On an unassuming lot in downtown Calgary, Alberta, 9^th Avenue Parkade’s open structure and flexible aluminum cladding hint at the building’s ability to adapt to a range of urban possibilities. Designed by Winnipeg, Manitoba–based 5468796 Architecture in collaboration with Kasian Architecture, Interior Design and Planning, the six-story garage was commissioned by the city to free up nearby parking lots for development, but its brief mandated that its design be flexible enough to accommodate a variety of uses, depending on future needs. “In my mind, the project is a working system rather than an aesthetic statement on the street,” says 5468796 principal Sasa Radulovic. 

The ground level of the 9th Avenue Parkade. Image © James Brittain Photography