Architects:Studio North

Area :2150 ft²

Year :2019

Photographs :Hayden Pattullo

Interior Design Partner :Field Kit

Structural Engineering Company :RJC

Mechanical Engineering :Remedy

Design Team : Matthew Kennedy, Damon Hayes Couture, Nicolas Hamel

Drawings : Hayden Pattullo, Damon Hayes Couture

General Contractor  : Matthew Kennedy

Fabrication Team : Dan Vanderhoorst

Carpentry Expert : Ryan Peters, Matthew Peters, Jeremy Adams

Photography : Hayden Pattullo

City : Calgary

Country : Canada

Calgary's Central Memorial Park was developed during Calgary’s first major boom at the turn of the 20th century to show the confidence and optimism of a young city, which is a spirit that remains to this day. In the century since its inception, following significant changes to the area, the elaborate gardens and geometric pathways of the formal Victorian gardens have lost their luster. The ambition of the Sidewalk Citizen Solarium is to reinvigorate Central Memorial Park with a year-round dining and event space that connects the park to the city and the city to the park.

The building’s new entry hall serves as a front door and a direct link to the city. As a nod to the character of the park, the entry hall is clad with a variable aperture pattern inspired by façade details on the park's historic Memorial Park Library. Abundant natural light and controlled climate foster the growth of several species of plants, including a fig tree, a lemon bush, and many other subtropical plants. From the first light in the morning, the translucent cladding floods the space with a soft, diffuse natural light, washing over the restaurant’s patrons and plants throughout the day.