Jeremy Sturgess: He Built This City

It’s no secret that Jeremy Strugess loves colour. Seated in a boardroom in his downtown office, the architect is entirely in his element. Pink, green and yellow chairs match the bright walls — even his tie is striped and multicoloured.

Even so, it’s the massive monochromatic piece of art hanging in his office that’s actually more telling of his architectural sensibilities.

The image of rumpled sheets and pillows on a bed looks like a topographical map, with each crease and fold of the fabric appearing as hills and valleys from an aerial view of the foothills.

“I’m very interested in the idea of landscape and where we are, but a bed can also be reflective of housing and community,” says Sturgess, refering to the artwork’s play between public and private space.

That interplay has always been present in Sturgess’s designs. His buildings are created to inspire relationships between people, to respect the existing streetscape and to contribute to the shared public space. Whether they’re public buildings, theatres, train stations or private homes, Sturgess always focuses on good urban design principles and sustainability.

His firm, Sturgess Architecture, has made a mark on Calgary with the blueprint for higher-density redevelopment in the Beltline, restoration of the Grand Theatre and designing the striking cresting-wave structure of the City of Calgary’s LEED gold-certified Water Centre. “My lifelong goal is to make Calgary more urban,” Sturgess says.

Sturgess has always been preoccupied with architecture and design. In Grade 8, while other kids were making typical science projects, he opted to build a cardboard house he called the Phoenix. He went on to study architecture at the University of Toronto, and was only 27 when he started his architectural firm in Calgary. “I was told when I started my office that you can’t really practice architecture until you’re 50. And I said to that, ‘I’ll show you,’” says Sturgess, who is now 60.

Over the past 33 years, that expertise has helped shape downtown Calgary, including projects such as the towering skyscraper, The Bow, for which Sturgess acted as a consultant. He was also commissioned to redesign 14 of the LRT platforms along 7th Avenue S.W.

What excites Sturgess about that project is the impact his platforms will have on the space and buildings around them. Take, for example, the new LRT platform outside Quincy’s restaurant, between 5th and 6th streets S.W. The restaurant recently opened a sidewalk café right on the new platform as a response to increased pedestrian accessibility from the new layout. “Part of really successful urban architecture is that it’s not all controlled by the architect,” Sturgess explains.
“It precipitates other things to happen.”

This month, Sturgess is the subject of a new book, Full Spectrum, and an exhibition at the Nickle Arts Museum titled Themes and Variations that showcases photos, models, videos and plans of his past work. It’s a visual affirmation of the impact he has had on the city.

As he continues to challenge the ubiquity of boring buildings by pushing for innovative and more livable spaces in our city, Sturgess is optimistic about our urban future.

“I’ve always said that Calgary is politically conservative, but it’s not creatively conservative,” he says. “Calgary is gaining in complexity. Can it be better? Of course. But it doesn’t take much to change a city.”

Jeremy Sturgess: Themes and Variations runs from May 7 to September 17 at the University of Calgary’s Nickle Arts Museum.