The new North Plaza at the Vancouver Art Gallery will open temporarily this weekend, just in time for the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
“The plaza to the north of the Vancouver Art Gallery is host to Vancouver’s most significant events and is a popular place for people to pass through, sit and relax, and meet one another,” said Paul Mochrie, deputy city manager, City of Vancouver.
“We at the City have the honour of maintaining this remarkable public gathering space, and we are excited to see how it will be used going forward.”
The new plaza complements Robson Square on the other side of the Art Gallery and the surrounding heritage buildings. The new fully accessible space enhances safety for large gatherings, improves flexibility for events and day to day use. It will be complete by the end of summer 2017.
Design features of the new plaza
- Flexible space that can be used for solitary and small group use, as well as large events
- Safe, inviting environment for formal and casual use
- Surface with pavers that will be long-lasting and durable for heavy use
- Full accessibility
- Continuation of the Hornby Street maple trees, with new trees added along the west side of the plaza
- Flexible pavilion and bus stop on the east side which can be used during events and can accommodate future use as a food/beverage stand or tourist information centre
The plaza redesign core team is comprised of Nick Milkovich Architects, Hapa Collaborative and Matthew Soules Architecture, with construction completed by Jacob Brothers Construction.
The plaza will be maintained and managed by the City of Vancouver.
