Unless you have been living under a rock or have only recently moved to Calgary, you know by now that Calgary is getting a new library! The New Central Library has already commandeered its integral location adjacent to City Hall and within easy proximity of Calgary’s exciting new talk-of-the-town district: East Village. Steel is up and the building is taking shape (you can even check their live-every-ten-minutes webcam online). The CMLC website boasts that the NCL is “setting

Last month we polled our newsletter readers and our office for questions they wanted answered by our fearless leaders: Richard Davignon and Doris Martin. We have compiled our favorite questions and answers to share with you here: 1. What did you dream of being as a child? An astronaut? A ballerina? Doris: Garbage Man – true answer. When I was about 8 years old, I remember watching the garbage men go by. Back then they didn’t have to wear shirts on a hot summer day and they go

In February’s newsletter, we featured the current Esker Foundation shows exhibiting the works of Jack Bush and contemporary artist Colleen Heslin. Richard, Doris and I attended an artist talk shortly thereafter, during which Ms. Heslin herself led a group of curious patrons through the journey that is this exhibition’s body of work. In a conversation initiated by someone’s inquiry of process and background, Ms. Heslin led an impassioned dialogue about the limitations of insti

Design thinking: A perfect fit where the appeal of the brand synergy is greater than the sum of the appeal of each brand proposition. Brand synergy is about creating and adopting a cooperating vision from common characteristics. The synergetic idea will inspire and guide behaviours and actions, unleash competitive advantage and enhance business performance and deliver growth. It will align and integrate key selected aspects of each brand’s fundamentals and operations to enhan

There is something odd going on in Calgary. Specifically in the single family residential redevelopment market. We are noticing that Modern and Contemporary design is often reduced to a handful of tricks and licks. The must-have horizontal window or the odd offset single slope roof, the blocky lines, the flatness of form and veneered substance. We are getting weary and alarmed at all of the wallpapering of aesthetics. Behind these designs there is such a lack of understanding

Living or visiting Calgary, we have all seen the giant blue ring light post on 96th Ave NW visible from Deerfoot Trail. You may have seen it on your commute or on the way to the airport. This is a monument installed by the City of Calgary in 2013 called “Travelling Light”. It caused a bit of a stir amongst Calgarians who couldn’t quite figure out why nearly half a million dollars was spent for this bold and innovative piece of public art. Like any worthy gesture, it is up for

Reviving the sensuality of the 70s I often hear “I love modern, but not if it’s cold or stark”. A very well received solution to this condition is to reference mid-century modern – the use of a lot of walnut to warm up the white walls and some fantastic bright coloured classic pieces. We have all come to know and love the pieces given to us by Charles and Ray Eames, Aero Saarinen and Florence Knoll. In fact, my reverence for the era goes deep. I faithfully paint my toe nails

It is interesting how some people talk about modern homes and use descriptors like “boxy”, “plain”, or “flat” – but is it reasonable to characterize all modern design with such over-simplistic descriptors? In many cases, especially in the inner-city where space is at a premium and lot values are high, home owners want to maximize their living space. Often, the most efficient design comes in the form of linear post and beam construction – one of the hallmarks of mid-Century Mo

Recent kudos for Calgary have been many and raving. We were named one of the coolest (The New York Times had us 17th on their 2014 must-see list), the cleanest (Mercer City Financial-#1 in the world), and simply one of the best places to live (Moneysense, #2 in Canada). In less than a decade, we’ve gone from cow-town to cosmopolitan in the eyes of the “who’s who” in the world; a city poised for the future while embracing its past. Calgary’s adventurous, if not rebellious, spi