A new Vancouver Art Gallery building set to connect sustainable energy and world-class visual art as the heart of the city鈥檚 arts community is scheduled to open in 2027.

Canadian heritage minister Pablo Rodriguez and Vancouver Centre MP Hedy Fry announced yesterday $29 million in funding through the federal government and Infrastructure Canada to help build what is being billed as the first passive house art gallery in North America.

鈥淧assive house鈥� signifies an ultra-low energy performance building standard recognized around the world. It will further the gallery鈥檚 vision of creating safe and inclusive spaces, while meeting Canada鈥檚 efficiency standards in the goal of net-zero.

The building itself 鈥� to be known as the Chan Centre for the Visual Arts 鈥� will be built in downtown Vancouver and showcase a variety of artists local to Canada and from around the world. It will also have a multi-purpose Indigenous community house, public art spaces, a theatre, and initiatives for marginalized groups.

For Fry, this new building will play an important role in supporting the groups that need it most.

鈥淐ultural spaces and institutions like the Vancouver Art Gallery play an important role in supporting vibrant and inclusive communities. They connect the past with the present through exhibits that inform and inspire, they safeguard priceless artefacts and works of art, and they promote the talent of our Canadian artists and creators.鈥�

CEO and president of the Vancouver art gallery Anthony Kiendl is excited to have a space that can be beneficial to people from all walks of life, calling it a 鈥渓ibrary with an artistic and cultural twist.鈥�