Delnor

Description

Delnor coordinated with Stantec and The City of Edmonton to deliver a gallery and performance center for the Quarters community. During pre-construction, Delnor worked closely with the project team to provide cost savings and design input. Value engineering led to re-working the mechanical system to be a stand-alone system controlled by the building to allow the project to remain within budget.

The scope of work involved taking an existing building and completely renovating the interior and refreshing the exterior of the building. This included all new storm and sanitary piping complete with a new electrical service. The exterior was completely repainted, and three overhead doors were saw cut into the existing building to allow for artwork and equipment to be moved into the space.

The Co*Lab building is run by the Quarters Arts Society. The eclectic use of colours and materials on the exterior along with signage creates a playful façade, breaking up the street edge to entice people to explore the art within. Three large garage doors—two on the front façade, and one facing the backyard—will facilitate the performances which are part of many of Co*Lab’s projects. Audiences will be able to flow in and out of the building, from street to event space. At the gallery end of the building, polycarbonate cladding conceals an older stucco façade, and reinforces the playful aspect of the design, especially at night, when this part of the building is set aglow with vertical stripes. Co*Lab has installed a jaunty, 1950s-style sign over the main entrance, adding to the feeling of welcome.

The renovation of the facility has resulted in three major spaces: a tall gallery space painted white, a large multimedia community space painted black, and an outdoor space dubbed the “backyard.” The two major interior spaces are connected through a compressed corridor, which is given its own vibrant identity with traffic-light-yellow walls, floor, and ceiling. This same bright colour is used on stairs, handrails, and other feature elements throughout the building. The neatly arrayed floorplate includes support spaces, a workshop, a media room, and small studios for artists-in-residence on a second level.

This project received the Award of Excellence and the Award of Merit at the 2022 Prairie Design Awards.