Page 30 - Designing Ways 242
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INTERIOR
Calgary embraces design
Calgary, Canada
or the longest time, Calgary, The context
Canada’s third-largest city, resisted The underpass, a familiar feature of
Fthe very notion of design. Then as Western Canadian cities, is a modest yet
Santiago Calatrava was called in to build essential type of urban infrastructure.
the Peace Bridge, things started to change. Calgary’s core, very much shaped by the
And firms such as The Marc Boutin advent of the railway in the 1880s, is still
Architectural Collaborative (MBAC) cut in half by the major rail corridor,
are now able to propose — and build which separates the city’s Downtown from
— projects that would not have been the adjacent Beltline neighbourhood.
considered 15 years ago. From the south, access to the center for
In 2015, Marc Boutin and his team pedestrians, cyclists, and car drivers,
were entrusted with an unusual task, is only possible through the sunken
that of revitalizing an important urban ‘gateways’ of the underpasses.
passageway, the 4th Street SW Underpass. Although these underpasses were
Internationally known artist Krzysztof initially conceived as a mechanism for
Wodiczko joined the team as well as safe movement, they have ironically
Boston-based studio INVIVIA. Four years come to embody some of Calgary’s The concept
later, long-time design champion and city most uncomfortable public spaces. MBAC’s proposal for the 4th Street SW
councilor, Druh Farrell, described the The two-block stretch of the 4th Street Underpass was founded on the notion
transformed infrastructure as “a place of SW underpass was no exception. In of reclaiming a ‘space of removal’ and
delight and wonder.” 2010, when Calgary released its set of turning it into a ‘space for conversation.’
MBAC has been at the forefront of Urban Design Guidelines for downtown Their design responded to a narrative
Calgary’s recent transformation, with underpasses, it identified this particular they developed for this two-block
inspiring urban projects such as Memorial underpass as a priority project. long underpass, which goes under the
Drive, Poppy Plaza, and C-Square. Today, Limited accessibility, poor lighting Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) rail
with its towers designed by Foster and conditions, particularly at night and corridor and 9th Avenue.
BIG, and with Snøhetta’s Central Library, during the winter, pedestrian safety, and As pedestrians walk down towards
Calgary may not yet be the country’s top overall deterioration called for a radical the first segment of the underpass, they
design destination, but it is definitely solution, one that would provide a safe, go through a ‘Space of Anticipation,’
worth a visit. comfortable, and engaging public space. followed by a ‘Space of Reflection.’ The
1. Translucent
Polycarbonate
Diffusing Surface
2. Aluminium
Exoskeleton
3. Translucent Glass
Diffusing Surface
4. LED Panel
5. Elevated Pedestrian
Walkway
6. Aluminum
Guardrail
7. Aluminum Fascia
Plate, shown with
engraved quote
30 Issue 242 • dw