The Vancouver Art Gallery has chosen a new architectural team to design the next phase of its grand new building near Stadium Station. The commissioning of Formline Architecture + Urbanism and KPMB Architects marks “the beginning of a collaborative process toward a new conceptual design in 2026”, according to a Vancouver Art Gallery news release.
“The selection of Formline + KPMB to envision the new Gallery is a bold and topical statement supporting Canadian innovation and excellence,” Jon Stovell, chair of the gallery association board, declared. “KPMB Architects brings a proven track record for creating elegant, world-class museums that centre art and community, while B.C.–based Formline Architecture + Urbanism leads with an Indigenous design vision that is both contemporary and deeply rooted in tradition.”
The VAG noted that the new conceptual design will be “shaped by listening, dialogue, and the perspectives of the communities the gallery serves”. The news release did not disclose the cost of the project.
Alfred Waugh, president and founder of Formline Architecture + Urbanism, was born in the Northwest Territories and was the first Indigenous person to graduate from the University of B.C.’s School of Architecture program. He is also the first LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Indigenous architect.
Gallery will express diversity of world views
Waugh said that this commission brings his personal journey “full circle in a profound way”. His firm is based in West Vancouver.
“My mother left this world too early, and during my formative years, she asked me to do something meaningful for our people—a request that has sparked my journey into architecture,” Waugh noted. “Now we have been privileged with this opportunity to celebrate Vancouver’s vibrant culture while honouring the Indigenous peoples who have stewarded this land for generations and paying tribute to the beautiful mountains and lush rainforests that define our region.”
KPMB Architects is based in Toronto. Its founding partner, Bruce Kuwabara, was lead design partner on 15 of his firm’s 18 Governor General’s Award–winning projects. He became an officer of the Order of Canada in 2012 and received the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s Gold Medal in 2006.
“It’s an honour to collaborate with Alfred Waugh and Formline to help shape the future of an institution that holds such profound cultural and civic significance for Vancouver and British Columbia—places that express a diversity of world views all at once,” said Kuwabara. “Following their release from an internment camp in British Columbia, my family relocated to Hamilton where I was born. Returning to the province to design the Vancouver Art Gallery is deeply meaningful for me.”
A new start
Last December, the Vancouver Art Gallery parted ways with the Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron after the projected cost of the new building it designed rose from $400 million to $600 million. At the time, then Vancouver Art Gallery CEO and executive director Anthony Kiendl insisted that the board was still committed to build a new cultural hub in Larwill Park on West Georgia Street across from the Sandman Hotel.
Kiendl left the gallery in April after nearly five years at the helm. The interim co-CEOs are Sirish Rao and Eva Respini, both joined the gallery during Kiendl’s tenure.
“The Vancouver Art Gallery is the cultural memory keeper of British Columbia and holds a unique position in the Pacific Northwest,” Rao and Respini said in a joint statement. “This is the largest cultural infrastructure project in Vancouver in over 30 years and we are thrilled to partner with Formline + KPMB to work towards a Gallery that supports storytelling, convening, innovation, and access to art and ideas.”
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