sam centre aims to bring people together, build on year-round stampede attraction
'sam will be that heart and soul of stampede year-round ... inviting community in to actually share their stories of stampede'
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the calgary stampede’s newest $44-million attraction is halfway to completion. the 30,000-square-foot sam centre will act as a year-round meeting ground for calgarians and tourists alike when it opens in may 2024. the new facility will tell the story of the stampede through ever-changing exhibits and interactive tools.
most importantly, sam will give the stampede a physical presence on campus that can be accessed by the public beyond an empty parking lot.
“it’s in our dna to bring people together and up until now for the most part, we’ve only had 10 days to bring community together in a big way,” said angie gelinas, director of stampede campus. “sam will be that heart and soul of stampede year-round telling the story, sharing stories, inviting community in to actually share their stories of stampede.”
ground broke on the sam centre in october; the foundation was finished being poured in february; by april all of the underground plumbing and electrical had been installed; and the steel structure and glulam were up in june. the building is on track to be fully enclosed and weathertight in august.
angie gelinas, director of stampede campus, speaks while construction is underway at the sam centre adjacent to the stampede grounds in calgary on friday, july 14, 2023.
jim wells
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postmedia
the building is named after calgary philanthropist sam taylor, whose son don taylor donated $15 million to the creation of the centre. the province has also chipped in $5 million, while the federal government has come in with $4.5 million. of the total budget, $5 million has been set aside for the creation of the exhibit space, while the stampede is looking at a $2-million annual budget for ongoing operations.
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the stampede is forecasting 86,000 visitors to the sam centre in 2024, increasing to 135,000 by year four. the building’s designers have incorporated a plaza with large roof overhangs for people to gather, while they have tried to capture the history and feel of the stampede in its barn-like look.
the standout feature of the building is its roof, which has been broken up to allow ample natural light in at all times with “skylids” or skylights, while creating visual artistic interest for the surrounding buildings and neighbours that look down on it from above. this is best achieved through what is being called the lantern, a grand hall in the centre of sam centre with a ceiling that peaks at 14.45 metres and will allow light to escape from the building at night, like a lantern.
construction is underway at the sam centre adjacent to the stampede grounds in calgary on friday, july 14, 2023.
jim wells
/
postmedia
the building is using a lot of laminated b.c. douglas fir for its beams and wall construction, bringing in a softer, more welcoming feel while also lowering sam’s carbon footprint.
sam centre will contain two major galleries, ross glen gallery and scown gallery, which will give organizers different spaces to create experiences to tell the stampede’s story. it will utilize physical pieces from its archive of more than 10,000 artifacts as well as technology where appropriate. exhibits will be changed every four months or so.
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“we will have artifacts in this space, certainly, but we are also the stampede and so we are anchored really in, at its heart, people-driven experiences,” said christine leppard, sam centre manager of exhibits and experience.
the facility has been designed to fit in with the evolving and developing calgary stampede, which also includes the expanded bmo centre and will be next door to the potential new event centre on the shores of the elbow river.
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an artist rendering shows the sam centre which is currently under construction and planed to be open by spring 2024.
courtesy calgary stampede
an artist rendering shows the sam centre which is currently under construction and planed to be open by spring 2024.
courtesy calgary stampede
an artist rendering shows the sam centre which is currently under construction and planed to be open by spring 2024.
courtesy calgary stampede
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