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Federal government provides more than $29 million for new Vancouver Art Gallery

The building will be the first art gallery built to Passive House standards in North America.

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The Vancouver Art Gallery will receive more than $29 million in federal funding, bringing it another step closer to a new downtown location that’s set to open its doors in 2027.

The money will go toward building a new gallery — the first one built to Passive House standards in North America — at a city-owned property between Cambie and Beatty streets, near the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

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“It really is a great moment for the project,” said Vancouver Art Gallery CEO Anthony Kiendl. “This is the first time the federal government has supported this project — a project that’s over 15 years in the making. That’s significant for us.”

A large chunk of the funds, $25 million, comes from Infrastructure Canada through its green and inclusive community buildings program, while the remaining $4.3 million is funded from the Department of Canadian Heritage.

At about 300,000 square feet, the new building will be the largest Passive House art gallery in the world, said Kiendl: “It will really set precedence, and be a great learning opportunity for industry and designers.”

Passive House is an internationally recognized, high-performance building standard.

Aboriginal artist Deborah Sparrow delivers remarks after the Federal Government announced an investment of over $29.3 million in funding for the new Chan Centre for Visual Arts Vancouver, June 27, 2022.
Aboriginal artist Deborah Sparrow delivers remarks after the Federal Government announced an investment of over $29.3 million in funding for the new Chan Centre for Visual Arts Vancouver, June 27, 2022. Photo by RICHARD LAM /PNG

The building will feature solar heating, triple-glazed windows and heat pumps. It will exceed net-zero carbon standards for energy and reduce energy consumption by at least 75 per cent compared with a non-Passive House building.

The art gallery has outgrown its space at the former courthouse on 750 Hornby St. and has been on a long campaign to raise funds for a new facility.

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The new building, which will be called the Vancouver Art Gallery at the Chan Centre for the Visual Arts, will have a multi-purpose Indigenous Community House, a theatre, public art spaces, and programming for marginalized and underserved groups.

Artist rendering of the redesigned facade of the new Vancouver Art Gallery showing the building wrapped in a copper-coloured metallic weave.
Artist rendering of the redesigned facade of the new Vancouver Art Gallery showing the building wrapped in a copper-coloured metallic weave. jpg

With the federal contributions, the art gallery has raised nearly $270 million for the $400 million project.

The project has also been boosted considerably by private donors, including a $100 million donation from the Audain Foundation and $40 million from the Chan Family Foundation. The B.C. government has contributed $50 million, while the city has donated the land under a 99-year lease.

Construction is expected to start in early 2023.

chchan@postmedia.com

twitter.com/cherylchan

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