Quote:
Originally Posted by Table 5
Besides, local firms are more than welcome to enter competitions worldwide. What has Gibbs Gage, probably the biggest architect in town who gets a ton of work, done anywhere that's even in the same ballpark as Norman Foster or Calatrava?
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I work for one of the larger firms here in the city, and lots of our work comes from OUTSIDE of Calgary. China, India, Taiwan, UAE, other parts of Canada... these are where most of the competitions / work are. There's work in Calgary, too, but not to the level where you can find elsewhere.
Alas, there's been some pretty ballsy stuff proposed for Calgary, I can tell you that... but most of it gets changed or shot down by the client / stakeholders. Alot of this is due to Calgary's conservative, functional take to archtecture. The proposed Shaganappi development was a good example.
I have no problems saying that I am happy to see a Calatrava bridge in Calgary, much in the same manner that I am happy to see a Norman Foster project in Calgary as well. It is nice to see these world renowned architects showcasing their work in our city. A local firm could have designed these bridges too, but you know what? Sometimes it's not about the local guy, give a chance to some international firms. This is a win for architecture in Calgary no matter how you look at it.
Here's a good example - the new Cantos Music Centre. Completely raised the bar for design competitions in Calgary in the future. A phenomenal step in the right direction for this city, and a huge eye-opener to many levels of people all over the place.
As one of those 'local guys', more than anything else, I am honored that we can open up our doors to the rest of the world and tap its talents. As a fan of good design... this is a win for architecture in this city, regardless. This will open up doors for higher architectural standards in this city.