Calgary's Parkade of the Future Among Recipients of 2026 Governor General’s Medals in Architecture

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The Parkade of the Future in Calgary, designed by 5468796 Architecture and Kasian Architecture, has received the prestigious 2026 Governor General’s Medal in Architecture, highlighting innovative urban design and future adaptability.

The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), in collaboration with the Canada Council for the Arts, has revealed the winners of the 2026 Governor General’s Medals in Architecture. Among the honored projects is the Parkade of the Future located in Calgary, a standout achievement that showcases a new vision for parking infrastructure. The design was crafted by Winnipeg’s 5468796 Architecture alongside Kasian Architecture, Interior Design and Planning from Vancouver.
Situated in Calgary’s dynamic East Village, the Parkade of the Future is being recognized for its innovative approach to adaptability and long-term resilience. Commissioned by the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation and the Calgary Parking Authority, this structure features 510 parking stalls and is uniquely designed to facilitate seamless future conversion into office, residential, or light industrial spaces.
The building's distinctive elliptical helix form is engineered to bridge an underground light rail easement, effectively reclaiming valuable site area while ensuring that the interior spaces are naturally lit and ventilated. This design allows for a gradual ascent of the floors without the need for traditional ramps, which typically complicate future conversion efforts.
Generous ceiling heights and clear spans, combined with a universal load-bearing capacity, make it economically feasible to adapt the structure over time. The incorporation of public amenities at street level—including a café, a basketball court, an exhibition courtyard, and the Platform Innovation Centre—serves to activate the urban edge and encourage civic engagement.
The Platform Innovation Centre is particularly notable, providing 55,000 square feet of meeting and classroom space dedicated to workshops for tech startups, thus enhancing the building’s functionality beyond its original purpose. Sasa Radulovic, a co-founding partner at 5468796 Architecture, emphasized that the design of the parking garage was intentionally conceptualized for future transformations, a stark contrast to typical parking garages that feature steep slopes that hinder such adaptations.
This Calgary parkade is one of eleven projects nationally that have received awards this year, showcasing a diverse array of building types and sizes. Another notable winner is the Ace Hotel located in downtown Toronto, designed by Shim-Sutcliffe Architects in partnership with Atelier Ace. Brigitte Shim, a principal at Shim-Sutcliffe, expressed her honor at receiving this award, highlighting how the hotel’s design respects the historical context of Toronto’s garment district, which has seen significant redevelopment.
The Ace Hotel’s lobby design features a wooden tray structure supported by slender metal rods, allowing for a visual connection between the interior and the street, enhancing the urban experience. The hotel’s public spaces are defined by seven poured-in-place concrete arches, which play a crucial role in transferring structural loads and creating a sense of scale within the space.
Additionally, the 900 Saint-Jacques project in Montreal, designed by Chevalier Morales Architectes and Brian Eldsen Burrows Architecte – Le Groupe Architex, has also been recognized. This residential tower aims to connect heritage with public life, offering spaces for greenery and social interaction while promoting pedestrian and cycling traffic.
In Edmonton, the Windermere Fire Station #31, designed by Gh3* Architects and S2 Architecture, received accolades for its net-zero energy design, aligning with the city’s Energy Transition Strategy. This civic building serves a rapidly growing residential neighborhood and integrates emergency response infrastructure with sustainable practices.
The RAIC organizes and administers the Governor General’s Medals in Architecture, with the Canada Council for the Arts overseeing the peer assessment committee responsible for the selection process. The awards ceremony for 2026 is set to take place in early 2027, with details on the venue still being finalized. As a biennial event, the next awards will occur in 2028.

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