Curating Calgary: Engineering Space for Art & Culture

At Entuitive, we believe that buildings are more than just structures; they are vessels for human experience, creativity, and community. Nowhere is this more evident than in the arts and culture sector, where galleries, museums, and theatres serve as the beating heart of a city’s identity.

In Calgary, we’re proud to be part of a vibrant artistic transformation, contributing our expertise to projects that celebrate creativity, inclusivity, sustainability, and education.

Curating Beyond Cowboy Culture

Calgary is the fastest-growing major city in Canada, with a population increase of 5.8% between 2023 and 2024 – the quickest among Canadian census metropolitan areas. This city was also crowned as the best place to live in Canada in 2025 due to its affordability, career opportunities, and outstanding quality of life.

Calgary’s rapid growth and status as a top Canadian destination drives a rising demand for arts and culture infrastructure across the city. "Calgary has long been celebrated for its western heritage, exemplified by the Calgary Stampede, and there’s a vibrant arts and culture scene here that deserves just as much attention,” said Brock Schroeder, CEO at Entuitive.

"We love to be part of projects that reflect the spectrum of creativity and community in Calgary and across Canada." – Brock Schroeder, CEO at Entuitive

“We’re excited to have been part of the design team for the SAM Centre, showcasing western artifacts in a meaningful and modern way – but that’s just one part of this story. From contemporary public art installations to cultural institutions, we love to be part of projects that reflect the spectrum of creativity and community in Calgary and across Canada.”

Building for Culture, Building for Community

Arts and culture buildings present unique challenges and opportunities for engineering. They demand precision, creativity, precise environmental control, and a deep understanding of how people interact with space.

Our multidisciplinary team delivers holistic solutions tailored to city-defining projects, including:

• Structural engineering

• Building envelope consulting

• Code consulting

• Sustainability consulting

• Energy modeling

• Climate resilience

Together, these services address challenges and potential opportunities to create a space where Calgarians and visitors can enjoy a vital, growing cultural scene.

Access to Art for Everyone

We are passionate about working on projects that remove barriers and invite everyone to participate in Calgary’s cultural life. Whether it’s through universal design principles, improved acoustics, or enhanced public spaces, our work helps make art more accessible and inclusive.

“At Contemporary Calgary, we’re supporting the KPMB, GGA, and PFS Studio team to transform an aging planetarium into a vibrant, welcoming space that reflects the evolving needs of the Contemporary Calgary modern art gallery,” said Greg Riewe, Senior Associate at Entuitive. “This includes the careful renovation and preservation of the heritage building, the creation of a new sculpture park, and the construction of a striking entrance pavilion and an education wing.”

“Projects like this can define the careers of our team members – it’s something you can bring your friends and family to for years to come.” – Greg Riewe, Senior Associate at Entuitive.

“The project is about opening a public cultural space where everyone can access and enjoy art. People can visit the new entrance pavilion and café, the education wing welcomes resident students and community programs, and the galleries host exhibits with admissions that are reasonably priced. Projects like this can define the careers of our team members – it’s something you can bring your friends and family to for years to come.”

We love when art and engineering intersect in unexpected ways. Projects like Novus Textura, a striking installation that blends structural ingenuity with artistic expression, provide a great example of how we get to flex our creativity and have fun while solving complex challenges.

Whether it’s supporting bold architectural visions or helping bring public art to life, these opportunities connect us with communities and remind us that great design can be playful, expressive, and unmistakably human.

Reconciliation Through Design

As a Partnership Accreditation in Indigenous Relations certified firm, we actively seek opportunities to participate in reconciliation through design, elevating the voices and traditions of local Indigenous artists, creatives, and elders. The façade of a building is the single biggest opportunity to demonstrate culturally and aesthetically significant elements to the public.

”The Glenbow Museum is a great example of using façade to communicate a fresh approach,” said Mike Lembke, Principal at Entuitive. “Our team is delivering building envelope consulting and commissioning on the full reclad of the building to allow for a more organic, light, and transparent impression.”

Sustainability as a Creative Driver

Arts and culture buildings offer a powerful opportunity to showcase a commitment to sustainability for a diverse audience of visitors. Our Sustainability + Performance team approaches these projects with a creative mindset, integrating energy modeling, climate resilience strategies, embodied carbon, and holistic sustainability strategies to reflect what is most important to the facility. "At Werklund Centre, we're proud to be providing sustainability consulting for both the Phase 1 new build and the Phase 2 renovation of the existing facility,” said Sam Lane, Associate at Entuitive.

“There’s a remarkable transformation underway in this vibrant downtown block, and we’re honoured to contribute to a project that celebrates culture, community, and climate-conscious design." – Sam Lane, Associate at Entuitive.

“This dynamic collaboration with KPMB has been an inspiring journey, bringing together compliance with local energy codes, alignment with the City’s ambitious sustainability standards, and coordination with the team revitalizing the adjacent plaza. There’s a remarkable transformation underway in this vibrant downtown block, and we’re honoured to contribute to a project that celebrates culture, community, and climate-conscious design."

Education Through Design

Arts and culture buildings provide a shared space to experience cultural events. They’re also places of learning. These buildings host workshops, lectures, exhibitions, and performances that educate and inspire. Our engineering solutions support these educational missions by creating safe, adaptable, and engaging environments.

We see our role not just as engineers, but as enablers of education. By designing buildings that support diverse programming and evolving needs, we help institutions like the Glenbow Museum and Contemporary Calgary fulfill their educational mandates and reach broader audiences. Strategic additions and programming can support the financial sustainability of arts and culture institutions, ensuring these spaces continue to educate and inspire generations to come.

Our passion for arts and culture projects is shared across our team. Barry Charnish, Principal and Senior Structural Engineer at Entuitive, has worked on projects across North America, including the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, and the Remai Modern art gallery of Saskatchewan.

“Working on arts and culture buildings is incredibly rewarding,” Barry said. “These projects challenge us to think differently. To balance technical precision with artistic vision. They’re spaces where people come together to experience something greater than themselves, and it’s an honour to help bring those spaces to life.”

Building New Frontiers for Arts and Culture

Calgary’s status as a cultural capital continues to grow and evolve as the city’s populace expands. We’re excited and honoured to contribute our building expertise as part of the city’s success story. Entuitive has partnered with major municipal and private stakeholders to complete projects such as the Calgary New Central Library, the Calgary Event Centre, and the expansion of the BMO Convention Centre.

Our work in the arts and culture sector reflects our values and the ideals that helped Calgary rise: collaboration, community, innovation, accessibility, and sustainability. We’re proud to support projects that enrich the lives and culture of current and future Calgarians.

Entuitive does more than create buildings. Our firm helps to shape the future of Calgary’s artistic and cultural identity. We love working on arts and culture buildings because they remind us of our passion: building a better world.