Leaders at the Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) revealed on Thursday (29 August) that the cost of its decades-in-the-making new building has increased by 50%, or C$200m ($148.2m), pushing its total price from C$400m ($296.4m) to $600m ($444.6m). Although a “ground awakening” ceremony was held last year at the new building’s Larwill Park site—around 500m from the gallery’s current location—construction, originally due to begin next month, will now be considerably delayed.
Timelines for construction and completion of the project designed by the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron have changed over the course of several years. In 2012, costs were estimated at C$300 million. A few years later, when city council voted to set aside the land at Larwill Park, the planned opening date was 2019, then shifted several months later to 2020. At the 2023 launch event, the projected opening date was 2028.
“Construction costs across Canada have significantly increased by up to 60% between 2020 and 2024,” the gallery’s director, Anthony Kiendl, said in a statement on 29 August. “The new Vancouver Art Gallery project has also been impacted by this unprecedented and unforeseen cost escalation. Overall project costs have increased from C$400m to C$600m in the past two years, even as incredible progress has been made on fundraising goals.”
He added: “The gallery will be taking necessary steps for the next phase of the project that are pragmatic, creative and will ensure prudent financial management. This will include a revised capital project timeline in order to address rising costs through changes to the building design.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for Herzog & de Meuron said: “In the Vancouver Art Gallery project, we are part of an exceptional team of experts, and together with the gallery, we are committed to finding a path forward. We firmly believe in the public value that this building can bring to Vancouver.”
Despite the rising costs, Kiendl tells The Art Newspaper that he remains optimistic.
“This moment provides a unique opportunity for Vancouver Art Gallery to lead in the development of a new multi-faceted cultural district on the west coast,” he says. “We are excited to redouble our efforts in creating a leading visual arts institution for Canada and the world.”
He adds: “Since we have not begun construction yet, we can see if inflation will moderate in the near term and will respond as appropriate to ensure fiscal sustainability. I am confident we will proceed in due course.”
According to a spokesperson for the gallery, it has raised “more than C$350m” for the new building project. “Approximately 10% of the C$600 million projected budget has been spent to date,” the spokesperson added, “which is normal for soft costs at this stage of design.”
Others are not so optimistic. “I’m offended to see limited philanthropic and tax dollars wasted, says the local real estate marketer and art collector Bob Rennie, a longtime critic of plans for the new gallery. “Construction costs have not gone up 50% in the past year. That’s preposterous!”
Rennie, who also serves as president of the Tate Americas Foundation, adds: “It’s time we stopped punching above our weight. The VAG board has been fantasising about a building they didn’t know the actual cost of completing.”
The current vision for the new VAG, Rennie says, is a “1980s model that doesn’t work today. The days of blind ‘starchitecture’ without rationale are gone, because philanthropy and tax dollars are not as available as they were before.” A mega project, he notes, is unnecessary. “We just need a box with white walls to showcase artists and connect with the community.”
Rennie contends that “all options should be explored” including staying on the current site and building underground, as per a proposal he championed by the late Vancouver architect Bing Thom in 2012. Thom also had an earlier plan for a multi-venue arts complexat Larwill Park incorporating a concert hall and a new art gallery, which was rejected by former VAG director Kathleen Bartels in favour of a stand-alone building. In light of this news from the gallery, that proposal is enjoying some renewed popularity.
Other suggestions from Rennie include building a bridge from the current building across the street to a former Nordstrom’s department store that is currently sitting empty, or even erecting “a tower on the current site where the gallery goes into the podium”.
“I’m not attached to any outcome, except one that involves a manageable budget,” Rennie tells The Art Newspaper. “If the VAG has raised C$350m in 12 years, then that should be the budget.”