








Impact statement
By aligning with the long-term strategic vision for Calgary and Alberta, WCT and OPT will contribute to the cultural fabric of our city and province, to both attract talent and retain lifelong citizens. ACT will serve the needs of our growing city by creating additional space for informal and formal gatherings, community activations, and an opportunity for Arts Commons resident companies to grow and innovate, while OPT will play a pivotal role in making our downtown a safer and more attractive destination.
This shovel-ready project also provides the opportunity to lean into today’s unique challenges to invest in a better tomorrow, supporting the creative economy and the growing arts and culture workforce, and contributing to an economically diverse community by jump-starting both short and long-term job creation and economic activity.
As a vibrant thread in the social fabric of our city and province, the new Arts Commons campus will be one of the largest contiguous arts-focused spaces in Canada. Together, the expansion and modernization of Arts Commons, alongside Olympic Plaza's redevelopment, will honour Calgary's past and will create a new model for engagement and business sustainability that will be a paragon for other cities around the world.
“Arts Commons is the beating heart of Calgary's downtown.”
“Arts Commons will be a key contributor to the social, economic, cultural, and intellectual life and well-being of Calgarians and visitors alike, and an important building-block for the revitalization of the downtown core suffering.”
"Werklund Centre is a home for bold ideas. As we reimagine downtown Calgary through projects like the Arts Commons and Olympic Plaza Transformation Projects, we add life and vibrancy to the core of our city."
"The quality of a community’s cultural infrastructure has a direct impact on quality of life and therefore, on the competitiveness of communities in attracting people and investment."
How Werklund Centre Transformation and Olympic Plaza Transformation work together
In order to achieve the vision of a new, vibrant campus in the heart of Calgary, as of June 2023, Werklund Centre (formerly Arts Commons) and its partners on WCT – Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) and the City of Calgary – integrated the revitalization of Olympic Plaza into the original Arts Commons Transformation project plan, creating a comprehensive $660 million shovel-ready project ($315M is already secured).
The expansion of the Werklund Centre facility broke ground in January 2025, with coordinated construction on the Olympic Plaza Transformation beginning in earnest in 2027. The modernization of the current Werklund Centre facility will take place once funding is secured.
The new Olympic Plaza will ultimately become an extension of the Werklund Centre campus, under Werklund Centre’s management. Leveraging this outdoor community space to connect more artists to more audiences will not only foster an organic flow between arts and recreation but will create a more vibrant and resilient cultural and civic presence in our downtown core.
When construction is complete, the Werklund Centre campus will be one of the largest contiguous arts-focused spaces in Canada. Together, the expansion and re-designing of Werklund Centre alongside the Olympic Plaza Transformation will honour Calgary’s past while reimagining the role of an arts centre as a city-builder, ensuring Calgary continues to be one of the world’s most livable cities for generations to come and securing continued success for Calgary and Alberta’s growth.