When visitors make their way to Stampede Park for the 2022 Calgary Stampede this year, they will see that the BMO Centre’s world-class expansion has begun to take its dramatic shape, with one third of the project’s 9,000 metric tonnes of steel already rising high above the Midway.
The $500M expansion, on schedule and on budget for its opening in June 2024, is a catalyst for Calgary’s Culture + Entertainment District.
While still in construction, the project is already garnering significant interest for groups vying to bring their events and conventions to the facility. The team at the Calgary Stampede is preparing to once again welcome the world when the convention centre opens in 2024.
“The sheer scale of the building and its dramatic addition will be clear to guests the minute they set foot onto Stampede Park,” says Joel Cowley, CEO, Calgary Stampede. “The expanded BMO Centre will showcase both the bright future of the Stampede as well as the welcoming western hospitality that sets the Stampede apart from other convention venues.”
Featuring over 1-million square feet of space when the expansion is complete, the BMO Centre will be Western Canada’s largest convention centre, transforming the way people gather together for events, conferences and meetings.
“We’re thrilled to see this big, important new landmark take shape,” said Kate Thompson, president and CEO of CMLC. “This is an extremely complex project, and we’ve worked tirelessly alongside our partners at the Calgary Stampede to deliver a world-class facility that’s right for Calgary, while carefully balancing the coordination of hundreds of events that take place on Stampede Park every year, and in close proximity to other major construction projects, like the 17 Ave SE Extension and Victoria Park/Stampede Station Rebuild. It is no doubt one of the one of the most active and robust construction areas in Calgary right now.”
The BMO Centre expansion is designed by an award-winning team of architects from Stantec, Populous and S2 Architecture. Through their collective experience, local knowledge and deep understanding of convention spaces, they have delivered a truly inspired design for the BMO Centre expansion that will create warm and unforgettable experiences for generations to come. PCL is leading construction on the project, which is now fully construction tendered. Currently, over 100 crew members are on site every day, progressing with steel erection and brick veneer paneling, which is on track to be complete by end-of-year.
Funded in partnership by all three levels of government, the BMO Centre expansion is one of over $600M in city-building projects underway in the District, modernizing Stampede Park and setting the stage for Calgary’s emerging Culture + Entertainment District. When complete, the massive BMO Centre expansion will be taller than both the Saddledome and GMC Stadium. A sprawling plaza – twice the size of Olympic Plaza – and grand staircase will welcome guests to the building from the south, creating even more opportunities for people to gather and celebrate.
Construction on the BMO Centre expansion, as well as construction on the neighbouring 17 Ave SE Extension and Victoria Park/Stampede LRT Station Rebuild project, will be paused during this year’s Calgary Stampede.
PROJECT TEAM
- Architects: Stantec, Populous and S2
- Convention venue operations specialist: HLT Advisory Inc.
- Urban design specialists: O2
- Project manager: M3 Development
- Construction manager: PCL Construction
- Hall F: Gibbs Gage and Stuart Olson
- Development manager: CMLC
Featured image: (CMLC)
