We came across a fantastic piece of news: Michael Audain,the CEO of Polygon Homes, has donated $30M for a new art gallery in Whistler! As stagers and designers who love working with art, we can understand how someone who loves building homes also has a great passion for art.

He’s got an amazing personal collection, and when asked by the Vancouver Sun how many pieces he owns, he said modestly, “I don’t count them. We have them in different locations.” Indeed Whistler will be very lucky to have access to his art, a full 20,000 square feet of exhibition space, while the full gallery takes up 55,000 square feet.

What’s interesting is that architects John and Patricia Patkau designed the space to respect the environment; only one tree needed to be cleared for construction. The roof also accommodates for heavy snowfall and floods. It’s great that the building blends into Whistler’s natural surroundings rather than stand out so much from the environment, as the Pompidou building among many others come to mind.

We’re really excited for the Audain Art Gallery to open in 2015 – fingers crossed it will open as planned!

Photo Credit: Vancouver Sun