on the project officially began in March 2024, with completion targeted for 2028.
This pause in construction work was due to the long-delayed project coming 50% over budget — rising from $400 million, which was still the official cost figure at the time of the September 2023 groundbreaking ceremony with dignitaries, to $600 million.
Today, the VAG confirmed that its board of directors has now made the “difficult decision” to part ways with internationally renowned Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron, which was selected more than a decade ago in an international design competition.
Over the past decade, since the landmark concept was first revealed in 2015, Herzog & de Meuron has conducted several revisions to the design.
“For the past decade, we have had the benefit of collaborating with the esteemed Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron on plans for a new Gallery,” said Anthony Kiendl, CEO and Executive Director of the Vancouver Art Gallery, in a statement today.
“We are grateful for our partnership with them, which has helped shape our thinking around what a museum could look like in the 21st century and provided valuable research that can be applied moving forward.”
Without Herzog & de Meuron’s involvement, this also means the entire architectural concept of a 228-ft-tall building with a stack of varying-sized box volumes containing 10 floors of high-ceiling interior space has been cancelled.
This cancelled concept provided the VAG with a total building floor area of about 300,000 sq ft, including 80,000 sq ft of dedicated exhibition and gallery space. In contrast, the existing VAG inside the heritage courthouse building is just under 170,000 sq ft, with about 40,000 sq ft of exhibition and gallery space. The expanded exhibition space (double its current location at the old courthouse building) would enable the VAG to show more of its permanent collection, including works by Emily Carr and Indigenous artists.
Revised 2021 design of the new building for the Vancouver Art Gallery at Larwill Park. (Vancouver Art Gallery)
2021 design of the new Vancouver Art Gallery. (Herzog & de Meuron/Perkins + Will)
2021 design of the new Vancouver Art Gallery. (Herzog & de Meuron/Perkins + Will)
2021 design of the new Vancouver Art Gallery. (Herzog & de Meuron/Perkins + Will)
When the family of Christian Chan, known for the Burrard Group and Burrard Arts Foundation, first announced their $40 million donation toward the VAG’s project in early 2019, the cost was pegged at $350 million, including $350 million for the capital costs of design and construction and $50 million for a long-term operational endowment upon completion.
The updated $400 million figure, accounting for a $50 million increase, was first made public in November 2021, when the design was slightly revised and Michael Audain, the head of Polygon Homes and a renowned art collector and philanthropist, announced a donation of $100 million.
As of March 2024, $352 million had been raised for the project, including $100 million from the provincial government, $30 million from the federal government, and a 99-year nominal lease for the site owned by the City of Vancouver.
But market costs for construction labour, materials, and equipment skyrocketed starting in early 2022, which put into question the $400 million figure, of which $350 million is dedicated to design and construction costs. This also includes professional fees expended to Herzog & de Meuron over the years.
Other projects by other entities have seen their costs escalate steeply, especially for projects that were originally budgeted before the pandemic-induced inflationary cycle, including hospitals, schools, housing, community and recreational centres, and infrastructure, including the 50% increase in the cost of building the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension.
2021 design of the new Vancouver Art Gallery. (Herzog & de Meuron/Perkins + Will)
2021 design of the new Vancouver Art Gallery. (Herzog & de Meuron/Perkins + Will)
2021 design of the new Vancouver Art Gallery. (Herzog & de Meuron/Perkins + Will)
With the drastic decision to abandon the design entirely, it appears any value engineering exercises on Herzog & de Meuron’s concept were not sufficient to cut down costs.
After sticking with this design concept for a decade, the VAG will now instead go back to the drawing board to create a completely new concept from scratch in a bid to drastically lower the project’s costs toward the constraints of the available budget.
Kiendl emphasized that the VAG is still fully committed to building a new home for itself.
“Our goal is to create a building that embodies a diverse and inclusive artistic vision while ensuring financial sustainability within a fixed budget,” Kiendl continued.
“We recognize that inflation has put tremendous pressure on our plans, as it has done with many capital projects following the pandemic. It has become clear that we require a new way forward to meet both our artistic mission and vision and our practical needs.”
He adds that the VAG will hold several consultation opportunities over the coming months to share more details about the next steps for the reimagined project.
But one thing is for certain — the VAG will remain at the old courthouse building next to Robson Square for at least a little longer while.
The vision for relocating VAG to a new purpose-built home first began nearly two decades ago.